Infection Prevention and Control Flashcards

What is the most common route of transmission for healthcare-associated infections in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)?

Answer: Contact transmission via contaminated healthcare worker hands

Contact transmission via contaminated healthcare worker hands is the predominant route of HAI spread in the NICU, making hand hygiene the single most important prevention measure.

Which hand hygiene method is most effective for removing Clostridioides difficile spores from healthcare workers' hands?

Answer: Soap and water with vigorous mechanical friction

Alcohol-based hand rubs are ineffective against C. difficile spores; soap and water with mechanical friction physically removes spores from the skin surface.

Late-onset sepsis in premature neonates is most commonly caused by which organism?

Answer: Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS)

Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, particularly S. epidermidis, is the leading cause of late-onset sepsis in premature neonates, largely due to its ability to form biofilms on central venous catheters.

When caring for a neonate colonized with MRSA, which personal protective equipment (PPE) is required for contact precautions?

Answer: Gown and gloves

Standard contact precautions for MRSA require a gown and gloves to prevent direct and indirect skin-to-skin transmission to healthcare workers and other patients.

A neonate is confirmed to have RSV bronchiolitis. What isolation precautions should be implemented?

Answer: Contact and droplet precautions combined

RSV is transmitted by both large respiratory droplets and direct or indirect contact, requiring combined contact and droplet precautions to prevent spread.

Which pathogen is most commonly identified in NICU central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI)?

Answer: Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus

Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus is the most frequently isolated CLABSI pathogen in the NICU due to its ability to adhere and form biofilms on catheter surfaces.

According to the WHO 'Five Moments for Hand Hygiene,' at which moments must hand hygiene be performed?

Answer: Before patient contact, before aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposure, after patient contact, and after contact with patient surroundings

The WHO Five Moments framework identifies all five critical points in patient care that require hand hygiene to comprehensively prevent pathogen transmission.