CPCT Patient Safety and Infection Control 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the single most effective method to prevent the spread of healthcare-associated infections?
- Wearing gloves at all times
- Proper hand hygiene (Correct answer)
- Using N95 respirators
- Isolating all patients
Correct answer: Proper hand hygiene
Hand hygiene is universally recognized as the most effective single measure to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
Question 2: Standard precautions apply to:
- Only patients with known infections
- Blood and body fluids from all patients (Correct answer)
- Airborne pathogens only
- Patients in isolation rooms only
Correct answer: Blood and body fluids from all patients
Standard precautions treat blood and all body fluids from every patient as potentially infectious, regardless of diagnosis.
Question 3: A patient is on contact precautions. What personal protective equipment (PPE) is required upon entering the room?
- N95 respirator and eye shield
- Gown and gloves (Correct answer)
- Surgical mask only
- Face shield and shoe covers
Correct answer: Gown and gloves
Contact precautions require wearing a gown and gloves before entering the patient's room to prevent transmission via direct or indirect contact.
Question 4: When removing contaminated PPE, which item should be removed first?
- Mask or respirator
- Gown
- Gloves (Correct answer)
- Eye protection
Correct answer: Gloves
Gloves should be removed first because they are the most contaminated item and removing them first prevents self-contamination during doffing.
Question 5: Which type of isolation precaution is required for a patient with active tuberculosis?
- Contact precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Airborne precautions (Correct answer)
- Standard precautions only
Correct answer: Airborne precautions
Tuberculosis is transmitted via airborne particles and requires airborne precautions, including a negative-pressure room and N95 respirator.
Question 6: A PCT sustains a needlestick injury. What is the FIRST action to take?
- Report to the charge nurse immediately
- Complete an incident report
- Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Apply a tourniquet above the injury site
Correct answer: Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water
The immediate first action after a needlestick is to wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water to reduce infection risk.
CPCT Patient Safety and Infection Control 1
What is the single most effective method to prevent the spread of healthcare-associated infections?