A staff nurse pricks her finger with a needle just used to draw blood from a patient. What is her first action?

Wash the site with soap and running water

Swab the site with spirit and cover it

Soak the finger in 1% hypochlorite solution

Squeeze the finger hard to make it bleed

A 9-year-old is admitted with fever, a petechial rash and suspected meningococcal meningitis, and intravenous ceftriaxone is started. Which isolation is needed?

Droplet precautions until 24 hours of effective therapy

Standard precautions only from admission

Airborne precautions until cultures are negative

Contact precautions until the rash fades

Infection control and biomedical waste

22 AIIMS NORCET (Nursing Officer) practice questions on Infection control and biomedical waste, part of Fundamentals of Nursing. The first 22 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

Question 1 · Medium
A staff nurse pricks her finger with a needle just used to draw blood from a patient. What is her first action?
1. AWash the site with soap and running water
2. BSwab the site with spirit and cover it
3. CSoak the finger in 1% hypochlorite solution
4. DSqueeze the finger hard to make it bleed
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Answer: A · Wash the site with soap and running water
First aid after a needle-stick is to wash the site at once with soap and running water, without scrubbing. Squeezing the wound, applying bleach or other caustic agents, and scrubbing can damage tissue and may increase uptake of virus. Next, she reports the exposure to the in-charge so the source and her own status are assessed for PEP. The incident is recorded in the exposure register.
- B: Spirit and a dressing do not remove blood and delay proper washing.
- C: Hypochlorite and other caustics should never be applied to skin wounds.
- D: Squeezing the wound is advised against because it may increase uptake.
Question 2 · Easy
In the CDC sequence for putting on personal protective equipment, the first item put on is the:
1. AGown
2. BGoggles or face shield
3. CMask or respirator
4. DGloves
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Answer: A · Gown
The CDC donning order is gown, then mask or respirator, then goggles or face shield, and gloves last. Gloves go on last so that their cuffs can be pulled over the gown sleeves. This order keeps the hands clean while the other items are adjusted. Hand hygiene is done before the first item.
- B: Eye protection is the third item, put on over the mask.
- C: The mask or respirator goes on second, after the gown is tied.
- D: Gloves go on last so that they cover the gown cuffs.
Question 3 · Easy
In the Spaulding classification, which item is critical and must be sterile before use?
1. ABedpan
2. BBlood pressure cuff
3. CUrinary catheter
4. DLaryngoscope blade
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Answer: C · Urinary catheter
Critical items enter sterile tissue, the vascular system or a sterile body cavity, so they must be sterile: surgical instruments, cardiac and urinary catheters, needles and implants. Semi-critical items touch mucous membranes or non-intact skin and need at least high-level disinfection. Non-critical items touch only intact skin and need low-level disinfection or cleaning. A non-sterile urinary catheter is a direct route for catheter-associated urinary tract infection.
- A: A bedpan touches intact skin and is non-critical.
- B: A blood pressure cuff touches intact skin and is non-critical.
- D: A laryngoscope blade touches mucous membrane and is semi-critical.
Question 4 · Medium
A 9-year-old is admitted with fever, a petechial rash and suspected meningococcal meningitis, and intravenous ceftriaxone is started. Which isolation is needed?
1. AStandard precautions only from admission
2. BAirborne precautions until cultures are negative
3. CDroplet precautions until 24 hours of effective therapy
4. DContact precautions until the rash fades
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Answer: C · Droplet precautions until 24 hours of effective therapy
Neisseria meningitidis spreads by large respiratory droplets that travel about a metre or so. Droplet precautions mean a single room, a surgical mask for staff at close contact, and a mask on the patient during transport. They can stop after 24 hours of effective antibiotic therapy. Close contacts may need chemoprophylaxis.
- A: Standard precautions alone leave the droplet route open during the infectious period.
- B: The organism is not airborne, so a negative-pressure room and N95 are not needed.
- D: The rash is not the route of spread, so contact precautions are not the measure.
Question 5 · Hard
The ward needs 1 litre of 0.5% sodium hypochlorite for surface disinfection, and the stock bleach is 5% available chlorine. How is it prepared?
1. A500 mL bleach in 500 mL water
2. B100 mL bleach in 900 mL water
3. C50 mL bleach in 950 mL water
4. D10 mL bleach in 990 mL water
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Answer: B · 100 mL bleach in 900 mL water
Using C1V1 = C2V2: 5% x V1 = 0.5% x 1000 mL, so V1 = 100 mL of bleach. This is made up to 1 litre with 900 mL of water, a 1 in 10 dilution. Using 50 mL gives 0.25%, and 10 mL gives 0.05%. The solution is made fresh daily because hypochlorite loses strength on standing.
- A: 500 mL gives 2.5%, five times too strong and corrosive.
- C: 50 mL gives only 0.25%, half the needed strength.
- D: 10 mL gives 0.05%, a tenth of the needed strength.
Question 6 · Easy
How long should a complete hand-rub with an alcohol-based formulation last, as WHO recommends?
1. A2-3 minutes
2. B20-30 seconds
3. C5-10 seconds
4. D40-60 seconds
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 7 · Hard
A nurse wearing gloves empties a patient's urinary drainage bag, removes the gloves, and then goes to check the same patient's IV cannula site. Which WHO moment requires hand hygiene right after she removes the gloves?
1. AMoment 3, after body fluid exposure risk
2. BMoment 5, after touching surroundings
3. CMoment 1, before touching a patient
4. DMoment 4, after touching a patient
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 8 · Medium
The Bowie-Dick test, run each morning in an empty pre-vacuum autoclave, checks:
1. AThe kill of resistant bacterial spores
2. BThe accuracy of the chamber thermometer
3. CThe dryness of the load after the cycle
4. DAir removal and steam penetration
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 9 · Easy
In the WHO 'My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene', moment 3 is:
1. ABefore touching a patient
2. BBefore a clean or aseptic procedure
3. CAfter body fluid exposure risk
4. DAfter touching patient surroundings
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 10 · Medium
Under NACO guidance, HIV post-exposure prophylaxis is best begun as early as possible, ideally within 2 hours, and is not started later than:
1. A24 hours after exposure
2. B72 hours after exposure
3. C28 days after exposure
4. D7 days after exposure
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 11 · Medium
Hand hygiene prevents cross-infection mainly by breaking which link in the chain of infection?
1. AMode of transmission
2. BSusceptible host
3. CPortal of exit
4. DReservoir of infection
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 12 · Easy
A used hypodermic needle, cut from its syringe with a needle cutter, is placed under the BMW Rules 2016 in a:
1. ARed non-chlorinated plastic bag
2. BWhite puncture-proof translucent container
3. CBlue cardboard box with blue marking
4. DYellow non-chlorinated plastic bag
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 13 · Hard
The weekly biological indicator from a steam autoclave shows growth after incubation, while the unexposed control strip also grows. The chemical indicator strips in the packs had changed colour. What should the nurse in charge of the CSSD do?
1. AStop using the autoclave and recall loads since the last negative test
2. BDiscard only the pack that held the positive spore strip
3. CRepeat the biological indicator in the next weekly cycle
4. DRelease the loads, as the chemical indicators changed colour
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 14 · Medium
A nurse is leaving the room of a patient on contact and droplet precautions. Using the CDC sequence in which gloves and gown are removed separately, which item does she take off first?
1. ASurgical mask
2. BGloves
3. CGown
4. DGoggles
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 15 · Hard
A nurse has a needle-stick from a patient who is HBsAg positive. She completed three doses of hepatitis B vaccine, and her anti-HBs one month later was 120 mIU/mL. What hepatitis B prophylaxis does she need?
1. ATwo doses of HBIG one month apart
2. BOne dose of HBIG and a vaccine booster
3. CA full repeat three-dose vaccine series
4. DNo hepatitis B treatment is needed
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 16 · Easy
Which patient needs airborne precautions, with an N95 respirator and a negative-pressure room?
1. AA patient with sputum-positive pulmonary tuberculosis
2. BA patient with seasonal influenza
3. CA patient with meningococcal meningitis
4. DA patient with Clostridioides difficile diarrhoea
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 17 · Medium
After a needle-stick injury from an infected source, which virus carries the highest risk of transmission to a non-immune health worker?
1. AHepatitis B virus
2. BHuman immunodeficiency virus
3. CHepatitis C virus
4. DHerpes simplex virus
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 18 · Easy
A nurse finishes a wound dressing. The blood-stained gauze pads and cotton swabs she removed are segregated into which bin?
1. AWhite translucent container
2. BYellow bag
3. CBlue cardboard box
4. DRed bag
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 19 · Medium
After a chemotherapy infusion, the empty cytotoxic drug vials, syringes and tubing are discarded under the BMW Rules 2016 in a:
1. ARed bag for contaminated recyclable plastics
2. BWhite puncture-proof translucent container
3. CYellow bag labelled with the cytotoxic symbol
4. DBlue cardboard box meant for glassware
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 20 · Medium
A patient has diarrhoea due to Clostridioides difficile. After removing her gloves at the bedside, the nurse should clean her hands by:
1. AWiping with a chlorhexidine tissue
2. BApplying alcohol gel two times
3. CRubbing alcohol gel for 60 seconds
4. DWashing with soap and running water
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 21 · Hard
A 6-year-old is admitted with fever and crops of vesicles and crusts on the trunk, diagnosed as chickenpox. Which precautions does the nurse put in place?
1. AAirborne and contact precautions
2. BDroplet and contact precautions
3. CDroplet precautions only
4. DContact precautions only
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 22 · Hard
After a dressing change, the tray holds a used scalpel blade, blood-soaked gauze, a used IV infusion set without needle, and a broken glass ampoule. Which segregation follows the BMW Rules 2016?
1. ABlade white, gauze yellow, IV set yellow, ampoule red
2. BBlade white, gauze red, IV set yellow, ampoule blue
3. CBlade white, gauze yellow, IV set red, ampoule blue
4. DBlade blue, gauze yellow, IV set red, ampoule white
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

Infection control and biomedical waste

A staff nurse pricks her finger with a needle just used to draw blood from a patient. What is her first action?

In the CDC sequence for putting on personal protective equipment, the first item put on is the:

In the Spaulding classification, which item is critical and must be sterile before use?

A 9-year-old is admitted with fever, a petechial rash and suspected meningococcal meningitis, and intravenous ceftriaxone is started. Which isolation is needed?

The ward needs 1 litre of 0.5% sodium hypochlorite for surface disinfection, and the stock bleach is 5% available chlorine. How is it prepared?

How long should a complete hand-rub with an alcohol-based formulation last, as WHO recommends?

A nurse wearing gloves empties a patient's urinary drainage bag, removes the gloves, and then goes to check the same patient's IV cannula site. Which WHO moment requires hand hygiene right after she removes the gloves?

The Bowie-Dick test, run each morning in an empty pre-vacuum autoclave, checks:

In the WHO 'My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene', moment 3 is:

Under NACO guidance, HIV post-exposure prophylaxis is best begun as early as possible, ideally within 2 hours, and is not started later than:

Hand hygiene prevents cross-infection mainly by breaking which link in the chain of infection?

A used hypodermic needle, cut from its syringe with a needle cutter, is placed under the BMW Rules 2016 in a:

The weekly biological indicator from a steam autoclave shows growth after incubation, while the unexposed control strip also grows. The chemical indicator strips in the packs had changed colour. What should the nurse in charge of the CSSD do?

A nurse is leaving the room of a patient on contact and droplet precautions. Using the CDC sequence in which gloves and gown are removed separately, which item does she take off first?

A nurse has a needle-stick from a patient who is HBsAg positive. She completed three doses of hepatitis B vaccine, and her anti-HBs one month later was 120 mIU/mL. What hepatitis B prophylaxis does she need?

Which patient needs airborne precautions, with an N95 respirator and a negative-pressure room?

After a needle-stick injury from an infected source, which virus carries the highest risk of transmission to a non-immune health worker?

A nurse finishes a wound dressing. The blood-stained gauze pads and cotton swabs she removed are segregated into which bin?

After a chemotherapy infusion, the empty cytotoxic drug vials, syringes and tubing are discarded under the BMW Rules 2016 in a:

A patient has diarrhoea due to Clostridioides difficile. After removing her gloves at the bedside, the nurse should clean her hands by:

A 6-year-old is admitted with fever and crops of vesicles and crusts on the trunk, diagnosed as chickenpox. Which precautions does the nurse put in place?

After a dressing change, the tray holds a used scalpel blade, blood-soaked gauze, a used IV infusion set without needle, and a broken glass ampoule. Which segregation follows the BMW Rules 2016?