OSCE Safety and Infection Control 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A nurse is about to perform a urinary catheter insertion. Which component of standard precautions is MOST critical for this procedure?
- Surgical mask
- Sterile gloves and sterile field technique (Correct answer)
- Gown only
- Eye protection
Correct answer: Sterile gloves and sterile field technique
Urinary catheter insertion requires sterile gloves and a sterile field to prevent introducing pathogens into the bladder.
Question 2: A patient is admitted with confirmed Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection. Which isolation precaution type is required?
- Airborne precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Contact precautions (Correct answer)
- Reverse isolation
Correct answer: Contact precautions
C. difficile spreads via the fecal-oral route through contaminated surfaces and hands, requiring contact precautions.
Question 3: When removing PPE after caring for a contact precaution patient, what is removed FIRST?
- Mask
- Gloves (Correct answer)
- Gown
- Eye protection
Correct answer: Gloves
Gloves are removed first because they are the most contaminated item and removing them first prevents self-contamination during doffing.
Question 4: A healthcare worker sustains a needlestick injury. What is the FIRST action to take?
- Report to the supervisor immediately
- Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Apply an antiseptic bandage
- Go to the emergency department
Correct answer: Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water
Immediately washing the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes reduces pathogen load at the injury site.
Question 5: Which of the following is the MOST effective method for killing C. difficile spores on environmental surfaces?
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Quaternary ammonium disinfectants
- Diluted bleach solution (1:10) (Correct answer)
- Standard soap and water
Correct answer: Diluted bleach solution (1:10)
C. difficile spores are resistant to alcohol and many disinfectants; EPA-registered bleach-based products are required for effective sporicidal activity.
Question 6: A patient requires both droplet and contact precautions. The nurse enters the room. Which PPE should be donned?
- Gloves and gown only
- N95 respirator, gown, and gloves
- Surgical mask, gown, and gloves
- Gown, gloves, surgical mask, and eye protection (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Gown, gloves, surgical mask, and eye protection
Combined droplet and contact precautions require gown, gloves, a surgical mask, and eye protection to cover all routes of transmission.
Question 7: Which hand hygiene method is NOT effective against C. difficile spores?
- Plain soap and water
- Chlorhexidine scrub
- Alcohol-based hand rub (Correct answer)
- Antiseptic handwash
Correct answer: Alcohol-based hand rub
Alcohol-based hand rubs do not kill C. difficile spores; soap and water with friction is required to physically remove spores.
OSCE Safety and Infection Control 2
A nurse is about to perform a urinary catheter insertion.
Which component of standard precautions is MOST critical for this procedure?