Infection Control and Prevention Flashcards
7 cards from real RN 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 Control and Prevention flashcards as text
Which nursing action is most important to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI)?
Answer: Use maximal sterile barrier precautions during CVC insertion
Maximal sterile barrier precautions (cap, mask, sterile gown, sterile gloves, and full-body drape) during insertion are the most effective intervention to prevent CLABSI.
Which intervention is most effective in preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)?
Answer: Removing the urinary catheter as soon as it is no longer clinically indicated
Early catheter removal when no longer needed is the most effective CAUTI prevention strategy, as infection risk increases with each additional day of catheterization.
A patient's wound culture grows methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Which antibiotic is typically the drug of choice?
Answer: Vancomycin
Vancomycin is the drug of choice for MRSA because MRSA produces altered penicillin-binding proteins that confer resistance to all beta-lactam antibiotics.
A post-operative patient develops redness, warmth, swelling, and purulent drainage at the incision site 5 days after abdominal surgery. This presentation is most consistent with which healthcare-associated infection?
Answer: Surgical site infection (SSI)
Surgical site infections present with classic signs of inflammation and purulent drainage localized to the operative wound within 30 days of surgery.
A patient receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics develops profuse watery diarrhea and tests positive for Clostridioides difficile toxin. Which treatment is most appropriate?
Answer: Oral vancomycin or oral fidaxomicin
Oral vancomycin or fidaxomicin (for mild-to-moderate disease, oral metronidazole is an alternative) are first-line treatments for C. difficile infection; broad-spectrum antibiotics worsen dysbiosis.
Which action places a mechanically ventilated patient at highest risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)?
Answer: Maintaining the head of bed at 0 degrees (supine)
Flat supine positioning (0 degrees) promotes aspiration of oral and gastric secretions into the lower airway; HOB elevation to 30-45 degrees is a key VAP bundle element.
A patient in the ICU is found to be colonized with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). Which precautions should be implemented?
Answer: Contact precautions
VRE is transmitted through direct or indirect contact with contaminated hands or surfaces, requiring contact precautions including gown and gloves for all patient interactions.