HCA - Health Care Assistant Certification Health Care Assistant Infection Prevention and Control 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When removing (doffing) personal protective equipment after caring for a patient on contact precautions, which item should be removed FIRST?
- Mask or respirator
- Gloves (Correct answer)
- Gown
- Eye protection
Correct answer: Gloves
Gloves are the most contaminated item and must be removed first to prevent transferring pathogens to other PPE or your face. The correct doffing order is: gloves → gown → eye protection → mask/respirator, with hand hygiene performed after removing gloves and again after all PPE is removed.
Question 2: A health care assistant is caring for a resident with tuberculosis (TB). Which type of transmission-based precautions must be implemented?
- Contact precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Airborne precautions (Correct answer)
- Standard precautions only
Correct answer: Airborne precautions
Tuberculosis spreads via airborne transmission — tiny droplet nuclei that can remain suspended in the air for extended periods. Airborne precautions require a negative-pressure room, an N95 respirator (not a surgical mask), and the door kept closed at all times.
Question 3: Which of the following situations requires hand washing with soap and water rather than an alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR)?
- After removing gloves following routine care
- Before performing a sterile dressing change
- When hands are visibly soiled with blood (Correct answer)
- After touching a patient's intact skin
Correct answer: When hands are visibly soiled with blood
Alcohol-based hand rubs are not effective at physically removing visible soil, blood, or body fluids. Soap and water must be used when hands are visibly dirty or contaminated, and also after known or suspected exposure to Clostridioides difficile or norovirus, as alcohol is less effective against these organisms.
Question 4: Which link in the chain of infection does proper hand hygiene MOST directly break?
- Susceptible host
- Reservoir
- Mode of transmission (Correct answer)
- Portal of entry
Correct answer: Mode of transmission
Hand hygiene interrupts the mode of transmission by removing or killing pathogens on the hands before they can be carried from one surface or person to another. Breaking any link in the chain of infection prevents disease spread, but hand hygiene primarily targets transmission.
Question 5: A health care assistant enters a resident's room and notices the resident has a new productive cough and runny nose. Before providing close personal care, what is the MOST appropriate immediate action?
- Proceed with care using standard precautions only
- Don a surgical mask and gloves before approaching within one metre (Correct answer)
- Don an N95 respirator and place the resident in a negative-pressure room
- Ask the resident to cover their mouth and then begin care without additional PPE
Correct answer: Don a surgical mask and gloves before approaching within one metre
Respiratory symptoms such as a productive cough and runny nose suggest possible droplet transmission. A surgical mask protects the HCA within the droplet zone (approximately one metre), and gloves are required for contact with mucous membranes and secretions under standard precautions. This reflects a point-of-care risk assessment — applying precautions before a formal diagnosis is confirmed.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST describes the difference between cleaning and disinfecting a care environment?
- Cleaning kills pathogens; disinfecting only removes visible dirt
- Cleaning removes dirt and organic material; disinfecting reduces microorganism counts to a safe level (Correct answer)
- Cleaning and disinfecting are interchangeable terms for the same process
- Disinfecting must always be done before cleaning for maximum effectiveness
Correct answer: Cleaning removes dirt and organic material; disinfecting reduces microorganism counts to a safe level
Cleaning physically removes dirt, dust, and organic matter (such as blood or body fluids), which is essential first because organic material can shield microorganisms from disinfectants. Disinfecting then uses a chemical agent to kill or inactivate pathogens on the cleaned surface. Sterilization, a separate process, destroys all microbial life including spores.
HCA - Health Care Assistant Certification Health Care Assistant Infection Prevention and Control 1
When removing (doffing) personal protective equipment after caring for a patient on contact precautions, which item should be removed FIRST?