Infection Prevention and Control Flashcards
7 cards from real NCWO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Infection Prevention and Control flashcards as text
Which of the following best defines a critically colonized wound?
Answer: A wound with bacteria causing tissue damage and delayed healing without systemic signs
Critical colonization refers to a wound where bacteria have multiplied to levels that impair healing and cause local tissue damage but have not yet triggered a systemic response.
According to wound infection principles, what bacterial count per gram of tissue is generally considered the threshold for clinical infection?
Answer: 10^5 organisms per gram
A bacterial count of ≥10^5 organisms per gram of tissue is the classic threshold associated with impaired wound healing and clinical infection.
Which hand hygiene method is most effective against Clostridioides difficile spores?
Answer: Soap and water handwashing for at least 20 seconds
Alcohol-based hand rubs do not kill C. difficile spores; soap and water physically removes spores through mechanical action and rinsing.
When caring for a patient with a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) wound infection, which isolation precaution level is required?
Answer: Contact precautions
MRSA is transmitted through direct contact with infected wounds or contaminated surfaces, so contact precautions (gown and gloves) are required in addition to standard precautions.
Which clinical sign is MOST specific for identifying wound infection in a chronic wound?
Answer: Increased pain or change in pain character
New or increased pain, or a change in the character of pain (e.g., from dull to sharp), is one of the most specific indicators of infection in chronic wounds, where classic signs may be absent.
What is the recommended technique for collecting a wound culture to obtain the most clinically meaningful results?
Answer: Use the Levine technique: firmly rotate a swab over a 1 cm² area for 5 seconds
The Levine technique—rotating a swab firmly over a 1 cm² area of clean wound tissue for 5 seconds with enough pressure to express fluid—produces the most representative quantitative wound culture.
Biofilm in a chronic wound is best described as:
Answer: A structured community of microorganisms encased in a self-produced extracellular matrix
Biofilm is a structured polymicrobial community encased in an extracellular polysaccharide matrix that provides significant resistance to antibiotics and host immune defenses.