Infection control & patient safety worksheet with answers

In the chain of infection, a contaminated bedside table where bacteria live and multiply is an example of which link?

1. AThe reservoir
2. BThe portal of exit
3. CThe susceptible host
4. DThe portal of entry

How should waste contaminated with chemotherapy drugs be discarded?

1. AIn the general household-type trash bin on the ward, tied in a bag
2. BIn a separate labeled container for hazardous drug waste
3. CIn the recycling bin with plastics
4. DDown the sink with plenty of water

Why should “U” not be written for “units” on a prescription?

1. AIt can be misread as 0 or 4, causing an overdose
2. BIt is usually read as “micrograms” by pharmacists
3. CPharmacists do not recognize the abbreviation
4. DIt takes too long to write clearly by hand

Why are blood cultures usually taken from two separate venipuncture sites?

1. ATo help tell a true infection from skin contamination
2. BTo make the results come back faster from the laboratory
3. CBecause each site tests a different antibiotic
4. DTo reduce the total amount of blood taken

Which measure reduces errors caused by interruptions during medication preparation?

1. AAnswering phone calls and pages while counting tablets, to save time
2. BPreparing medications for all patients at once
3. CPreparing medications at the busiest place on the ward
4. DA quiet “no interruption” zone or signal while preparing medications

How does a nurse add a sterile gauze pack to a sterile field that is already set up?

1. AOpen the wrapper away from the field and drop the item on it without reaching over
2. BTip the item onto the field and push it into place with the wrapper
3. CReach across the field with clean gloves to place the item
4. DPlace the whole wrapped pack on the field and open it there with sterile gloves

A patient on long-term high-dose corticosteroids asks for the nasal spray influenza vaccine. What should the nurse explain?

1. AEither type is fine, as long as it is given in the morning
2. BThe nasal spray is the best choice for people on steroids, because it is not injected
3. CThe nasal spray is a live vaccine, so the injected inactivated vaccine is used instead
4. DPeople on steroids should never have any influenza vaccine

A woman in late pregnancy is choking and cannot speak or cough. Which technique should the rescuer use?

1. ABack blows only
2. BChest thrusts
3. CAbdominal thrusts
4. DBlind finger sweeps