RP Safety and Infection Control 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the context of infection control, what does the 'chain of infection' concept help practitioners do?
- Identify which clients pose the highest infection risk
- Understand the sequence of events leading to an infectious disease spreading (Correct answer)
- Classify the severity of an ongoing infection
- Determine mandatory reporting obligations for infectious diseases
Correct answer: Understand the sequence of events leading to an infectious disease spreading
The chain of infection describes the sequential steps (agent, reservoir, exit, transmission, entry, host) that must occur for infection to spread, helping practitioners identify where to break the chain.
Question 2: A therapist is preparing a crisis intervention for a suicidal client. Which element is most critical in a safety plan?
- Scheduled hospitalization date
- List of means restriction strategies and emergency contacts (Correct answer)
- A signed contract not to harm themselves
- Weekly check-in phone calls from the therapist
Correct answer: List of means restriction strategies and emergency contacts
Effective safety plans include means restriction (limiting access to lethal methods) and a hierarchy of emergency contacts for crisis support.
Question 3: Which of the following is the correct order of the hierarchy of controls for occupational hazards, from most to least effective?
- PPE → Administrative controls → Engineering controls → Substitution → Elimination
- Elimination → Substitution → Engineering controls → Administrative controls → PPE (Correct answer)
- Administrative controls → Engineering controls → PPE → Substitution → Elimination
- Substitution → Elimination → PPE → Engineering controls → Administrative controls
Correct answer: Elimination → Substitution → Engineering controls → Administrative controls → PPE
NIOSH and OSHA's hierarchy of controls prioritizes elimination first, followed by substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and finally PPE as the last resort.
Question 4: A client arrives noticeably ill with a productive cough and reports testing positive for influenza. What is the most appropriate infection control response?
- Continue the session with the door open for ventilation
- Offer a telehealth session and reschedule the in-person visit (Correct answer)
- Wear an N95 respirator and continue the session in-office
- Administer a rapid flu test to confirm the diagnosis
Correct answer: Offer a telehealth session and reschedule the in-person visit
Transitioning to telehealth protects both the therapist and other clients from influenza transmission while maintaining continuity of care.
Question 5: What does 'standard precautions' assume about all clients?
- All clients may be carriers of bloodborne pathogens (Correct answer)
- Only clients with known infections require precautions
- Precautions are needed only when blood is visibly present
- Clients with chronic illness require elevated precautions
Correct answer: All clients may be carriers of bloodborne pathogens
Standard precautions treat all clients as potentially infectious, regardless of diagnosis, to prevent transmission of bloodborne and other pathogens.
Question 6: Under mandatory reporting laws, a therapist in the US must report a client's communicable disease diagnosis in which scenario?
- When the client is a healthcare worker
- When required by state public health law for specific notifiable conditions (Correct answer)
- Whenever a client discloses any infectious disease
- Only when the client presents an imminent risk to others
Correct answer: When required by state public health law for specific notifiable conditions
Therapists must follow state-specific public health laws that designate certain communicable diseases as notifiable and require reporting to health authorities.
Question 7: Which personal protective equipment (PPE) should a therapist use when cleaning up a blood spill in the office?
- Safety goggles only
- Gloves and, if splashing is possible, eye protection and a mask (Correct answer)
- A full surgical gown and N95 respirator
- No PPE if the spill is small
Correct answer: Gloves and, if splashing is possible, eye protection and a mask
Gloves are required for all blood spills; eye protection and mask are added when splashing is possible, per standard precautions.
RP Safety and Infection Control 3
In the context of infection control, what does the 'chain of infection' concept help practitioners do?