UNAR Infection Control Practices 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When caring for a patient with Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), which hand hygiene method is required after removing gloves?
- Alcohol-based hand rub only
- Soap and water handwashing (Correct answer)
- Either soap or hand rub is acceptable
- No additional hand hygiene is needed if gloves were worn
Correct answer: Soap and water handwashing
Soap and water must be used for C. diff because alcohol-based hand rubs do not effectively kill C. diff spores.
Question 2: What is the correct minimum duration for washing hands with soap and water according to CDC guidelines?
- 5 seconds
- 10 seconds
- 20 seconds (Correct answer)
- 60 seconds
Correct answer: 20 seconds
The CDC recommends scrubbing hands for at least 20 seconds (about the time it takes to hum 'Happy Birthday' twice) to effectively remove pathogens.
Question 3: A nursing assistant is about to apply gloves after washing hands. The gloves package is torn. What should be done?
- Use the gloves but double-glove
- Discard and obtain an intact glove package (Correct answer)
- Tape the package and use the gloves
- Use the gloves only for non-sterile tasks
Correct answer: Discard and obtain an intact glove package
Gloves from a torn package may be contaminated or damaged, so they must be discarded and replaced with gloves from an intact package.
Question 4: Which of the following is the correct order for DONNING (putting on) PPE?
- Gloves, gown, mask, eye protection
- Gown, mask/respirator, eye protection, gloves (Correct answer)
- Mask, gloves, gown, eye protection
- Eye protection, gloves, gown, mask
Correct answer: Gown, mask/respirator, eye protection, gloves
The CDC sequence for donning PPE is gown first, then mask or respirator, then eye protection, and finally gloves.
Question 5: What is the minimum alcohol concentration required for an alcohol-based hand rub to be effective against most pathogens?
- 40%
- 50%
- 60% (Correct answer)
- 80%
Correct answer: 60%
The CDC recommends hand sanitizers containing at least 60% alcohol to effectively reduce the number of germs on hands.
Question 6: A nursing assistant finishes emptying a bedpan and then needs to assist with oral care. When should gloves be changed?
- After completing both tasks to conserve supplies
- Before assisting with oral care — between tasks on the same patient (Correct answer)
- Only if the patient has a known infection
- Only if visible soiling is present on the gloves
Correct answer: Before assisting with oral care — between tasks on the same patient
Gloves must be changed between tasks on the same patient when moving from a contaminated body site to a clean body site to prevent cross-contamination.
Question 7: Which situation requires a nursing assistant to perform hand hygiene BEFORE a task even when gloves will be worn?
- Assisting with ambulation only
- Before any patient contact or care task (Correct answer)
- Only when the patient has a documented infection
- Only after removing gloves
Correct answer: Before any patient contact or care task
Hand hygiene must be performed before patient contact regardless of glove use, because gloves can have microscopic defects and hands may contaminate the glove exterior.
UNAR Infection Control Practices 2
When caring for a patient with Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), which hand hygiene method is required after removing gloves?