LVN Infection Control & Safety Practices 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient on contact precautions needs transport to radiology. Which action is most appropriate before leaving the room?
- Notify the receiving department and cover the patient's wounds or drainage sites (Correct answer)
- Remove all PPE at the door and re-gown upon arrival
- Cancel the test until contact precautions are lifted
- Place the patient in a wheelchair without additional coverings
Correct answer: Notify the receiving department and cover the patient's wounds or drainage sites
The receiving area must be notified and any infectious sites covered to prevent environmental contamination during transport.
Question 2: Which organism is primarily associated with requiring airborne precautions in addition to contact precautions?
- MRSA
- C. difficile
- Varicella-zoster virus (Correct answer)
- Norovirus
Correct answer: Varicella-zoster virus
Varicella-zoster (chickenpox/shingles) requires both airborne precautions for small droplet nuclei and contact precautions for direct skin contact.
Question 3: When removing a contaminated gown, which surface is considered 'clean' to touch?
- Front of the gown below the waist
- Inner surface of the gown (Correct answer)
- Sleeves of the gown
- Outer chest area of the gown
Correct answer: Inner surface of the gown
The inner surface of the gown (facing the wearer's body) remains uncontaminated and should be used when removing the gown.
Question 4: A nurse sustains a needlestick injury. After washing the site, what is the immediate next step?
- Apply a tourniquet above the injury site
- Report the exposure to the supervisor and occupational health (Correct answer)
- Squeeze the wound vigorously to expel blood
- Apply antibiotic ointment and return to work
Correct answer: Report the exposure to the supervisor and occupational health
After washing, the nurse must immediately report the exposure so baseline testing and post-exposure prophylaxis can be initiated promptly.
Question 5: Which disinfectant level is required to reprocess a semi-critical medical device such as an endoscope?
- Low-level disinfection
- Intermediate-level disinfection
- High-level disinfection (Correct answer)
- Sterilization only
Correct answer: High-level disinfection
Semi-critical items contact mucous membranes and require high-level disinfection to eliminate all microorganisms except high numbers of bacterial spores.
Question 6: The nurse notes that a newly admitted patient has a history of active pulmonary tuberculosis. Which room assignment is most appropriate?
- Private room with positive air pressure
- Semiprivate room with standard precautions only
- Airborne infection isolation room with negative air pressure (Correct answer)
- Any available room with a surgical mask on the patient
Correct answer: Airborne infection isolation room with negative air pressure
Active pulmonary TB requires placement in an airborne infection isolation room with negative pressure to prevent spread of infectious droplet nuclei.
Question 7: A patient's family member asks why the nurse wears gloves when providing personal care even though the patient has no known infection. Which best explains this?
- It is a personal preference of the nurse
- Standard precautions treat all body fluids as potentially infectious (Correct answer)
- Gloves replace the need for hand hygiene
- It is required only for patients with confirmed bloodborne infections
Correct answer: Standard precautions treat all body fluids as potentially infectious
Standard precautions assume all blood and body fluids may contain pathogens regardless of diagnosis, protecting both nurse and patient.
LVN Infection Control & Safety Practices 2
A patient on contact precautions needs transport to radiology.
Which action is most appropriate before leaving the room?