a-IPC Exam Study Guide (Practice Test #2)
Questions With Correct Solutions.
The infection preventionist (IP) on the Antimicrobial Stewardship Team is thinking of ways that
he can support efforts and add to the success of the team in decreasing antimicrobial
resistance. Some of the activities that he can do to help with the mission of the team include:
1) Calculate multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infection rates
2) Detect asymptomatic carriers using active surveillance cultures
3) Use molecular typing for investigating outbreaks
4) Collect environmental cultures of isolation rooms
a. 2, 3, 4
b. 1, 3, 4
c. 1, 2, 4
d. 1, 2, 3
Ans: d. 1, 2, 3
Quiz A classic sign of measles is:
,a. Kaposi sarcoma
b. Stiff neck
c. Koplik spots
d. Bull's-eye rash
Ans: c. Koplik spots
Quiz The IP has been notified that three patients with possible pneumonic plague have been
admitted to the Emergency Department. The IP recommends which of the following strategies?
a. A surgical mask worn within 3 feet of patient, door may be open
b. Negative pressure isolation room with use of N95 respirators
c. Normal ventilation, but door must remain closed and N95 respirator mask worn
d. No masks are required, but patient must be placed in private room and contacts should be
treated for exposure
Ans: a. A surgical mask worn within 3 feet of patient, door may be open
Quiz Using the surgical risk index to stratify the identified infections for the previous quarter, an
IP would report which of the following case(s) as having a higher risk for developing a surgical
site infection (SSI)?
1) An 80-year-old male with poor circulation who develops a donor site infection after a
coronary artery bypass graft surgery that took 4 hours to perform
2) A 30-year-old female who has knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
after a skiing accident
3) A 90-year-old female with insulin-dependent diabetes who has hip replacement surgery that
takes 2.5 hours to perform
,4) A 27-year-old male with Crohn's disease who has colon resection that takes more than 4
hours to perform due to adhesions
a. 1, 2
b. 2, 3
c. 3, 4
d. 1, 4
Ans: c. 3, 4
Quiz A 47-year-old female bus driver is brought to the Emergency Department (ED) with a two-
day history of fever, shortness of breath, and chest pain. She is diaphoretic and appears acutely
ill. She is confused as to place and time. Temperature is 38°C (100.4°F), blood pressure is 88/60
mm Hg, pulse rate is 110/min, and respiration rate is 28/min. Coarse bronchial breath sounds
are heard. She has had no recent known contact with ill persons. The leukocyte count is
15,000/μL (15 × 109/L). A chest radiograph shows a widened mediastinum and bilateral pleural
effusions. Gram stain of a peripheral blood smear shows box car-shaped Gram-positive bacilli. A
bioterrorism agent is suspected. Which of the following agents is most likely?
a. Typhus fever
b. Smallpox
c. Tularemia
d. Anthrax
Ans: d. Anthrax
Quiz Phlebotomists within an organization are complaining that the new blood collection device
introduced 6 months ago is difficult to use for blood draws and has resulted in an increase in
needlestick injuries (NSIs). The IP is working with Occupational Health to evaluate the problem
and would like to compare NSI rates before and after implementation of the device. Which of
the following would be the most useful denominator in order to calculate useful data?
, a. Phlebotomist employee hours at work (full-time equivalents)
b. Number of occupied beds (or licensed beds)
c. Number of patients (average daily census)
d. Number of blood collection devices used or purchased
Ans: d. Number of blood collection devices used or purchased
Quiz Which of the following processes should be used for contaminated endotracheal blades?
a. Cleaning followed by high-level disinfection
b. Cleaning with chlorhexidine followed by soaking in an enzymatic solution for 20 minutes
c. Cleaning followed by ultrasonic washer
d. Cleaning followed by alcohol disinfection
Ans: a. Cleaning followed by high-level disinfection
Quiz A new Environmental Services employee has been asked to clean up a large blood spill on
the floor in the OR. How should he proceed?
a. He should mix an EPA-registered disinfectant with water in a bucket and mop up the spill
b. He should place absorbent material over the spill and pour the correct dilution of disinfectant
over the material for the recommended contact time
c. He should pour undiluted bleach directly on the blood spill, wait 10 minutes, and then mop
up the spill
d. He should place absorbent material over the spill, dispose of the material after absorption,
and then mop the floor with an EPA-registered disinfectant
Questions With Correct Solutions.
The infection preventionist (IP) on the Antimicrobial Stewardship Team is thinking of ways that
he can support efforts and add to the success of the team in decreasing antimicrobial
resistance. Some of the activities that he can do to help with the mission of the team include:
1) Calculate multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infection rates
2) Detect asymptomatic carriers using active surveillance cultures
3) Use molecular typing for investigating outbreaks
4) Collect environmental cultures of isolation rooms
a. 2, 3, 4
b. 1, 3, 4
c. 1, 2, 4
d. 1, 2, 3
Ans: d. 1, 2, 3
Quiz A classic sign of measles is:
,a. Kaposi sarcoma
b. Stiff neck
c. Koplik spots
d. Bull's-eye rash
Ans: c. Koplik spots
Quiz The IP has been notified that three patients with possible pneumonic plague have been
admitted to the Emergency Department. The IP recommends which of the following strategies?
a. A surgical mask worn within 3 feet of patient, door may be open
b. Negative pressure isolation room with use of N95 respirators
c. Normal ventilation, but door must remain closed and N95 respirator mask worn
d. No masks are required, but patient must be placed in private room and contacts should be
treated for exposure
Ans: a. A surgical mask worn within 3 feet of patient, door may be open
Quiz Using the surgical risk index to stratify the identified infections for the previous quarter, an
IP would report which of the following case(s) as having a higher risk for developing a surgical
site infection (SSI)?
1) An 80-year-old male with poor circulation who develops a donor site infection after a
coronary artery bypass graft surgery that took 4 hours to perform
2) A 30-year-old female who has knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
after a skiing accident
3) A 90-year-old female with insulin-dependent diabetes who has hip replacement surgery that
takes 2.5 hours to perform
,4) A 27-year-old male with Crohn's disease who has colon resection that takes more than 4
hours to perform due to adhesions
a. 1, 2
b. 2, 3
c. 3, 4
d. 1, 4
Ans: c. 3, 4
Quiz A 47-year-old female bus driver is brought to the Emergency Department (ED) with a two-
day history of fever, shortness of breath, and chest pain. She is diaphoretic and appears acutely
ill. She is confused as to place and time. Temperature is 38°C (100.4°F), blood pressure is 88/60
mm Hg, pulse rate is 110/min, and respiration rate is 28/min. Coarse bronchial breath sounds
are heard. She has had no recent known contact with ill persons. The leukocyte count is
15,000/μL (15 × 109/L). A chest radiograph shows a widened mediastinum and bilateral pleural
effusions. Gram stain of a peripheral blood smear shows box car-shaped Gram-positive bacilli. A
bioterrorism agent is suspected. Which of the following agents is most likely?
a. Typhus fever
b. Smallpox
c. Tularemia
d. Anthrax
Ans: d. Anthrax
Quiz Phlebotomists within an organization are complaining that the new blood collection device
introduced 6 months ago is difficult to use for blood draws and has resulted in an increase in
needlestick injuries (NSIs). The IP is working with Occupational Health to evaluate the problem
and would like to compare NSI rates before and after implementation of the device. Which of
the following would be the most useful denominator in order to calculate useful data?
, a. Phlebotomist employee hours at work (full-time equivalents)
b. Number of occupied beds (or licensed beds)
c. Number of patients (average daily census)
d. Number of blood collection devices used or purchased
Ans: d. Number of blood collection devices used or purchased
Quiz Which of the following processes should be used for contaminated endotracheal blades?
a. Cleaning followed by high-level disinfection
b. Cleaning with chlorhexidine followed by soaking in an enzymatic solution for 20 minutes
c. Cleaning followed by ultrasonic washer
d. Cleaning followed by alcohol disinfection
Ans: a. Cleaning followed by high-level disinfection
Quiz A new Environmental Services employee has been asked to clean up a large blood spill on
the floor in the OR. How should he proceed?
a. He should mix an EPA-registered disinfectant with water in a bucket and mop up the spill
b. He should place absorbent material over the spill and pour the correct dilution of disinfectant
over the material for the recommended contact time
c. He should pour undiluted bleach directly on the blood spill, wait 10 minutes, and then mop
up the spill
d. He should place absorbent material over the spill, dispose of the material after absorption,
and then mop the floor with an EPA-registered disinfectant
