ATI Fundamentals Infection Control and Isolation

A nurse is assisting in providing an in-service about infectious agents to the a group of nurses. The nurse should include in the teaching that tuberculosis is transmitted by which of the following modes of transmission? A. Airborne B. Droplet C. Direct contact D. Indirect contact

A. Airborne The nurse should include in the teaching that tuberculosis is transmitted through the airborne mode of transmission. Clients who have tuberculosis should be placed in a negative pressure, private room. The door to the client's room should remain closed, and the nurse should wear an N95 mask when providing care to the client.

A nurse is assisting with teaching a newly licensed nurse about laboratory tests that can indicate generalized inflammation. The nurse should include which of the following laboratory tests? A. C-reactive protein B. Troponin C. Creatine kinase D. Lactic acid

A. C-reactive protein C-reactive protein is a nonspecific marker that can increase when inflammation is present.

A nurse is caring for a client who has influenza. The client asks how they acquired the infectious agent. The nurse should inform the client that influenza is transmitted by which of the following modes? A. Droplet B. Indirect contact C. Airborne D. Direct contact

A. Droplet The nurse should inform the client that influenza is transmitted through large droplets in the air. The client should be placed in a private room, and the nurse should wear a surgical mask when caring for the client

A nurse is setting up a sterile field to perform a dressing change on a client. Which of the following actions should the nurse take? A. Open the first flap on the sterile package away from their body. B. Place objects on the sterile field at least 1.3 cm (0.5 in) from the edge. C. Unwrap both sides of the sterile package at the same time. D. Set up the sterile field next to a wall in the client's room.

A. Open the first flap on the sterile package away from their body. The nurse should open the first flap on a sterile package away from their body to reduce the risk for contamination.

A nurse is caring for a client who acquired an infection after touching a faucet that an infected person had touched. Which of the following links in the chain of infection does the faucet represent? A. Reservoir B. Susceptible host C. Portal of entry D. Portal of exit

A. Reservoir The faucet is an example of a reservoir in the chain of infection. The reservoir is the location where the infectious agent lives, grows, reproduces itself, and waits to be transmitted to a susceptible host.

A nurse is performing a throat culture on a client. Which of the following actions should the nurse take? A. Swab the back of the client's pharyngeal wall. B. Place the swab in a clean container after obtaining the culture. C. Insert the swab in the culture medium within 1 hr of obtaining the sample. D. Don sterile gloves to obtain the culture from the client.

A. Swab the back of the client's pharyngeal wall. The nurse should swab the client's tonsils, the tonsillar pillars, or the back of the pharyngeal wall, to obtain an accurate culture. The nurse should avoid touching any other areas of the client's mouth or pharynx because this can interfere with the test results.

A nurse is assisting with teaching a newly licensed nurse about airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIR). Which of the following information should the nurse include? A. The door to the AIIR should remain closed. B. Clients who are on contact precautions require AIIR. C. An AIIR has at least 4 air exchanges each hr. D. A mask is not needed to care for clients who are in an AIIR.

A. The door to the AIIR should remain closed. The nurse should instruct to keep the door to the AIIR closed at all times to reduce the risk of transmission of the infectious agent.

A nurse is assisting with implementing an infection control bundle for clients at risk for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Which of the following interventions should the nurse include in the bundle? A. Try to use alternatives before inserting indwelling urinary catheters. B. Use clean technique for insertion of indwelling urinary catheters. C. Check clients every 2 days to evaluate the need for indwelling urinary catheters. D. Disconnect the system to obtain urine samples from indwelling urinary catheters.

A. Try to use alternatives before inserting indwelling urinary catheters. The nurse should include in the bundle to try to use other methods of urine collection before inserting an indwelling urinary catheter, such as a condom catheter, to reduce the risk for CAUTI.

A nurse is planning to admit a client who has respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Which of the following transmission-based precautions should the nurse plan to implement? A. Protective B. Contact C. Standard D. Airborne

B. Contact Contact precautions are transmission-based precautions that are used when caring for a client who has RSV.

A nurse is admitting a client who has vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) of the urine. The nurse should place the client on which of the following precautions? A. Protective B. Contact C. Droplet D. Airborne

B. Contact Contact precautions reduce the risk of transmitting infectious agents, such as VRE, through direct or indirect contact. The nurse should wear a gown and gloves when caring for the client.

A nurse is caring for a client who states, "I am feeling so much better. My fever is gone, and I have a good appetite." The nurse should identify the client is likely in which of the following stages of infection? A. Incubation B. Convalescence C. Acute infection D. Prodromal

B. Convalescence The convalescent stage is the last stage of infection in which the client returns to a previous or a new, stabilized state of health.

A nurse is assisting with teaching a newly licensed nurse about infectious agents. The nurse should include in the teaching that pertussis is transmitted by which of the following modes of transmission? A. Direct contact B. Droplet C. Airborne D. Indirect contact

B. Droplet The nurse should include in the teaching that pertussis is transmitted through large droplets in the air from coughing or sneezing. The client should be placed in a private room. The nurse should wear a surgical mask when providing care for clients who are on droplet precautions.

A nurse is assisting with teaching a newly licensed nurse about removing personal protective equipment (PPE). Which of the following items should the nurse instruct to remove first? A. Mask B. Gloves C. Goggles D. Face shield

B. Gloves According to evidence-based practice, the nurse should first remove the gloves, to reduce the risk of transmitting an infectious agent.

A nurse is caring for a client who is on contact precautions. Which of the following actions should the nurse take? A. Wear an N95 respirator when caring for the client. B. Place the client in a private room. C. Place a mask on the client when they leave their room. D. Place the client in a negative airflow room.

B. Place the client in a private room. The nurse should place the client in a private room to reduce the risk of transmitting the infectious agent to others.

A nurse is assisting with teaching a newly licensed nurse about needlestick injuries. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include? A. Empty sharps containers when they become full. B. Report needlestick injuries to the nursing supervisor. C. Engage the safety device on a needle after documenting the medication administration. D. Recap needles after medication administration.

B. Report needlestick injuries to the nursing supervisor. The nurse should report all needlestick injuries with a contaminated needle immediately to the supervisor and complete paperwork as designated by the healthcare organization.

A nurse is performing hand hygiene after caring for a client who has Clostridium difficile. Which of the following hand hygiene methods should the nurse use? A. Alcohol-based sanitizer B. Soap and water C. Iodine solution D. Chlorhexidine solution

B. Soap and water The nurse should wash their hands with soap and water after caring for a client who has an infection caused by spores, such as Clostridium difficile.

A nurse is caring for a client who has acquired an infection from a visitor. The client is an example of which of the following links in the chain of infection? A. Reservoir B. Susceptible host C. Portal of entry D. Portal of exit

B. Susceptible host The susceptible host is the client who acquired the infection. The susceptible host becomes a reservoir for the infectious agent.

A nurse is assisting with supervising a newly licensed nurse perform hand hygiene. Which of the following actions by the newly licensed nurse indicates an understanding of the procedure? A. Washes their hands for 10 sec B. Turns off the faucet with a towel C. Uses hot water to wash their hands D. Holds their hands above their elbows while rinsing off the soap

B. Turns off the faucet with a towel The nurse should use a towel to turn off the faucet to reduce the risk of contaminating the hands.

A nurse is assisting with teaching a newly licensed nurse about hand hygiene for surgical asepsis. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include? A. Use a brush to scrub the surface of the hands. B. Rinse antiseptic solution from the hands before it dries. C. Apply chlorhexidine and ethanol to the hands. D. Leave jewelry on the hands when cleansing them.

C. Apply chlorhexidine and ethanol to the hands. The nurse should instruct the newly licensed nurse to apply chlorhexidine and ethanol solution to their hands to remove pathogens when using surgical asepsis.

A nurse is assisting with teaching a group of nurses on processes that can trigger an inflammatory response in the body. The nurse should include that which of the following is an infectious trigger? A. Burn B. Frostbite C. Bacteria D. Radiation

C. Bacteria Bacteria is an infectious trigger to an inflammatory response. The inflammatory response is the natural defense of the body to a foreign substance, an infectious agent, or an irritation.

A nurse is assisting with teaching about personal protective equipment with a newly licensed nurse. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include? A. Gowns can be reused on the same client. B. Masks should be removed after leaving a client's room. C. Gloves should be removed from the inside out. D. Eyeglasses can be used in place of goggles.

C. Gloves should be removed from the inside out. The nurse should instruct to remove gloves from the inside out to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious agents.

A nurse is assisting with teaching a newly licensed nurse about surgical asepsis. Which of the following statements should the nurse make? A. "You can wear artificial fingernails if they are kept short." B. "Leave rings on your fingers when performing surgical hand asepsis." C. "Keep your fingernails less than half an inch in length." D. "Remove nail polish on your fingernails if it is chipped."

D. "Remove nail polish on your fingernails if it is chipped." Nail polish, if worn, should not be chipped, because the chipped areas can harbor bacteria.

A nurse is wearing gloves while caring for a client. In which of the following situations should the nurse obtain a new pair of gloves? A. After donning a gown and before collecting vital signs on the client B. After removing food items off the client's tray and before removing soiled linens from the client's bed C. After helping the client stand up and before helping them brush their teeth D. After changing a dressing on the client and before documenting findings on a computer

D. After changing a dressing on the client and before documenting findings on a computer The nurse should change the gloves to avoid contamination from the client to the keyboard or computer, and in between clients.

A nurse is assisting with teaching a newly licensed nurse about infection control. The nurse should include in the teaching that which of the following types of precautions requires the use of an N95 mask? A. Protective isolation B. Contact C. Droplet D. Airborne

D. Airborne Airborne precautions are used to prevent transmission of infections caused by small droplets in the air, such as measles or chickenpox. A nurse who is caring for a client on airborne precautions should don an N95 mask or a high-level respirator when entering the room.

A nurse in a clinic is caring for a client who reports generalized aches and fever for the past 12 hr. The nurse suspects the client has acquired an infection. Which of the following stages of infection is the client likely experiencing? A. Incubation B. Convalescence C. Acute illness D. Prodromal

D. Prodromal The prodromal stage is the second stage of infection. In this stage, the client begins having vague, nonspecific manifestations, such as fever, chills, headache, and malaise, as the infectious agent replicates.