Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam I PN-RN Safety and Infection Control Questions and Answers 1 β Questions and Answers
Question 1: A nurse is preparing to enter the room of a client with a confirmed Clostridioides difficile infection. In addition to using gloves and a gown, which action is essential for proper infection control?
- Keeping the room door closed at all times.
- Wearing a surgical mask during all client contact.
- Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before exiting the room.
- Washing hands with soap and water after providing care. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Washing hands with soap and water after providing care.
C. difficile forms spores that are resistant to alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The mechanical friction from washing with soap and water is required to remove the spores from the hands, which is a critical step in preventing transmission.
Question 2: A nurse has finished providing care for a client on contact and droplet precautions. To minimize the risk of self-contamination, which of the following represents the correct sequence for removing (doffing) personal protective equipment (PPE)?
- Gloves, goggles/face shield, gown, mask/respirator (Correct answer)
- Gown, mask/respirator, goggles/face shield, gloves
- Mask/respirator, gown, gloves, goggles/face shield
- Goggles/face shield, gloves, mask/respirator, gown
Correct answer: Gloves, goggles/face shield, gown, mask/respirator
According to CDC guidelines, the most contaminated items should be removed first. The standard sequence is to remove gloves, followed by goggles or a face shield, then the gown, and finally the mask or respirator. Hand hygiene should be performed after removing all PPE.
Question 3: A nurse working on a medical-surgical unit discovers a fire in a client's trash can. What is the nurse's immediate priority action?
- Activate the fire alarm.
- Extinguish the fire with the appropriate extinguisher.
- Rescue any clients in immediate danger. (Correct answer)
- Confine the fire by closing the door.
Correct answer: Rescue any clients in immediate danger.
The RACE acronym is the standard protocol for fire safety in healthcare settings: Rescue, Alarm, Confine, and Extinguish/Evacuate. The absolute first priority is to rescue anyone in immediate danger from the fire or smoke.
Question 4: A nurse is admitting a client with suspected active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Which of the following environmental controls is essential to implement for airborne precautions?
- Wear a sterile gown and gloves for all client contact.
- Place the client in a negative-pressure airflow room. (Correct answer)
- Cohort the client with another client who has a respiratory infection.
- Ensure the client wears a standard surgical mask at all times in the room.
Correct answer: Place the client in a negative-pressure airflow room.
Airborne precautions require placing the client in an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR), which is a negative-pressure room that prevents infectious particles from flowing out into adjacent areas. Staff must also wear a fitted N95 respirator when entering the room.
Question 5: A nurse is caring for an older adult client who is confused and has repeatedly attempted to pull out their peripheral intravenous (IV) catheter. After assessing the client, which action should the nurse take first to ensure the client's safety?
- Apply soft wrist restraints to both arms.
- Administer a prescribed sedative medication.
- Ask a family member to sit with the client at all times.
- Attempt to reorient the client and conceal the IV site with a gauze wrap. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Attempt to reorient the client and conceal the IV site with a gauze wrap.
The nursing principle of 'least restrictive' requires trying less invasive interventions before resorting to physical or chemical restraints. Attempting to reorient the client and camouflaging the IV site addresses the immediate safety risk without restricting the client's freedom of movement.
Question 6: A nurse is preparing a sterile field to perform a wound dressing change. Which of the following actions would contaminate the sterile field and require the nurse to start over?
- Reaching over the sterile field to discard a used dressing. (Correct answer)
- Opening the outermost flap of the sterile package away from the body.
- Keeping the sterile field at or above waist level.
- Pouring sterile solution into a basin from a height of 4-6 inches.
Correct answer: Reaching over the sterile field to discard a used dressing.
A sterile field is contaminated when a non-sterile object passes over it. Reaching over the field introduces microorganisms from the nurse's arm and clothing, violating a core principle of surgical asepsis.
A nurse is preparing to enter the room of a client with a confirmed Clostridioides difficile infection.
In addition to using gloves and a gown, which action is essential for proper infection control?