1Formulas and methods
Infection control & patient safety
Method
- Start with standard precautions for every patient: hand hygiene, PPE for the expected exposure, safe sharps.
- Add precautions by route: contact (gown, gloves), droplet (surgical mask), airborne (N95, negative-pressure room).
- Keep sterile items sterile: if in doubt, it is not sterile; replace, never wipe.
- Prevent harm in the environment: fall measures, restraints only as a last resort, RACE and PASS for fire.
- Check the rights of medication administration, two identifiers and extra safeguards for high-alert drugs; report errors and near misses.
2Practice problems
1.Infection control & patient safetyMedium
When walking with axillary crutches, where should the patient’s weight be taken?
- AOn the shoulders, with the crutches pressed upward
- BOn the armpits, resting on the crutch tops
- COn the hands, with the crutch tops a few finger widths below the armpits
- DOn the elbows, kept bent at a right angle with the crutch tops tucked under the arms
2.Infection control & patient safetyHard
A child with fever, cough, red eyes and a spreading rash is in a clinic waiting room. Measles is suspected. What should the nurse do first?
- AAsk the family to wait in the main waiting room until the child is called in
- BPut a mask on the child and move them into an airborne isolation room
- CSend the child home to rest without an assessment
- DGive the child an antipyretic and continue triage
3.Nursing fundamentalsMedium
A catheterised patient has had no urine in the bag for two hours. What should the nurse check first?
- ANothing, as two hours without urine is normal
- BThe patient's blood glucose level and recent insulin doses
- CThe tubing for kinks or blockage and where the bag is
- DWhether the patient has eaten or drunk anything recently
4.Nursing fundamentalsHard
A patient has had a stroke. Why must swallowing be screened before giving food, drink or oral medicine?
- AOral medicines are never used after a stroke
- BSwallowing checks are only needed if the patient asks
- CDysphagia is common after stroke and can cause aspiration pneumonia
- DPatients after a stroke are always kept nil by mouth for at least a week
5.MicrobiologyMedium
Which white blood cells are the main phagocytes in an acute bacterial infection and the main component of pus?
- AB lymphocytes
- BEosinophils
- CBasophils
- DNeutrophils
6.MicrobiologyHard
Gram-positive cocci are found. Which test quickly separates staphylococci from streptococci?
- AThe acid-fast stain
- BThe catalase test
- CThe coagulase test
- DGrowth on MacConkey agar
3Solutions
1.Infection control & patient safety
Answer: C · On the hands, with the crutch tops a few finger widths below the armpits
Why this is the answer
Weight is taken on the hands and arms. Leaning on the crutch tops can compress the brachial plexus and cause crutch palsy, so a gap is kept between the crutch top and the axilla.
C · On the hands, with the crutch tops a few finger widths below the armpits
2.Infection control & patient safety
Answer: B · Put a mask on the child and move them into an airborne isolation room
Why this is the answer
Measles is highly contagious through airborne spread. The child is masked and placed in an airborne infection isolation room, or a closed single room if none is available, and exposed people may need follow-up.
B · Put a mask on the child and move them into an airborne isolation room
3.Nursing fundamentals
Answer: C · The tubing for kinks or blockage and where the bag is
Why this is the answer
Kinked or trapped tubing, a bag above bladder level or a blocked catheter are common causes. If these are fine, the patient is assessed for low output and the doctor informed.
C · The tubing for kinks or blockage and where the bag is
4.Nursing fundamentals
Answer: C · Dysphagia is common after stroke and can cause aspiration pneumonia
Why this is the answer
Stroke often affects swallowing, and silent aspiration is possible. A swallow screen, with referral to a speech and language therapist if needed, guides safe food textures and routes for medicines.
C · Dysphagia is common after stroke and can cause aspiration pneumonia
5.Microbiology
Answer: D · Neutrophils
Why this is the answer
Neutrophils arrive quickly at sites of infection and engulf bacteria. Dead neutrophils, bacteria and tissue debris form pus.
6.Microbiology
Answer: B · The catalase test
Why this is the answer
Staphylococci produce catalase, which breaks hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen bubbles; streptococci do not. The coagulase test is then used to identify S. aureus among staphylococci.