HAC Safety & Infection Control 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes the purpose of an Infection Preventionist's (IP) surveillance case definition?
- To diagnose individual patients with infections
- To establish standardized criteria for identifying HAI events consistently across time (Correct answer)
- To determine antibiotic treatment regimens
- To set staffing ratios on infectious disease units
Correct answer: To establish standardized criteria for identifying HAI events consistently across time
Standardized case definitions ensure that HAIs are counted the same way across facilities and time periods, enabling valid trend analysis and benchmarking.
Question 2: A patient develops a urinary tract infection 72 hours after Foley catheter insertion. According to NHSN criteria, this is classified as:
- Community-acquired UTI
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) (Correct answer)
- Symptomatic UTI unrelated to device
- Asymptomatic bacteriuria, not reportable
Correct answer: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI)
NHSN defines CAUTI as a UTI where an indwelling urinary catheter was in place for more than 2 calendar days on the date of the event, meeting specific lab and symptom criteria.
Question 3: Under The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals, hospitals must conduct a fall risk assessment using a validated tool. Which of the following is a validated inpatient fall risk screening instrument?
- Glasgow Coma Scale
- Morse Fall Scale (Correct answer)
- Braden Scale
- APACHE II Score
Correct answer: Morse Fall Scale
The Morse Fall Scale is a validated, widely used tool that scores patients on six variables to stratify fall risk in acute care settings.
Question 4: When analyzing hand hygiene compliance data, a healthcare analyst finds that compliance is 95% before patient contact but 68% after patient contact. The most effective intervention is:
- Increase soap dispenser supplies
- Place alcohol-based hand rub dispensers immediately outside each room exit (Correct answer)
- Mandate annual hand hygiene retraining
- Post hand hygiene reminder signs at nursing stations
Correct answer: Place alcohol-based hand rub dispensers immediately outside each room exit
Point-of-care placement of ABHR at exit points reduces the friction of post-contact hand hygiene, directly targeting the observed compliance gap.
Question 5: Which regulatory body enforces the National Exposure Limits for hazardous chemicals in healthcare environments?
- CDC
- OSHA (Correct answer)
- CMS
- The Joint Commission
Correct answer: OSHA
OSHA sets and enforces Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) for hazardous chemicals in the workplace under 29 CFR 1910 standards.
Question 6: A healthcare analyst is reviewing Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) data and notes prophylactic antibiotic administration averaging 90 minutes before incision. What is the recommended window for most surgical prophylaxis?
- 30–60 minutes before incision (Correct answer)
- 120 minutes before incision
- At the time of anesthesia induction only
- Immediately post-incision
Correct answer: 30–60 minutes before incision
Most guidelines recommend prophylactic antibiotics be administered within 60 minutes before incision (120 minutes for vancomycin/fluoroquinolones) to achieve adequate tissue levels.
Question 7: Which type of transmission-based precaution requires gown and gloves for all room entry regardless of anticipated contact?
- Airborne precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Contact precautions (Correct answer)
- Protective environment precautions
Correct answer: Contact precautions
Contact precautions mandate donning gown and gloves upon entering the patient's room because environmental surfaces and patient skin are potential transmission vectors.
HAC Safety & Infection Control 3
Which of the following best describes the purpose of an Infection Preventionist's (IP) surveillance case definition?