SHS Safety & Infection Control 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which CDC transmission-based precaution category requires placement of the patient in a negative-pressure airborne infection isolation room (AIIR)?
- Contact precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Airborne precautions (Correct answer)
- Standard precautions
Correct answer: Airborne precautions
Airborne precautions require a negative-pressure AIIR to prevent spread of pathogens that remain infectious over long distances (e.g., tuberculosis, measles).
Question 2: A healthcare worker sustains a needlestick injury while drawing blood from an HIV-positive patient. What is the FIRST action that should be taken?
- Report the incident to the supervisor
- Wash the wound immediately with soap and water (Correct answer)
- Begin post-exposure prophylaxis within 72 hours
- Document the exposure in the incident log
Correct answer: Wash the wound immediately with soap and water
Immediately washing the wound with soap and water is the first step to reduce the risk of infection following a needlestick exposure.
Question 3: According to OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030), how often must employees who have occupational exposure receive bloodborne pathogen training?
- Every 6 months
- Annually (Correct answer)
- Every 2 years
- Only at initial hire
Correct answer: Annually
OSHA requires annual refresher training for all employees with occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
Question 4: The hierarchy of controls for infection prevention places which strategy at the highest level of effectiveness?
- Administrative controls
- Personal protective equipment
- Engineering controls
- Elimination (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Elimination
Elimination removes the hazard entirely and is considered the most effective level of the hierarchy of controls.
Question 5: Which disinfectant classification, as defined by Spaulding's classification system, is required for semi-critical medical devices that contact mucous membranes?
- Low-level disinfection
- Intermediate-level disinfection
- High-level disinfection (Correct answer)
- Sterilization
Correct answer: High-level disinfection
Semi-critical items (e.g., endoscopes, respiratory therapy equipment) require high-level disinfection to eliminate all microorganisms except high numbers of bacterial spores.
Question 6: In healthcare settings, what is the minimum recommended alcohol concentration in hand sanitizers for effective hand hygiene against most pathogens?
- 40%
- 50%
- 60% (Correct answer)
- 70%
Correct answer: 60%
The CDC and WHO recommend alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60% alcohol to effectively reduce the number of germs.
Question 7: A healthcare facility discovers a cluster of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infections on a unit. Which additional precaution beyond standard precautions is specifically recommended?
- Airborne precautions with N95 respirators
- Contact precautions with soap-and-water hand hygiene (Correct answer)
- Droplet precautions with surgical masks
- Protective environment for immunocompromised patients
Correct answer: Contact precautions with soap-and-water hand hygiene
C. diff requires contact precautions, and soap-and-water hand hygiene is preferred because alcohol-based rubs are not effective against C. diff spores.
SHS Safety & Infection Control 2
Which CDC transmission-based precaution category requires placement of the patient in a negative-pressure airborne infection isolation room (AIIR)?