PCU PCU Infection Control & Safety 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A PCU patient is placed on contact precautions for MRSA. Which PPE should the nurse don before entering the room?
- N95 respirator and gloves only
- Gown and gloves (Correct answer)
- Gown, gloves, and N95 respirator
- Surgical mask and gloves only
Correct answer: Gown and gloves
Contact precautions require a gown and gloves; an N95 respirator is not required unless aerosol-generating procedures are performed.
Question 2: Which hand hygiene technique is most effective against Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) spores in the PCU?
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer for 20 seconds
- Soap and water handwashing for at least 20 seconds (Correct answer)
- Chlorhexidine wipes applied to hands
- Either alcohol gel or soap is equally effective
Correct answer: Soap and water handwashing for at least 20 seconds
C. diff forms spores that are not killed by alcohol-based sanitizers; soap and water handwashing physically removes spores and is required.
Question 3: A PCU patient develops fever, hypotension, and tachycardia 48 hours after central line insertion. Which intervention is the nurse's priority?
- Administer acetaminophen for fever
- Obtain blood cultures and notify the physician immediately (Correct answer)
- Increase IV fluid rate without a physician order
- Replace the central line over a guidewire immediately
Correct answer: Obtain blood cultures and notify the physician immediately
Signs of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) require prompt blood cultures and physician notification to initiate timely antibiotics and line evaluation.
Question 4: Which practice is part of the central line insertion bundle to prevent CLABSI in the PCU?
- Using femoral vein as the preferred insertion site
- Limiting sterile drape to the insertion site only
- Performing hand hygiene and using maximal sterile barrier precautions (Correct answer)
- Changing the dressing every 24 hours regardless of condition
Correct answer: Performing hand hygiene and using maximal sterile barrier precautions
The CLABSI prevention bundle includes hand hygiene, maximal sterile barrier precautions, chlorhexidine skin antisepsis, optimal site selection, and daily necessity review.
Question 5: A PCU nurse is caring for a patient on airborne precautions for tuberculosis. Which mask must the nurse wear when entering the room?
- Standard surgical mask
- N95 respirator that has been fit-tested (Correct answer)
- Powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) only
- No mask is needed if the nurse is vaccinated
Correct answer: N95 respirator that has been fit-tested
Airborne precautions require a fit-tested N95 respirator (or higher) to filter the small airborne droplet nuclei that transmit tuberculosis.
Question 6: Which action by a PCU nurse best demonstrates correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE)?
- Removing gloves last after leaving the patient's room
- Donning the gown after entering the patient's room
- Removing PPE outside the patient's room using a defined sequence (Correct answer)
- Reusing N95 respirators between all patients on standard precautions
Correct answer: Removing PPE outside the patient's room using a defined sequence
PPE should be removed outside or at the doorway using the correct doff sequence (gloves first, then gown, then mask/respirator) to prevent self-contamination.
PCU PCU Infection Control & Safety 1
A PCU patient is placed on contact precautions for MRSA.
Which PPE should the nurse don before entering the room?