Infection Control Practice
Questions and Answers
The nurse is caring for a group of hospitalized patients. What should the
nurse do first to prevent patient infections?
1. Provide small bedside bags to dispose of used tissues
2. Encourage staff to avoid coughing near patients
3. Administer antibiotics as ordered
4. Identify patients at risk - -4. Identify patients at risk
1. Although this is something the nurse may
provide to contain soiled tissues, it is not the
fi rst action the nurse should implement to
prevent infection.
2. Although this is something the nurse may do
to limit airborne or droplet transmission of
microorganisms, it is not the fi rst action the
nurse should implement to prevent infection.
3. Antibiotics generally are ordered by a
practitioner for patients who have infections.
Antibiotics rarely are ordered prophylactically
to prevent the development of resistant strains
of microorganisms.
4. This is the most important fi rst step in
the prevention of infection. A patient
who is at high risk may need to receive
special protective precautions as well as
transmission-based precautions to protect
others.
-The nurse identifies that a patient has an inflammatory response. Which
local patient
adaptation supports this conclusion?
1. Fever
2. Erythema
3. Bradypnea
4. Tachycardia - -2. Erythema
1. A fever is a systemic, not local, response to
infl ammation.
2. Local trauma or infection stimulates the
release of kinins, which increases capillary
permeability and blood fl ow to the local
area. The increase of blood fl ow to the
,area causes erythema (redness).
3. Bradypnea is a regular but excessively slow
rate of breathing (less than 12 breaths per
minute) and is not an adaptation to the local
or general infl ammatory syndromes.
4. Tachycardia is an elevated heart rate higher
than 100 beats per minute and is unrelated to
the Local Adaptation Syndrome.
-A patient has a wound that is healing by secondary intention. To best
support healing of the wound, the nurse should expect the practitioner's
order to state, "Clean wound with:
1. Betadine and apply a dry sterile dressing."
2. Normal saline and cover with a gauze dressing."
3. Normal saline and apply a wet-to-damp dressing."
4. Half peroxide and half normal saline and apply a wet to dry dressing." - -
3. Normal saline and apply a wet-to-damp dressing."
1. Betadine is cytotoxic and should not be used
on clean granulating wounds.
2. Although normal saline is appropriate
for cleansing a wound, a moist, not dry,
environment facilitates epithelialization and
minimizes scar formation.
3. Cleaning with normal saline will not
damage fi broblasts. Wet-to-damp
dressings allow epidermal cells to migrate
more rapidly across the wound surface
than dry dressings, thereby facilitating
wound healing.
4. Hydrogen peroxide is cytotoxic and should
not be used on clean granulating wounds.
-The nurse identifies that the greatest risk for a wound infection exists for a
patient with a:
1. Surgical creation of a colostomy
2. First-degree burn on the back
3. Puncture of the foot by a nail
4. Paper cut on the finger - -3. Puncture of the foot by a nail
1. Surgery is conducted using sterile technique. In
addition, preoperative preparation of the bowel
helps to reduce the presence of organisms that
have the potential to cause infection.
2. There is no break in the skin in a fi rst-degree
burn; therefore, there is less of a risk for a
, wound infection than an example in another
option.
3. Of all the options, puncture of the foot
by a nail has the greatest risk for a wound
infection. A nail is a soiled object that has
the potential of introducing pathogens
into a deep wound that can trap them
under the surface of the skin, a favorable
environment for multiplication.
4. Paper generally is not heavily soiled and the
wound edges are approximated. This is less of
a risk than an example in another option.
-The nurse understands that the skin protects the body from infections
because the:
1. Cells of the skin are constantly being replaced, thereby eliminating
external pathogens
2. Epithelial cells are loosely compacted on skin, providing a barrier against
pathogens
3. Moisture on the skin surface prevents colonization of pathogens
4. Alkalinity of the skin limits the growth of pathogens - -1. Cells of the skin
are constantly being replaced, thereby eliminating external pathogens
1. Epithelial cells of the skin are regularly
shed along with potentially dangerous
microorganisms that adhere to the skin's
outer layers, thereby reducing the risk of
infection.
2. Epithelial cells on the skin are closely, not
loosely, compacted providing a barrier against
pathogens.
3. Moisture on the skin surface facilitates, not
prevents, colonization of pathogens.
4. Acidity, not alkalinity, of the skin limits the
growth of pathogens.
-The nurse must collect the following specimens. Which specimen collection
does not
require the use of surgical aseptic technique?
1. Stool for ova and parasites
2. Specimen for a throat culture
3. Urine from a retention catheter
4. Exudate from a wound for culture and sensitivity - -1. Stool for ova and
parasites
1. Stool for ova and parasites does not have
Questions and Answers
The nurse is caring for a group of hospitalized patients. What should the
nurse do first to prevent patient infections?
1. Provide small bedside bags to dispose of used tissues
2. Encourage staff to avoid coughing near patients
3. Administer antibiotics as ordered
4. Identify patients at risk - -4. Identify patients at risk
1. Although this is something the nurse may
provide to contain soiled tissues, it is not the
fi rst action the nurse should implement to
prevent infection.
2. Although this is something the nurse may do
to limit airborne or droplet transmission of
microorganisms, it is not the fi rst action the
nurse should implement to prevent infection.
3. Antibiotics generally are ordered by a
practitioner for patients who have infections.
Antibiotics rarely are ordered prophylactically
to prevent the development of resistant strains
of microorganisms.
4. This is the most important fi rst step in
the prevention of infection. A patient
who is at high risk may need to receive
special protective precautions as well as
transmission-based precautions to protect
others.
-The nurse identifies that a patient has an inflammatory response. Which
local patient
adaptation supports this conclusion?
1. Fever
2. Erythema
3. Bradypnea
4. Tachycardia - -2. Erythema
1. A fever is a systemic, not local, response to
infl ammation.
2. Local trauma or infection stimulates the
release of kinins, which increases capillary
permeability and blood fl ow to the local
area. The increase of blood fl ow to the
,area causes erythema (redness).
3. Bradypnea is a regular but excessively slow
rate of breathing (less than 12 breaths per
minute) and is not an adaptation to the local
or general infl ammatory syndromes.
4. Tachycardia is an elevated heart rate higher
than 100 beats per minute and is unrelated to
the Local Adaptation Syndrome.
-A patient has a wound that is healing by secondary intention. To best
support healing of the wound, the nurse should expect the practitioner's
order to state, "Clean wound with:
1. Betadine and apply a dry sterile dressing."
2. Normal saline and cover with a gauze dressing."
3. Normal saline and apply a wet-to-damp dressing."
4. Half peroxide and half normal saline and apply a wet to dry dressing." - -
3. Normal saline and apply a wet-to-damp dressing."
1. Betadine is cytotoxic and should not be used
on clean granulating wounds.
2. Although normal saline is appropriate
for cleansing a wound, a moist, not dry,
environment facilitates epithelialization and
minimizes scar formation.
3. Cleaning with normal saline will not
damage fi broblasts. Wet-to-damp
dressings allow epidermal cells to migrate
more rapidly across the wound surface
than dry dressings, thereby facilitating
wound healing.
4. Hydrogen peroxide is cytotoxic and should
not be used on clean granulating wounds.
-The nurse identifies that the greatest risk for a wound infection exists for a
patient with a:
1. Surgical creation of a colostomy
2. First-degree burn on the back
3. Puncture of the foot by a nail
4. Paper cut on the finger - -3. Puncture of the foot by a nail
1. Surgery is conducted using sterile technique. In
addition, preoperative preparation of the bowel
helps to reduce the presence of organisms that
have the potential to cause infection.
2. There is no break in the skin in a fi rst-degree
burn; therefore, there is less of a risk for a
, wound infection than an example in another
option.
3. Of all the options, puncture of the foot
by a nail has the greatest risk for a wound
infection. A nail is a soiled object that has
the potential of introducing pathogens
into a deep wound that can trap them
under the surface of the skin, a favorable
environment for multiplication.
4. Paper generally is not heavily soiled and the
wound edges are approximated. This is less of
a risk than an example in another option.
-The nurse understands that the skin protects the body from infections
because the:
1. Cells of the skin are constantly being replaced, thereby eliminating
external pathogens
2. Epithelial cells are loosely compacted on skin, providing a barrier against
pathogens
3. Moisture on the skin surface prevents colonization of pathogens
4. Alkalinity of the skin limits the growth of pathogens - -1. Cells of the skin
are constantly being replaced, thereby eliminating external pathogens
1. Epithelial cells of the skin are regularly
shed along with potentially dangerous
microorganisms that adhere to the skin's
outer layers, thereby reducing the risk of
infection.
2. Epithelial cells on the skin are closely, not
loosely, compacted providing a barrier against
pathogens.
3. Moisture on the skin surface facilitates, not
prevents, colonization of pathogens.
4. Acidity, not alkalinity, of the skin limits the
growth of pathogens.
-The nurse must collect the following specimens. Which specimen collection
does not
require the use of surgical aseptic technique?
1. Stool for ova and parasites
2. Specimen for a throat culture
3. Urine from a retention catheter
4. Exudate from a wound for culture and sensitivity - -1. Stool for ova and
parasites
1. Stool for ova and parasites does not have
