Infection Control & Prevention Flashcards
7 cards from real CSA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Infection Control & Prevention flashcards as text
An administrator notices multiple residents on the same hall developing similar gastrointestinal symptoms within 48 hours. What is the FIRST action the administrator should take?
Answer: Notify the infection preventionist and begin outbreak investigation and symptom surveillance
Initiating an outbreak investigation through the infection preventionist and implementing symptom surveillance is the first step to identify the scope, cause, and contain the outbreak.
Which of the following is classified as a healthcare-associated infection (HAI)?
Answer: A surgical site infection developing 5 days after a procedure performed at the facility
An HAI is an infection that develops after admission to or in association with a healthcare setting, such as a surgical site infection appearing days after a procedure.
What is 'cohorting' in the context of infection control in a long-term care facility?
Answer: Grouping infected residents together and assigning dedicated staff to care only for that group
Cohorting groups residents with the same confirmed infection together and assigns dedicated staff to minimize the risk of cross-transmission to non-infected residents.
MRSA stands for which of the following?
Answer: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a strain of staph bacteria resistant to many common antibiotics including methicillin.
Which infection surveillance method tracks all infections occurring within a defined resident population regardless of body site?
Answer: Total facility (house-wide) surveillance
Total facility (house-wide) surveillance captures all infections across all body sites and the entire resident population, providing the most comprehensive infection data.
The typical incubation period for norovirus, a common cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in long-term care facilities, is:
Answer: 12–48 hours
Norovirus has an incubation period of 12–48 hours, which is important for identifying the exposure window during an outbreak investigation.
The purpose of a facility antibiogram is to:
Answer: Summarize local patterns of antimicrobial resistance to guide empiric antibiotic selection
An antibiogram summarizes local susceptibility data, helping clinicians choose the most effective empiric antibiotic therapy based on the pathogens and resistance patterns prevalent in the facility.