Saunders NCLEX-PN: Fun Infection Control Review Questions
This comprehensive study guide is designed to help nursing students master high-
yield infection control concepts for the NCLEX-PN exam. The questions cover a
wide range of topics, including:
Principles of Asepsis: Hand hygiene, sterile technique, and the proper use
of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Isolation Precautions: Detailed review of contact, droplet, airborne, and
standard precautions for various pathogens.
Disease-Specific Infections: Key nursing interventions and transmission-
based precautions for diseases like Tuberculosis (TB), MRSA, C. difficile,
HIV, and common pediatric infections.
Immunocompromised Clients: Special considerations and protective
measures for clients who are neutropenic or immunosuppressed.
Patient Safety: Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections
(HAIs), such as those related to urinary catheters and central lines.
Client Education: Essential teaching points for clients and families on
preventing the spread of infection at home and in the community
,Saunders NCLEX-PN: Fun Infection Control
1. The nurse should institute which interventions for a client diagnosed with
Clostridium difficile? Select all that apply.
1. Wear a mask if within 3 feet of the client.
2. Place a mask on the client when client is outside the room.
3. Wear gloves and gown while in the room caring for the client.
4. Use soap and water, not alcohol-based hand rub, for hand hygiene.
5. Keep the door of the room shut except when entering or exiting the client's
room.
Correct Answer: 3, 4
Explanation: C. difficile requires contact precautions, which include
wearing a gown and gloves. Hand hygiene must be performed with soap and
water as alcohol-based hand rubs are not effective against C. difficile spores.
2. A client with tuberculosis (TB) who is being prepared for discharge to home
should be instructed to follow which practice to decrease the possibility of
spreading the infection?
1. Wear a mask when at home with family members.
2. Have a weekly sputum culture to follow the course of the infection.
3. Wear a mask when in contact with people outside of the family until
medications are effective.
4. Have a bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination to protect other people
from exposure.
Correct Answer: 3
Explanation: A client with TB should wear a mask when in public to
prevent the spread of droplets. Once the client has been on medication and is
no longer contagious (determined by negative sputum cultures), a mask is no
longer necessary.
3. The nurse is preparing to set up a sterile field using the principles of aseptic
technique to perform a dressing change. Which should the nurse include in
the preparations? Select all that apply.
1. Use a dry table that is below waist level.
, 2. Open the distal flap of a sterile package first.
3. Prepare the sterile field just before the planned procedure.
4. Don clean gloves before touching items on the sterile field.
5. Place the sterile field 1 foot behind the working area and out of view of the
client.
6. Avoid placing items within 1 inch of any area surrounding the outer edge of
the sterile field.
Correct Answer: 2, 3, 6
Explanation: The sterile field should be created on a dry, waist-level
surface. The distal flap is opened away from the nurse first. The field should
be prepared immediately before the procedure. A 1-inch border around the
edge is considered non-sterile.
4. The nurse receives the culture test results for a client who developed a
bloodstream infection from a central venous device. The culture report
indicates that the infection is exogenous. The client asks the nurse how she
could have contracted this infection. Which should the nurse include in the
explanation of potential sources of infectious organisms? Select all that apply.
1. The health care facility
2. The nurse caring for the client
3. The client's use of homeopathy
4. The use of high doses of antibiotic therapy
5. The use of contaminated intravenous fluids
6. The reactivation of a previous dormant organism
Correct Answer: 1, 2, 5
Explanation: An exogenous infection originates from outside the body.
Sources include the healthcare environment (hospital), healthcare personnel
(nurse), or contaminated equipment (IV fluids).
5. Which instructions should be included in the teaching plan for a mother
whose newborn is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive?
1. Instruct the mother to check the anterior fontanel for bulging and sutures for
widening each day.
2. Instruct the mother to feed the newborn in an upright position with the head
and chest tilted slightly back to avoid aspiration.
This comprehensive study guide is designed to help nursing students master high-
yield infection control concepts for the NCLEX-PN exam. The questions cover a
wide range of topics, including:
Principles of Asepsis: Hand hygiene, sterile technique, and the proper use
of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Isolation Precautions: Detailed review of contact, droplet, airborne, and
standard precautions for various pathogens.
Disease-Specific Infections: Key nursing interventions and transmission-
based precautions for diseases like Tuberculosis (TB), MRSA, C. difficile,
HIV, and common pediatric infections.
Immunocompromised Clients: Special considerations and protective
measures for clients who are neutropenic or immunosuppressed.
Patient Safety: Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections
(HAIs), such as those related to urinary catheters and central lines.
Client Education: Essential teaching points for clients and families on
preventing the spread of infection at home and in the community
,Saunders NCLEX-PN: Fun Infection Control
1. The nurse should institute which interventions for a client diagnosed with
Clostridium difficile? Select all that apply.
1. Wear a mask if within 3 feet of the client.
2. Place a mask on the client when client is outside the room.
3. Wear gloves and gown while in the room caring for the client.
4. Use soap and water, not alcohol-based hand rub, for hand hygiene.
5. Keep the door of the room shut except when entering or exiting the client's
room.
Correct Answer: 3, 4
Explanation: C. difficile requires contact precautions, which include
wearing a gown and gloves. Hand hygiene must be performed with soap and
water as alcohol-based hand rubs are not effective against C. difficile spores.
2. A client with tuberculosis (TB) who is being prepared for discharge to home
should be instructed to follow which practice to decrease the possibility of
spreading the infection?
1. Wear a mask when at home with family members.
2. Have a weekly sputum culture to follow the course of the infection.
3. Wear a mask when in contact with people outside of the family until
medications are effective.
4. Have a bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination to protect other people
from exposure.
Correct Answer: 3
Explanation: A client with TB should wear a mask when in public to
prevent the spread of droplets. Once the client has been on medication and is
no longer contagious (determined by negative sputum cultures), a mask is no
longer necessary.
3. The nurse is preparing to set up a sterile field using the principles of aseptic
technique to perform a dressing change. Which should the nurse include in
the preparations? Select all that apply.
1. Use a dry table that is below waist level.
, 2. Open the distal flap of a sterile package first.
3. Prepare the sterile field just before the planned procedure.
4. Don clean gloves before touching items on the sterile field.
5. Place the sterile field 1 foot behind the working area and out of view of the
client.
6. Avoid placing items within 1 inch of any area surrounding the outer edge of
the sterile field.
Correct Answer: 2, 3, 6
Explanation: The sterile field should be created on a dry, waist-level
surface. The distal flap is opened away from the nurse first. The field should
be prepared immediately before the procedure. A 1-inch border around the
edge is considered non-sterile.
4. The nurse receives the culture test results for a client who developed a
bloodstream infection from a central venous device. The culture report
indicates that the infection is exogenous. The client asks the nurse how she
could have contracted this infection. Which should the nurse include in the
explanation of potential sources of infectious organisms? Select all that apply.
1. The health care facility
2. The nurse caring for the client
3. The client's use of homeopathy
4. The use of high doses of antibiotic therapy
5. The use of contaminated intravenous fluids
6. The reactivation of a previous dormant organism
Correct Answer: 1, 2, 5
Explanation: An exogenous infection originates from outside the body.
Sources include the healthcare environment (hospital), healthcare personnel
(nurse), or contaminated equipment (IV fluids).
5. Which instructions should be included in the teaching plan for a mother
whose newborn is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive?
1. Instruct the mother to check the anterior fontanel for bulging and sutures for
widening each day.
2. Instruct the mother to feed the newborn in an upright position with the head
and chest tilted slightly back to avoid aspiration.
