Chain of Infection

________ precautions are followed with all patients.

Standard

Which of the following precautions would be taken for a patient with an unknown infection that causes diarrhea? Select all that apply. a. wearing gloves b. assigning the patient to a room with other patients with diarrhea c. wearing a mask when coming within three feet of the patient d. getting an immunization against all diarrhea-causing infections

a and b

Which techniques would be suitable for destroying an infection? a. sterilizing medical equipment b. cleaning and disinfecting surfaces c. using personal protective equipment d. monitoring nosocomial infection data

a and b

Which of the following are examples of standard precautions? a. hand washing b. isolating the patient in a private room c. disinfecting table tops in the hospital d. wearing a mask and goggles

a and c

immunization

a biological protection against a specific disease

hospital-acquired pneumonia

a case of pneumonia that is contracted in a healthcare setting

central line

a catheter inserted into a large vein that allows fluid or medications to be given to a patient intravenously

pneumonia

a lung infection that can be caused by many different pathogens

standard precautions

a set of practices used to help prevent the transmission of infection

urinary catheter

a tube inserted into the urinary tract to allow urine to drain without requiring the patient to get out of bed

Clostridium difficile

a type of bacteria that causes diarrhea, fever, nausea, and abdominal pain in hosts

portal of exit

a way for the pathogen to leave an infected host

vaccine

a weakened or dead version of an infectious agent that is injected into the body

Which of the following groups of people should be educated about asepsis strategies in a hospital? Select all that apply. a. patients b. healthcare workers c. hospital custodial staff d. hospital parking garage attendants

a, b, and c - Everyone in the hospital can play a part in controlling the spread of infectious disease.

Contact with which of the following could potentially contribute to the spread of infectious disease? Select all that apply. a. urine b. stethoscope c. sterile instrument d. sneeze droplets

a, b, and d

Select the sites that are possible portals of entry for infectious agents a. nose b. heart c. open surgical incision d. mouth

a, c, and d

Diseases caused by MRSA and Clostridium difficile are resistant to common ___________, so specialized medication are necessary to kill them. a. antibiotics b. portals of entry c. contact precautions d. isolation techniques

a. antibiotics

Reservoirs contribute to the transmission of infectious disease because they are places where pathogens can _______. a. survive b. change c. travel

a. survive

A patient carrying an infectious disease is in the waiting room of a medical clinic. She coughs repeatedly and the man sitting across from her inhales the airborne droplets from her cough. the reservoir in this case is _______ this method of transmission is ___________

airborne droplets; direct - Part of the reason people can get infections in medical settings is because those settings are full of infectious agents. To minimize the chance of spreading an illness, patients should cover their mouth and nose when they cough or sneeze.

urinary tract infection

an infection of the urinary tract or a connected organ, such as the kidney or bladder

nosocomial infection

an infection that a person acquires while being treated in a hospital or a medical clinic

surgical-site infection

an infection that occurs at the location of a surgery

pathogen

an infectious agent

microorganism

any living thing that is invisible to the unaided eye

Patients ______ responsible for helping prevent nosocomial infections.

are

A patient who sustained injuries in a car crash is a hospital ICU. What actions might put this patients at risk for a nosocomial infection? a. physical injuries from the car crash b. placement of a central line c. surgical incisions d. hand washing by the nurses

b and c

What are some reasons for monitoring and tracking the rate of nosocomial infections? a. increase rates of transmission b. identify common sources of infection c. identify what prevention strategies are effective d. convince the public that hospitals are completely safe

b and c

Which types of safety training are required of healthcare workers? a. self defense training b. blood-borne pathogen training c. training in hospital policies and procedures d. personal protective equipment training

b, c, and d

Workers in a healthcare environment are responsible for knowing when and how to use which of the following types of personal protective equipment? a. hats b. gloves c. masks d. gowns e. catheters

b, c, and d

C. diff. is more easily transmitted than some other bacteria because its spores cannot be killed by _______. a. soap b. alcohol c. disinfectant

b. alcohol

Central line catheters increase the risk of which type of infection? a. lung b. bloodstream c. intestinal d. urinary tract

b. bloodstream

Which of the following statement is true about nosocomial infections? a. nosocomial infections cannot be prevented b. nosocomial infections affect about 1 in 20 patients staying in a hospital c. most patients have nosocomial infections before they get to the hospital d. common nosocomial infections are transmitted through contaminated food

b. nosocomial infections affect about 1 in 20 patients staying in a hospital

a catheter is an example of a portal of entry for infection because it... a. is in contact with the patient b. provides a pathway into the body c. is only administered in a hospital setting

b. provides a pathway into the body - Although nosocomial infections related to catheters can cause serious illness or death, these are easily preventable. The use of aseptic techniques and hand washing are two simple ways to reduce the incidence of these infections.

A patient with chicken pox is admitted to a hospital. What steps should the hospital take to protect others from getting chicken pox? a. require patient to wear gloves b. require staff to wear gowns c. place patient in a ventilated private room d. vaccinate staff against chicken pox or require staff to use a ventilator

c and d

Which of the following can be classified as infectious agents? Select all that apply. a. sneezing b. hand washing c. virus d. bacteria e. mouth

c and d

A pathogen can ________ the body through the mouth. a. exit b. enter c. enter or exit

c. enter or exit

a nosocomial infection describes an infection obtained while... a. at school b. on the job c. in a hospital d. outdoors

c. in a hospital

The purpose of isolation techniques is to: a. destroy infectious agents, including spores b. keep patients isolated from one another c. physically prevent transmission of an infection

c. physically prevent transmission of an infection

Which of the following conditions are common nosocomial infections? a. pneumonia b. urinary tract infections c. Clostridium difficile d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Why are catheters a common source of nosocomial infection? a. catheters often are inserted by untrained staff b. catheters are reservoirs for infectious agents c. catheters are used only on patients who have an infectious disease d. catheters provide a direct route for pathogens to enter the human body

d. catheters provide a direct route for pathogens to enter the human body

Which of the following patients is most at risk for hospital-acquired pneumonia? a. pregnant women admitted with a rash b. chronically ill patient with a urinary catheter c. child suffering from an unknown cause of diarrhea d. elderly male on a ventilator machine to assist with breathing

d. elderly male on a ventilator machine to assist with breathing

A medical student wakes up one morning with symptoms of a bad cold. He thinks back to his behaviors from the past week. Which of the following events is most likely to have been the method of transmission for his infections? a. he washed his hands before eating b. he went outside with wet hair c. he ate too much food at a family party d. he did not wear gloves when visiting a sick patient

d. he did not wear gloves when visiting a sick patient

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are responsible for which of the following tasks? a. educating hospital staff b. providing personal protective equipment to hospitals c. writing hospital policies on hand washing d. monitoring and analyzing reports of nosocomial infections

d. monitoring and analyzing reports of nosocomial infections - The Centers for Disease Control and Infection collect data, write reports, and issue guidelines. Hospitals are responsible for applying the results at the patient level.

Which precaution should be taken for a patient whether the healthcare worker is following contact, droplet, or airborne precautions? a. wearing a respirator b. instructing the patient to cough into a tissue c. keeping the patient in a private room d. using a stethoscope for only that patient for the length of the patient's stay

d. using a stethoscope for only that patient for the length of the patient's stay

Which of the following steps to reduce the risk of nosocomial infection should operating room staff take before surgery? a. take a shower b. take antibiotics c. use hand sanitizer d. wash their hands and arms to the elbows

d. wash their hands and arms to the elbows

A woman gets the flu after shaking hands with a man who sneezed into his hand.

direct contact

An elderly woman gets pneumonia after inhaling another person's cough droplets in the hospital.

direct contact

infectious agents

disease-causing bodies; causes infectious diseases

A man gets Lyme disease after being bitten by a tick on a hunting trip.

indirect contact

infection

invasion and multiplication of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, that are not normally present in the body

aseptic techniques

methods used to maintain a pathogen-free environment

isolation precautions

methods used to physically prevent the transmission of infection

pathogens

microorganisms that cause disease

carrier

person or animal that carries infectious agent, but does not show symptoms of the disease

reservoir

place where infectious agents thrive; provides a place for infectious agents like viruses and bacteria to survive and reproduce

chain of infection

series of connected steps that explains how infectious diseases spread

Healthcare workers should use _______ on their hands and _________ on surfaces to destroy C. diff spores.

soap; spore-killing disinfectant

airborne precautions

strategies for preventing the transmission of a disease spread by tiny particles that remain suspended in the air, such as chickenpox or measles

contact precautions

strategies for preventing the transmission of diseases spread by direct or indirect contact, such as infections causing diarrhea

droplet precautions

strategies for preventing transmission of a disease spread by droplets released through sneezing and coughing

intravenously

through the blood

indirect methods

transmission methods that involve contact with either a nonhuman living carrier or an inanimate object

direct methods

transmission methods that involve person-to-person contact

Visitors to a hospital can help prevent the spread of infection by ____________.

washing their hands

all staff must receive training in:

- hospital policies and procedures - blood borne pathogen standards - hand-washing protocol - selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE)

most common infections:

- urinary tract infections - catheter-associated bloodstream infections - surgical site infections - Clostridium difficile infections - hospital-acquired pneumonia

________ precautions are followed only with patients suspected of having high-risk infectious disease.

Transmission-based