CNA CNA Infection Control & Prevention 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What type of transmission precaution requires a CNA to wear a gown, gloves, and limit the patient's transport outside the room?
- Airborne precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Contact precautions (Correct answer)
- Standard precautions
Correct answer: Contact precautions
Contact precautions are used for infections spread by direct or indirect contact (e.g., MRSA, C. diff) and require gloves and gown upon room entry and limiting patient transport.
Question 2: Which disease requires airborne precautions, meaning a CNA must wear an N95 respirator?
- Influenza
- COVID-19 droplet transmission
- Active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) (Correct answer)
- MRSA wound infection
Correct answer: Active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB)
Active pulmonary tuberculosis spreads via airborne droplet nuclei that remain suspended in air, requiring an N95 respirator rated to filter particles ≥0.3 microns.
Question 3: When removing personal protective equipment (PPE), which item should a CNA remove first?
- Mask or respirator
- Gown
- Gloves (Correct answer)
- Eye protection
Correct answer: Gloves
Gloves are considered the most contaminated item and should be removed first using a glove-to-glove, skin-to-skin technique to prevent self-contamination.
Question 4: A patient is diagnosed with Clostridium difficile (C. diff). Which hand hygiene method is most effective against C. diff spores?
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer (60% ethanol)
- Soap and water for at least 20 seconds (Correct answer)
- Chlorhexidine wipes
- Foam hand sanitizer only
Correct answer: Soap and water for at least 20 seconds
C. diff forms spores that are NOT killed by alcohol-based hand sanitizers; soap and water physically removes spores from the hands and is required for C. diff.
Question 5: Standard precautions in healthcare require a CNA to treat which body fluids as potentially infectious?
- Only blood
- Blood, all body fluids, secretions, and excretions (except sweat) (Correct answer)
- Only urine and feces
- Only wound drainage and pus
Correct answer: Blood, all body fluids, secretions, and excretions (except sweat)
Standard precautions apply to blood, all body fluids (except sweat), non-intact skin, and mucous membranes, regardless of a patient's known infection status.
Question 6: A CNA accidentally receives a needlestick injury. What is the FIRST action to take?
- Report immediately to the supervisor and complete an incident report
- Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Apply a bandage and continue working
- Ignore it if the patient appears healthy
Correct answer: Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water
The first action after a needlestick injury is to immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and running water to reduce the risk of bloodborne pathogen transmission.
CNA CNA Infection Control & Prevention 1
What type of transmission precaution requires a CNA to wear a gown, gloves, and limit the patient's transport outside the room?