RPN Infection Prevention and Control 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of transmission requires the use of a negative-pressure isolation room?
- Contact transmission
- Droplet transmission
- Airborne transmission (Correct answer)
- Vehicle-borne transmission
Correct answer: Airborne transmission
Negative-pressure rooms prevent airborne pathogens from escaping into hallways by keeping air flowing inward.
Question 2: A nurse sustains a needlestick injury. What is the FIRST action to take?
- Report the exposure to the charge nurse
- Complete an incident report
- Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Obtain baseline blood work immediately
Correct answer: Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water
Immediate washing with soap and water helps remove potential pathogens and is the first step in post-exposure management.
Question 3: Standard precautions apply to which of the following?
- Blood and body fluids only
- All patients regardless of diagnosis (Correct answer)
- Patients with known infections only
- Immunocompromised patients only
Correct answer: All patients regardless of diagnosis
Standard precautions are applied to every patient encounter because infection status is not always known.
Question 4: Which disinfectant level is required for semi-critical items that contact mucous membranes but do not penetrate sterile tissue?
- Low-level disinfection
- High-level disinfection (Correct answer)
- Sterilization
- Intermediate-level disinfection
Correct answer: High-level disinfection
Semi-critical items such as endoscopes require high-level disinfection to destroy all microorganisms except high numbers of bacterial spores.
Question 5: Which vaccine is recommended for all healthcare workers to prevent occupational transmission of a respiratory illness?
- Hepatitis B vaccine
- Annual influenza vaccine (Correct answer)
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- Varicella vaccine
Correct answer: Annual influenza vaccine
Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all healthcare workers to protect both staff and vulnerable patients from seasonal flu.
Question 6: A patient is placed on droplet precautions. The nurse should wear which PPE when working within 3 feet of the patient?
- N95 respirator
- Surgical mask (Correct answer)
- No mask is required at 3 feet
- Full face shield with N95
Correct answer: Surgical mask
Droplet precautions require a surgical mask when within 3 feet (1 meter) of the patient to block large respiratory droplets.
Question 7: A patient's urine culture grows Escherichia coli. The urinary catheter has been in place for 10 days. This scenario best describes which type of infection?
- Community-acquired infection
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) (Correct answer)
- Surgical site infection
- Ventilator-associated pneumonia
Correct answer: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI)
A CAUTI is defined as a UTI in a patient who had a urinary catheter in place within 48 hours of infection onset.
RPN Infection Prevention and Control 3
Which type of transmission requires the use of a negative-pressure isolation room?