Infection control & patient safety worksheet with answers

Free printable Infection control & patient safety worksheet: 8 problems from easy to exam level, with an answer key. Print it or save it as a PDF.

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1.Easy

A patient is transferred with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE). Which precautions are used in the hospital?

  1. AA protective environment
  2. BDroplet precautions
  3. CContact precautions
  4. DAirborne precautions
2.Easy

What type of room is needed for a patient on airborne precautions?

  1. AAny single room with a window, with the door left open for observation
  2. BA shared bay with the curtains drawn around the bed
  3. CA single negative-pressure room (airborne infection isolation room)
  4. DA single room with positive pressure and filtered air
3.Easy

When should a sharps container be replaced?

  1. AOnce a month, regardless of how full it is
  2. BWhen it reaches the fill line, about three-quarters full
  3. COnly when sharps begin to stick out of the opening at the top
  4. DOnly when it is completely full to the top
4.Medium

Why is keeping a patient warm (normothermia) during surgery part of infection prevention?

  1. ACold makes bacteria grow faster in the operating room air and on the drapes
  2. BWarmth sterilizes the surgical site
  3. CWarm patients do not need antibiotic prophylaxis
  4. DLow body temperature reduces blood flow and immune function in the wound
5.Medium

A patient on nasal cannula oxygen has dry lips. Which product should the nurse offer?

  1. AAn oil-based lip balm
  2. BA scented petroleum ointment
  3. CPetroleum jelly
  4. DA water-based lip lubricant
6.Medium

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
7.Hard

Patients contaminated with radioactive dust arrive at the hospital. Which step removes most of the external contamination?

  1. AScrubbing the skin until it is red
  2. BWrapping the patient in a blanket
  3. CRemoving the patient’s clothing
  4. DGiving the patient potassium iodide
8.Hard

Two look-alike vials of different drugs are stored next to each other, and a nurse almost picks the wrong one. Which response best reflects a just culture?

  1. ATell the nurse to be more careful and do nothing else
  2. BKeep the incident quiet to protect the unit’s reputation
  3. CDiscipline the nurse who nearly picked the wrong vial
  4. DReport it and fix the system, for example by separating the vials

Answer key

  1. 1. C · Contact precautions
  2. 2. C · A single negative-pressure room (airborne infection isolation room)
  3. 3. B · When it reaches the fill line, about three-quarters full
  4. 4. D · Low body temperature reduces blood flow and immune function in the wound
  5. 5. D · A water-based lip lubricant
  6. 6. C · Call “all clear” and check that nobody is touching the patient or bed
  7. 7. C · Removing the patient’s clothing
  8. 8. D · Report it and fix the system, for example by separating the vials

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