CDC NURSING HOME INFECTION
PREVENTION EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS 2025
CDS - ANSWERSCommunicable disease service
CMS - ANSWERSCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services
EVS - ANSWERSEnvironmental Services
HAIs - ANSWERSHealthcare-associated Infections
HCFs - ANSWERSHealthcare Facilities
LHD - ANSWERSLocal Health Department
HOs - ANSWERSHealth Officers
REHs - ANSWERSRegistered Environmental Health Specialists
REP - ANSWERSRegional Epidemiology Program
VPDP - ANSWERSVaccine Preventable Disease Program
IZDP - ANSWERSInfectious and Zoonotic Disease Program
AR - ANSWERSAntimicrobial Resistance
CEOHS - ANSWERSConsumer, Environemtnal, and Occupational Health Services
(made up of Environmental and Occupational Health Surveillance, Food and Safety
Public Protection, and Environmental and Occupational Health Assessment)
HFSFO - ANSWERSHealth Facility Survey and Field Operations
CDRSS - ANSWERSCommunicable Disease and Reporting Surveillance System
NHSN - ANSWERSNatioal Healthcare Safety Network
QAA - ANSWERSQuality Assessment and Assurance (Committee) - environmental
services, clinical leadership, rehabilitation, services, pharmacy, laboratory, facility
management, administration and nursing data
,RCA - ANSWERSRoot, Cause, Analysis - comprehesive review of an infection event or
practice failure to determine all potential factors leading to occurrence (find out what
happened, why it happened)
CAUTI - ANSWERSCatheter-associated Urinary Tract Infection
NIOSH - ANSWERSNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
AIIR - ANSWERSAirborne Infection Isolation Room
CLABSI - ANSWERSCentral-line Associated Bloodstream Infection
How many Americans does the 15,600 CMS provide to each year? - ANSWERS3
million Americans
Why are nursing homes susceptible to infection? - ANSWERSAge of residents, invasive
devices, medications, functional impairment, communal living, group activities, and
comorbid conditions (chronic diseases)
What are the IPC Core Activities? - ANSWERSDeveloping policies and procedures,
identifying, recording, correcting, IPC incidents, infection surveillance, investigating and
reporting communicable diseases, conducting annual review, and establishment of
antibiotic stewardship programs
Policy and procedure template - ANSWERSIncludes title, definition, purpose, rationale,
date of last revision, date policy took effect, name and signature of person or committee
responsible
IPC Risk Assessment Matrix - ANSWERSCapacity to detect readiness to prevent - the
higher the score, the higher the risk (0= not likely to occur, 3+ very likely to occur) How
likely is this to occur? What is the harm from the event and impact of care? What is the
risk level?
How often should an IPC risk assessment matrix be performed? - ANSWERSAt least
annually
Role of Infectionist Preventionist - ANSWERSEpidemiology, surveillance, common
infectious diseases, pathogen transmission, diagnosis of infectious diseases.
antimicrovbials, and treatment
Resident-related Infections - ANSWERSUTI, pneumonia, skin/ soft tissue infections
(SSTIs)
Device-related infections - ANSWERSCAUTIs, CLABSIs
Outbreak-related infections - ANSWERSViral respiratory, viral gastroenteritis, scabies,
, Culture Based Diagnostic Testing - ANSWERSTakes time to grow the organism -
normally uses a swab to collect cells from inside the mouth or nose/ uses a swab to
collect pus from a wound
Nucleic Acid Amplification - ANSWERSDetects the genetic material and has faster
results - uses a swab to collect cells from inside of the nasal cavity
QIN-QIO Program - ANSWERSQuality Improvement Organization - provides
consultation services to nursing homes at no cost and works with them on prevention
projects
QAPI - ANSWERSQuality Assurance and Performance Improvement - uses data-driven
systems approach of QAPI to record incidents (design and scope, governance and
leadership, systematic analysis, performance improvement projects, feedback data
systems and monitoring)
QA of the QAPI - ANSWERSSpecification of standards (indwelling urinary catheters)
PI of the QAPI - ANSWERSContinuous srudy of processes to prevent or decrease the
likelihood of practice failures or harms during care
Performance Improvement Activities - ANSWERSStrengthen practices or helo address
an IPC activity - prioritize high-risk, high-volume, or problem-prone areas, review the
annual facility IPC risk assessment, review IPC surveillance
Surveillance - ANSWERSThe ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, interpretation,
and dissemination of data
Process Measures of Surveillance - ANSWERSHand hygiene, PPE, safe injection
practices, IPC practices during point of care blood testing, documenting duration and
indication of new antibiotics
Outcomes Measures of Surveillance - ANSWERSDetects outbreaks, monitor staff
adherence (identifies risk assessments and improvement opportunities)
Comprehensive Surveillance - ANSWERSTracking every infection event (may reduce
opportunities for analyzing infection data and implementing prevention)
Targeted Surveillance - ANSWERSFocuses on high-risk/ high-consequence infection
events more detailed, helpful for large facilities
Steps for Surveillance - ANSWERSAssess the population, select outcome and process
measures, use surveillance definitions, collect data, calculate and analzye rates, apply
risk stratification methodology, and report/ use surveillance information
PREVENTION EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS 2025
CDS - ANSWERSCommunicable disease service
CMS - ANSWERSCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services
EVS - ANSWERSEnvironmental Services
HAIs - ANSWERSHealthcare-associated Infections
HCFs - ANSWERSHealthcare Facilities
LHD - ANSWERSLocal Health Department
HOs - ANSWERSHealth Officers
REHs - ANSWERSRegistered Environmental Health Specialists
REP - ANSWERSRegional Epidemiology Program
VPDP - ANSWERSVaccine Preventable Disease Program
IZDP - ANSWERSInfectious and Zoonotic Disease Program
AR - ANSWERSAntimicrobial Resistance
CEOHS - ANSWERSConsumer, Environemtnal, and Occupational Health Services
(made up of Environmental and Occupational Health Surveillance, Food and Safety
Public Protection, and Environmental and Occupational Health Assessment)
HFSFO - ANSWERSHealth Facility Survey and Field Operations
CDRSS - ANSWERSCommunicable Disease and Reporting Surveillance System
NHSN - ANSWERSNatioal Healthcare Safety Network
QAA - ANSWERSQuality Assessment and Assurance (Committee) - environmental
services, clinical leadership, rehabilitation, services, pharmacy, laboratory, facility
management, administration and nursing data
,RCA - ANSWERSRoot, Cause, Analysis - comprehesive review of an infection event or
practice failure to determine all potential factors leading to occurrence (find out what
happened, why it happened)
CAUTI - ANSWERSCatheter-associated Urinary Tract Infection
NIOSH - ANSWERSNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
AIIR - ANSWERSAirborne Infection Isolation Room
CLABSI - ANSWERSCentral-line Associated Bloodstream Infection
How many Americans does the 15,600 CMS provide to each year? - ANSWERS3
million Americans
Why are nursing homes susceptible to infection? - ANSWERSAge of residents, invasive
devices, medications, functional impairment, communal living, group activities, and
comorbid conditions (chronic diseases)
What are the IPC Core Activities? - ANSWERSDeveloping policies and procedures,
identifying, recording, correcting, IPC incidents, infection surveillance, investigating and
reporting communicable diseases, conducting annual review, and establishment of
antibiotic stewardship programs
Policy and procedure template - ANSWERSIncludes title, definition, purpose, rationale,
date of last revision, date policy took effect, name and signature of person or committee
responsible
IPC Risk Assessment Matrix - ANSWERSCapacity to detect readiness to prevent - the
higher the score, the higher the risk (0= not likely to occur, 3+ very likely to occur) How
likely is this to occur? What is the harm from the event and impact of care? What is the
risk level?
How often should an IPC risk assessment matrix be performed? - ANSWERSAt least
annually
Role of Infectionist Preventionist - ANSWERSEpidemiology, surveillance, common
infectious diseases, pathogen transmission, diagnosis of infectious diseases.
antimicrovbials, and treatment
Resident-related Infections - ANSWERSUTI, pneumonia, skin/ soft tissue infections
(SSTIs)
Device-related infections - ANSWERSCAUTIs, CLABSIs
Outbreak-related infections - ANSWERSViral respiratory, viral gastroenteritis, scabies,
, Culture Based Diagnostic Testing - ANSWERSTakes time to grow the organism -
normally uses a swab to collect cells from inside the mouth or nose/ uses a swab to
collect pus from a wound
Nucleic Acid Amplification - ANSWERSDetects the genetic material and has faster
results - uses a swab to collect cells from inside of the nasal cavity
QIN-QIO Program - ANSWERSQuality Improvement Organization - provides
consultation services to nursing homes at no cost and works with them on prevention
projects
QAPI - ANSWERSQuality Assurance and Performance Improvement - uses data-driven
systems approach of QAPI to record incidents (design and scope, governance and
leadership, systematic analysis, performance improvement projects, feedback data
systems and monitoring)
QA of the QAPI - ANSWERSSpecification of standards (indwelling urinary catheters)
PI of the QAPI - ANSWERSContinuous srudy of processes to prevent or decrease the
likelihood of practice failures or harms during care
Performance Improvement Activities - ANSWERSStrengthen practices or helo address
an IPC activity - prioritize high-risk, high-volume, or problem-prone areas, review the
annual facility IPC risk assessment, review IPC surveillance
Surveillance - ANSWERSThe ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, interpretation,
and dissemination of data
Process Measures of Surveillance - ANSWERSHand hygiene, PPE, safe injection
practices, IPC practices during point of care blood testing, documenting duration and
indication of new antibiotics
Outcomes Measures of Surveillance - ANSWERSDetects outbreaks, monitor staff
adherence (identifies risk assessments and improvement opportunities)
Comprehensive Surveillance - ANSWERSTracking every infection event (may reduce
opportunities for analyzing infection data and implementing prevention)
Targeted Surveillance - ANSWERSFocuses on high-risk/ high-consequence infection
events more detailed, helpful for large facilities
Steps for Surveillance - ANSWERSAssess the population, select outcome and process
measures, use surveillance definitions, collect data, calculate and analzye rates, apply
risk stratification methodology, and report/ use surveillance information
