GI Safety & Infection Control 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient undergoing colonoscopy prep reports taking immunosuppressants. Which additional infection control concern should be prioritized?
- Increased risk of bloodborne pathogen exposure for staff
- Patient's heightened susceptibility to procedural infection (Correct answer)
- Need for airborne precautions during the procedure
- Requirement for double-gloving by the endoscopist
Correct answer: Patient's heightened susceptibility to procedural infection
Immunosuppressed patients have reduced defenses against opportunistic infections, increasing their risk of post-procedural infections from even minor breaches.
Question 2: Which hepatitis virus is most commonly transmitted via contaminated food and water and causes acute GI illness?
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis A (Correct answer)
- Hepatitis D
Correct answer: Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is transmitted via the fecal-oral route through contaminated food and water, causing acute viral hepatitis with prominent GI symptoms.
Question 3: After completing a colonoscopy on a patient with known MRSA, what should the nurse do with the biopsy forceps?
- Discard as regulated medical waste (Correct answer)
- Reprocess using high-level disinfection
- Reuse after wiping with alcohol
- Sterilize and reuse
Correct answer: Discard as regulated medical waste
Biopsy forceps are single-use items that must be discarded after one use regardless of the patient's infection status, as they penetrate tissue.
Question 4: A GI nurse accidentally sustains a needlestick injury during an endoscopic procedure. What is the FIRST action to take?
- Report to the charge nurse immediately
- Complete an incident report
- Wash the wound with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Test the patient for bloodborne pathogens
Correct answer: Wash the wound with soap and water
The immediate first step after a needlestick injury is to wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 seconds before any reporting steps.
Question 5: Which type of isolation precaution is required for a patient with suspected viral hemorrhagic gastroenteritis caused by norovirus?
- Airborne and contact precautions
- Contact and droplet precautions (Correct answer)
- Standard precautions only
- Reverse isolation
Correct answer: Contact and droplet precautions
Norovirus spreads via contact with contaminated surfaces and through vomiting-generated droplets, requiring both contact and droplet precautions.
Question 6: What is the minimum contact time (dwell time) required for glutaraldehyde to achieve high-level disinfection of endoscopes?
- 5 minutes
- 10 minutes
- 20 minutes (Correct answer)
- 45 minutes
Correct answer: 20 minutes
Glutaraldehyde (2%) requires a minimum of 20 minutes at room temperature to achieve high-level disinfection and eliminate vegetative bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Question 7: A patient with active tuberculosis requires an upper endoscopy. What precaution must be taken beyond standard contact measures?
- Perform the procedure in a negative pressure airborne infection isolation room (Correct answer)
- Use a PAPR only if the patient is coughing
- Double-bag all waste but no special room required
- Postpone procedure until TB is fully treated
Correct answer: Perform the procedure in a negative pressure airborne infection isolation room
Active pulmonary TB requires airborne infection isolation in a negative pressure room; endoscopy can stimulate coughing, aerosolizing infectious droplet nuclei.
GI Safety & Infection Control 3
A patient undergoing colonoscopy prep reports taking immunosuppressants.
Which additional infection control concern should be prioritized?