Settings: Key Principles and Strategies UPDATED
ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT Answers
What percentage of patients About 4%
admitted develop a health care-
associated infection?
What are the two categories of Community onset and Hospital-onset (nosocomial)
infection based on origin?
What is a health care-associated Infections that develop in a patient during the
infection (HAI)? course of medical treatment.
What is the primary goal of an To reduce the risk for health care-associated
Infection Prevention (IP) program? infections (HAIs).
What three elements are necessary A source of pathogens, a route of transmission, and
for the transmission of infection? a susceptible host.
Who are the primary sources of Humans (patients, personnel, or visitors) and
infection in health care settings? inanimate objects.
What factors increase susceptibility Poorly controlled diabetes, extremes of age,
to infection? underlying HIV infection, iatrogenic factors,
chemotherapy, and placement of tubes and
catheters.
, What are the three major routes for Contact (direct and indirect), droplets, and
transmission of pathogens in health airborne.
care?
What is the most common route of Contact transmission.
transmission in health care?
What distinguishes direct contact Direct contact occurs less frequently and involves
transmission from indirect contact immediate transfer, while indirect contact involves
transmission? transfer through contaminated intermediate
objects.
What is droplet transmission? Transmission via respiratory droplets generated by
coughing, sneezing, or talking, usually traveling ≤3
feet.
What is airborne transmission? Spread of airborne droplet nuclei that can remain
suspended in air for long periods and travel further
distances.
What is obligate transmission? Disease occurs only through airborne aerosols
under natural conditions, such as tuberculosis.
What is preferential transmission? Natural infection occurs through multiple routes,
but airborne transmission predominates, such as in
measles.
What is opportunistic transmission? Microorganisms causing disease through other
routes but may also be transmitted via airborne
transmission under certain conditions.