LVN Infection Control 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient returns from surgery with a urinary catheter. The nurse's best action to prevent CAUTI is to:
- Keep the drainage bag below bladder level (Correct answer)
- Irrigate the catheter daily with saline
- Change the catheter every 48 hours
- Clamp the tubing periodically
Correct answer: Keep the drainage bag below bladder level
Keeping the drainage bag below the level of the bladder prevents backflow of urine, reducing CAUTI risk.
Question 2: Which action best prevents the transmission of bloodborne pathogens during a blood draw?
- Recapping the needle with both hands after use
- Using a safety needle and disposing in a sharps container (Correct answer)
- Wearing gloves and washing hands before the procedure only
- Placing the used needle on the overbed table temporarily
Correct answer: Using a safety needle and disposing in a sharps container
Safety-engineered devices and immediate sharps disposal are the primary strategies for preventing needlestick injuries.
Question 3: A healthcare worker is accidentally stuck with a needle used on an HIV-positive patient. The initial priority action is to:
- Report to the employee health office immediately
- Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Obtain baseline blood work for the exposed worker
- Start post-exposure prophylaxis within 72 hours
Correct answer: Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water
The immediate first step after a needlestick is to wash the wound with soap and water to reduce pathogen load.
Question 4: Standard precautions apply to:
- Only patients with known infections
- Blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes of all patients (Correct answer)
- Patients in private rooms only
- Respiratory secretions only
Correct answer: Blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes of all patients
Standard precautions treat all patients as potentially infectious and apply to blood, all body fluids, non-intact skin, and mucous membranes.
Question 5: Which of the following is the most common reservoir for healthcare-associated infections?
- Medical equipment
- Hospital ventilation systems
- The hands of healthcare workers (Correct answer)
- Contaminated food trays
Correct answer: The hands of healthcare workers
Contaminated healthcare worker hands are the most frequent vehicle for HAI transmission.
Question 6: A patient with active tuberculosis is being transported to radiology. The nurse should instruct the patient to:
- Wear a surgical mask during transport (Correct answer)
- Wear an N95 respirator during transport
- Remain in a wheelchair with the door closed
- No precautions are needed for brief transport
Correct answer: Wear a surgical mask during transport
The patient with TB wears a surgical mask during transport to contain respiratory droplets/aerosols.
Question 7: When removing PPE after caring for a contact-precaution patient, which item is removed first?
- Mask
- Gloves (Correct answer)
- Gown
- Goggles
Correct answer: Gloves
Gloves are removed first because they are the most contaminated item; gloves are removed before the gown.
LVN Infection Control 3
A patient returns from surgery with a urinary catheter.
The nurse's best action to prevent CAUTI is to: