Infection control & patient safety worksheet with answers

What is closed-loop communication?

1. ASending a message to the team without waiting for any reply or confirmation
2. BCommunication that only happens in a closed room
3. CThe receiver repeats the message back and the sender confirms it is correct
4. DWriting every message in the patient’s chart only

What are the three parts of the Universal Protocol for preventing wrong-site surgery?

1. AConsent, anesthesia and a recovery room check
2. BSponge count, instrument count and needle count
3. CHand hygiene, gowning and gloving
4. DPre-procedure verification, site marking and a time-out

Which procedure requires surgical asepsis (sterile technique)?

1. AMeasuring blood pressure on the upper arm
2. BInserting an indwelling urinary catheter
3. CGiving an oral medication through the mouth
4. DGiving a bed bath

A family member tells the nurse, “My father is not himself. Something is wrong.” The hospital has a family-activated rapid response system. What is correct?

1. AThe family can call the rapid response team if they are worried and staff have not responded
2. BThe family must wait for the next scheduled ward round to raise the concern with a doctor
3. CThe family should call emergency services from outside the hospital
4. DOnly doctors may call the rapid response team

When is a prophylactic antibiotic usually given to prevent a surgical site infection?

1. AOnly if a fever develops after surgery
2. BOne week before surgery
3. CWithin about 60 minutes before the incision
4. DThe day after surgery, once the wound is closed

Before a defibrillator shock is delivered, what must the person operating it do?

1. AKeep the oxygen mask on the patient’s face, held against the chest
2. BAsk a colleague to hold the paddles in place
3. CCall “all clear” and check that nobody is touching the patient or bed
4. DHold the patient’s hand to keep them still

A patient with a common cold asks for antibiotics “to be on the safe side”. Which response is best?

1. AExplain that antibiotics do not work on viruses and overuse breeds resistant bacteria
2. BAsk the provider to prescribe antibiotics anyway so that the patient is reassured
3. CTell the patient that antibiotics will shorten the cold by several days
4. DSuggest using leftover antibiotics from a previous illness

According to the “Swiss cheese” model of error, why do errors reach patients?

1. AOne careless person makes a mistake that no system could stop
2. BWeaknesses in several layers of defense line up at the same time
3. CPatients often do not follow their care instructions
4. DTechnology fails more often than people do