Safety and Infection Control Flashcards

Which of the following hand hygiene moments described in the WHO '5 Moments for Hand Hygiene' applies BEFORE touching a patient?

Answer: Moment 1

WHO Moment 1 ('Before touching a patient') requires hand hygiene to protect the patient from pathogens carried on healthcare workers' hands.

A psychiatric patient is brought to the emergency department following an overdose of tricyclic antidepressants. Which cardiac monitoring finding is MOST concerning for imminent arrhythmia?

Answer: QRS duration >100 ms and QTc prolongation

TCA overdose causes sodium channel blockade, manifesting as QRS widening (>100 ms) and QTc prolongation, which predict life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, what is the primary duty of a psychiatric trust as an employer regarding staff safety?

Answer: To provide a safe working environment, safe systems of work, and adequate information and training, so far as is reasonably practicable

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, a safe workplace and safe systems of work for employees.

A psychiatric nurse uses a sharps bin that is already three-quarters full and suffers a needlestick injury when trying to add a used needle. What safety principle was violated?

Answer: Overfilling the sharps container beyond the maximum fill line (typically 3/4 full)

Sharps containers should be sealed and replaced when they reach the fill line (approximately 3/4 full) to prevent needlestick injuries from overfilling.

A newly admitted inpatient psychiatric patient is suspected to have influenza during a local outbreak. Which combination of isolation precautions is MOST appropriate?

Answer: Droplet precautions (surgical mask within 1 metre) plus standard precautions

Influenza spreads via respiratory droplets; droplet precautions (surgical mask when within 1 metre) in addition to standard precautions are recommended for routine influenza cases.

A patient on an acute psychiatric ward is identified as a risk to other patients following a serious assault. Which legal framework allows for the restriction of a patient's movement within the ward to protect others?

Answer: Section 3 detention allowing restriction of movement as part of the care plan under common law duty to protect third parties

Section 3 detention combined with common law duty of care permits ward staff to restrict patient movement within the ward to protect other patients from harm.

Which of the following is the most appropriate action when a psychiatric ward experiences a cluster of three patients with unexplained gastrointestinal illness within 48 hours?

Answer: Declare a potential outbreak, implement enteric precautions, notify infection prevention and control, and conduct an epidemiological investigation

A cluster of GI illness cases on a ward should trigger outbreak protocols: cohort isolation, enteric precautions, IPC notification, and a formal epidemiological investigation.