1
Q
What is the main goal of medical asepsis?
A
To reduce the number of microorganisms and prevent their transmission between people.
2
Q
Why is medical asepsis also called “clean technique”?
A
Because it focuses on keeping items and environments as clean as possible, not sterile, to reduce infection risk.
3
Q
A nurse wears gloves while providing care but skips hand hygiene after removing them. What principle of medical asepsis is being violated?
A
Gloves do not replace hand hygiene; hands must still be cleaned to prevent transmission.
4
Q
Why is hand hygiene considered the most important practice in medical asepsis?
A
Because hands are the most common way microorganisms are transmitted between patients and healthcare workers.
5
Q
How does cleaning surfaces contribute to medical asepsis?
A
It reduces microorganisms in the environment that could be transferred to patients or healthcare workers.
6
Q
Medical asepsis focuses mainly on what type of infection transmission?
A
Person-to-person transmission.
7
Q
Why is medical asepsis important for both patients and healthcare workers?
A
It protects patients from infection and protects healthcare workers from acquiring or spreading disease.
8
Q
A nurse moves from one patient to another without cleaning equipment. What risk does this create?
A
Cross-contamination between patients due to transfer of microorganisms.
9
Q
How does medical asepsis differ from surgical asepsis in its purpose?
A
Medical asepsis reduces microorganisms, while surgical asepsis aims to eliminate all microorganisms.
10
Q
Why are routine practices (like cleaning and hand hygiene) emphasized in medical asepsis?
A
Because consistent daily actions are the most effective way to prevent infection spread.
11
Q
A patient has no visible signs of infection. Why should medical asepsis still be followed?
A
Microorganisms may be present even without visible infection, and transmission can still occur.
12
Q
What role do nurses play in infection prevention related to medical asepsis?
A
Nurses are key in consistently applying clean techniques to prevent infection in all healthcare settings.
13
Q
Why is medical asepsis required in all healthcare settings, not just hospitals?
A
Because infection transmission can occur anywhere care is provided.
14
Q
A nursing student cleans hands before patient care but not after. What critical thinking error is present?
A
Failure to recognize that microorganisms can be picked up during care and spread afterward.
15
Q
In one sentence, explain medical asepsis as you would on an exam.
A
Medical asepsis is the use of clean techniques to reduce microorganisms and prevent their spread between people.
16
Q
What is the chain of infection?
A
A series of six linked steps that allow infection to spread from one person to another.
17
Q
Why is the chain of infection important in nursing practice?
A
Because breaking any one link can stop the spread of infection.
18
Q
What is the infectious agent?
A
The microorganism that causes disease (e.g., bacteria, virus, fungus).
19
Q
Give a nursing example of breaking the infectious agent link.
A
Cleaning, disinfecting, or sterilizing contaminated equipment.
20
Q
What is a reservoir?
A
Where microorganisms live and grow (people, surfaces, body fluids).
21
Q
How can nurses break the reservoir link?
A
Hand hygiene, cleaning surfaces, changing soiled dressings, proper waste disposal.
22
Q
What is a portal of exit?
A
The way microorganisms leave the reservoir (coughing, blood, urine, drainage).
23
Q
What nursing actions reduce spread at the portal of exit?
A
Covering coughs, wearing gloves, handling body fluids safely.
24
Q
What is the mode of transmission?
A
How microorganisms spread (hands, equipment, droplets, contact).
25
What is the most common mode of transmission in healthcare settings?
Hands of healthcare workers.
26
How do routine practices break the **mode of transmission** link?
Hand hygiene, PPE use, cleaning equipment between patients.
27
What is a **portal of entry**?
How microorganisms enter a new host (wounds, mucous membranes, IV sites).
28
How can nurses protect the **portal of entry**?
Keeping skin intact, covering wounds, using aseptic technique, safe sharps disposal.
29
Who is a **susceptible host**?
A person at higher risk for infection (older adults, immunocompromised, ill patients).
30
How can nurses reduce host susceptibility?
Good nutrition, rest, immunizations, managing chronic illness.
31
A nurse cleans hands but reuses unclean equipment. Which link is still unbroken?
Reservoir and mode of transmission.
32
Why must routine practices be used even when a patient shows no infection signs?
Microorganisms may still be present and transmissible.
33
A patient coughs without covering their mouth. Which link is involved?
Portal of exit.
34
A nurse fails to clean hands between patients. Which link is most affected?
Mode of transmission.
35
In one sentence, explain how nurses prevent infection.
Nurses prevent infection by consistently breaking the chain of infection using routine practices.
36
A nurse cleans a bedside table that looks visibly clean but skips disinfection. Why is this a problem related to infectious agents?
Viruses can survive on surfaces even when they look clean, so disinfection is needed to reduce infectious agents.
37
Two patients are exposed to the same virus, but one becomes ill and the other does not. Which infectious-agent factor best explains this?
Differences in the **number of organisms present** and the **virulence** of the microorganism.
Virulence means how strong or harmful a microorganism is — basically, how well it can cause disease.
In simple terms:
High virulence = causes severe illness easily
Low virulence = causes milder illness or only under certain conditions
Why virulence matters in infection:
A microorganism with high virulence:
Spreads more easily
Causes more serious symptoms
It can infect even healthy people
A microorganism with low virulence:
May only cause infection in susceptible hosts (older adults, immunocompromised)
38
Why is hand hygiene especially effective at reducing **transient flora** but less effective against resident flora?
Transient flora are picked up from surfaces and patients and are easily removed with hand hygiene, whereas resident flora live deeper on the skin and are harder to remove.
39
A patient has MRSA in their nares but has no fever, pain, or signs of illness. Why must the nurse still follow routine practices?
Because the patient is **colonized** and can still transmit microorganisms to others even without symptoms.
40
Two patients have the same bacteria present. One develops fever and redness, and the other does not. What explains this difference?
The first patient has an **infection** (microorganisms multiplying and causing a response), while the second is **colonized** without illness.
41
A nurse assumes a patient without symptoms poses no infection risk. What critical thinking error is being made?
Confusing **absence of symptoms** with absence of microorganisms; colonization can occur without signs of infection.
42
A patient has a draining wound that is left uncovered. Which portal of exit is involved, and why does this increase infection risk?
**Breaks in the skin (wound)**; microorganisms can leave the body through drainage and spread to others or the environment.
43
Why is cough etiquette considered an infection-control measure related to the portal of exit?
Coughing allows microorganisms to exit through the **mouth and nose**, so covering coughs limits their release into the environment.
44
A nurse handles blood without gloves. Which portal of exit is involved, and what critical thinking error occurred?
**Blood and body fluids**; the nurse failed to recognize that microorganisms exit through fluids even when infection is not visible.
45
A nurse enters a room with a Contact PLUS sign and performs hand hygiene using alcohol-based hand rub. What is the priority nursing concern?
Alcohol-based hand rub does not kill C. diff spores.
46
Which link in the chain of infection is most directly targeted by wearing gloves and a gown during contact precautions?
Vehicle (means of transmission)
47
An older adult with C. diff touches the bed rails and call bell. A nurse later touches these surfaces and then rubs their eyes. Which two links in the chain of infection were involved in this transmission?
Vehicle of transmission
Portal of entry
48
Why are older adults in long-term care considered a susceptible host in the chain of infection?
They often have weakened immune systems, comorbidities, and frequent antibiotic use.
49
A nurse removes gloves and gown after caring for a patient with C. diff but forgets to wash their hands. Which infection-control principle was missed?
Breaking the chain at the portal of entry
50
A nurse stands more than 1 metre away from a patient with a droplet infection but does not wear eye protection. Why is this still unsafe?
Droplets can travel short distances (< 1 metre) and enter through the eyes, which are mucous membranes.
Rationale:
Droplet transmission affects the portal of entry (eyes, nose, mouth). Eye protection is required even if the nurse is not in direct contact.
51
A patient with droplet precautions coughs into their hand and touches the bedside table. Which link in the chain of infection is now most responsible for spreading the organism?
Vehicle (means of transmission)
Rationale:
Droplets contaminate surfaces, and those surfaces become the vehicle for indirect contact transmission.
52
Why are gloves and a gown required for droplet precautions when the infection spreads through the air?
Because droplets land on clothing and surfaces, creating contact transmission.
Rationale:
Droplet precautions always include contact precautions since environmental contamination plays a major role in spread.
53
A patient removes their mask while leaving the room during droplet precautions. What is the primary infection-control risk?
Droplets may spread into hallways and common areas, exposing others.
Rationale:
The mask prevents droplets from exiting the portal of exit (mouth/nose), protecting other susceptible hosts.
54
Which infection-control action most effectively breaks the chain at the portal of entry during droplet/contact precautions?
Wearing a mask and eye protection
Rationale:
Masks and eye protection block droplets from entering the nose, mouth, and eyes, preventing infection.
55
A patient with influenza is coughing but is not undergoing any aerosol-generating procedures. Which PPE is required for staff, and why is an N95 not required?
Gown, gloves, surgical mask, and eye protection; N95 is not required.
56
A nurse is performing suctioning on a patient with COVID-19 under droplet/contact PLUS precautions. What change in PPE is required and why?
Upgrade to an N95 respirator with eye/face protection.
57
Droplets from a coughing patient land on a bedside table. Which link in the chain of infection now becomes the greatest concern for transmission?
Vehicle (means of transmission)
58
Why does this slide emphasize eye protection as part of droplet/contact PLUS precautions?
Because droplets commonly enter through the eyes, which are a portal of entry.
59
A patient removes their mask while leaving the room under droplet/contact PLUS precautions. Which chain-of-infection link is most directly compromised?
Portal of exit
60
A nurse is preparing to enter a room with airborne/contact precautions for a patient with suspected tuberculosis. The nurse notices the door is open and is wearing a surgical mask instead of an N95. What is the priority action, and why?
Close the door and change to an N95 respirator before entering the room.
Rationale:
Airborne pathogens (e.g., TB) are <5 microns, remain suspended in the air, and spread through air currents. Keeping the door closed prevents dispersion, and an N95 is required to protect against inhalation exposure; a surgical mask does not provide adequate protection.
61
A patient who is severely immunocompromised asks why flowers and pet therapy are not allowed while they are on protective environment precautions. What is the best nursing explanation?
Flowers, plants, and animals can carry bacteria and fungi that may cause serious infections in someone with a weakened immune system.
Rationale:
Protective environment precautions focus on protecting the susceptible host by eliminating potential sources and vehicles of infection, even if they seem harmless to healthy people.
62
A patient arrives in the emergency department with recent travel to West Africa, fever, vomiting, and unexplained bleeding. Which level of precautions should the nurse anticipate, and what is the priority rationale?
Level 4 precautions.
Rationale:
These symptoms raise concern for a viral hemorrhagic fever (e.g., Ebola), which is extremely contagious and high-risk to healthcare workers. Level 4 precautions provide maximum isolation, restricted access, and full PPE with trained observation to prevent transmission and protect staff and the public.
63
Several patients on a unit develop the same infection after receiving IV antibiotics prepared from the same supply. Which type of transmission is most likely responsible, and why?
➡️ Vehicle-borne transmission
Rationale:
The infection spread through a contaminated source (IV medication) rather than person-to-person contact or an animal carrier. This fits the definition of vehicle-borne transmission, where germs “ride” on substances or equipment.
64
A nurse removes gloves after wound care but does not perform hand hygiene before touching their face. Which portal of entry is most at risk, and why?
Mucous membranes (mouth, nose, or eyes)
Rationale:
Hands can carry microorganisms after glove removal. Touching the face allows germs to enter through the mucous membranes, completing the chain of infection and increasing infection risk.
65
What is the difference between **nonspecific** and **specific** body defenses?
* **Nonspecific defenses** protect against *all* germs * **Specific defenses** target *specific* pathogens (immune response)
66
Why are **skin and normal flora** considered the first line of defense?
Skin acts as a **physical barrier**, and normal flora prevent harmful germs from growing by competing for space and nutrients.
67
How do **mucous membranes** help protect the body from infection?
They **trap germs with mucus**, wash them away with secretions (saliva, tears), and contain substances that kill bacteria.
68
Why are mucous membranes both a **defense** and a **risk**?
They protect by trapping germs, but they are also **portals of entry** because they are moist and exposed.
69
What is the purpose of **inflammation**?
To bring immune cells to the area, destroy pathogens, and start the healing process.
70
What are the classic signs of inflammation?
Redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function.
71
How does **acute inflammation** differ from **chronic inflammation**?
* **Acute**: rapid, short-term, helpful * **Chronic**: long-lasting, can cause tissue damage
72
What happens to infection risk when the skin is broken?
Infection risk **increases** because the first line of defense is compromised.
73
What is a nosocomial infection?
An infection that is acquired in a hospital or acute care setting, not present on admission.
74
Why are hospitalized patients at a higher risk for nosocomial infections?
Because they may be immunocompromised, exposed to many pathogens, and often have invasive devices (IVs, catheters, surgery).
75
What are the most common types of nosocomial infections?
Pneumonia
Surgical site infections
UTIs
Gastrointestinal infections
Skin infections
76
Name three common pathogens responsible for nosocomial infections.
Staphylococcus aureus
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Escherichia coli (E. coli)
77
A patient develops a UTI after 5 days with an indwelling catheter. How would this infection be classified?
A nosocomial infection, because it was acquired during hospitalization and linked to an invasive device.
78
What is a prefix in medical terminology?
A word part found at the beginning of a medical term that describes or modifies the root word.
79
What does the prefix a- mean?
Without / not
📌 Example: Apnea = without breathing
80
What does hypo- mean?
Below / low / under
📌 Example: Hypoglycemia = low blood sugar
81
What does hyper- mean?
Above / high / excessive
📌 Example: Hypertension = high blood pressure
82
What does epi- mean?
On / upon / above
📌 Example: Epidermis = outer layer of skin
83
What does supra- mean?
Above
📌 Example: Suprapubic = above the pubic bone
84
What does dys- mean?
Bad / painful / difficult / abnormal
📌 Example: Dysuria = painful urination
85
What does ad- mean?
Toward
📌 Example: Adduction = movement toward the body
86
What does ab- mean?
Away from
📌 Example: Abduction = movement away from the body
87
What does trans- mean?
Across / through
📌 Example: Transdermal = through the skin
88
What does dis- mean?
Apart / separation / not
📌 Example: Dislocation = bone moved out of place
89
What does endo- mean?
Within / inside
📌 Example: Endoscopy = looking inside the body
90
Which prefixes relate to direction or position?
Ad- (toward)
Ab- (away from)
Trans- (across)
Epi- (on/above)
Endo- (within)
Supra- (above)
91
Which prefixes describe amount or level?
Hypo- (low)
Hyper- (high)
A- (none)
92
myocarditis
myo = muscle
card = heart
itis = inflammation
➡️ Inflammation of the heart muscle
93
myocardial
myo = muscle
card = heart
ial = pertaining to
➡️ Pertaining to the heart muscle
94
endocarditis
endo = inner
card = heart
itis = inflammation
➡️ Inflammation of the inner lining of the heart
95
CBC
Complete Blood Count. Assesses infection, anemia, and bleeding status.
96
UTI
Urinary Tract Infection
97
U/A and C&S
U/A = Urinalysis. C&S = Culture and Sensitivity ➡️ Tests urine for infection and identifies the best antibiotic.
98
G-Tube
Gastrostomy tube. Used for nutrition, fluids, or medications directly into the stomach.
99
QID, TID, BID, QD
QID = 4× daily. TID = 3× daily. BID = 2× daily. QD = daily.
100
PO
By mouth (oral)
101
NPO
Nothing by mouth
102
Dx
Diagnosis
103
Hx
History
104
ADL
Activities of Daily Living
105
WBAT
Weight Bearing As Tolerated
106
LOC
Level of Consciousness
107
I&O
Intake and Output
108
BM
Bowel Movement
109
CVA
Cerebrovascular Accident (stroke)
110
GI
Gastrointestinal
111
COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
112
SOB or SOBE
SOB = Shortness of breath
SOBE = Shortness of breath on exertion
113
O₂ SAT
Oxygen saturation in the blood
