Infection Control
Infection control covers the prevention and management of healthcare-associated infections, standard and transmission-based precautions, sterile technique, and the chain of infection. NCLEX questions test your knowledge of isolation precautions, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment use, and safe handling of contaminated materials. This is a patient safety priority that crosses all clinical settings.
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Study Tips
- ✓Memorize which diseases require each isolation type: airborne (tuberculosis, measles, varicella), droplet (influenza, pertussis, meningitis), contact (MRSA, C. difficile, scabies).
- ✓Remember the PPE donning order (gown, mask, goggles, gloves) and doffing order (gloves, goggles, gown, mask) to minimize self-contamination.
- ✓Know that hand hygiene with soap and water is required for C. difficile and norovirus because alcohol-based hand rub does not kill spores.
- ✓Understand negative-pressure rooms are for airborne precautions (keeping pathogens in), while positive-pressure rooms are for immunocompromised patients (keeping pathogens out).
- ✓Study the differences between standard precautions (all patients, all the time) and transmission-based precautions (added to standard precautions for known or suspected infections).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Students often confuse airborne and droplet precautions, but the difference is critical: airborne precautions require an N95 respirator and negative-pressure room, while droplet precautions require a surgical mask and the door can remain open. A common error is using alcohol-based hand sanitizer for C. difficile patients instead of soap and water. Students also incorrectly apply PPE donning and doffing sequences, which increases the risk of self-contamination. Remember that standard precautions apply to all patients regardless of diagnosis, and transmission-based precautions are added on top of standard precautions, never instead of them.
Infection Control FAQs
Common questions about infection control
Airborne precautions (N95 respirator, negative-pressure room, door closed): tuberculosis, measles (rubeola), varicella (chickenpox), disseminated herpes zoster. Droplet precautions (surgical mask, private room, door can be open): influenza, pertussis (whooping cough), bacterial meningitis, rubella, mumps, diphtheria. Contact precautions (gown and gloves): MRSA, VRE, C. difficile, scabies, RSV in pediatrics. Use the mnemonic 'My Chicken Has TB' for airborne diseases requiring an N95.
Donning (putting on) order: hand hygiene, gown, mask or N95 respirator, eye protection (goggles or face shield), gloves. Doffing (removing) order: gloves (most contaminated item), eye protection, gown, mask or respirator, followed by immediate hand hygiene. The key principle is that gloves are removed first because they are the most contaminated item, and the mask is removed last because it protects the mucous membranes. Perform hand hygiene between steps if hands become contaminated during removal.
The major hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) tested on the NCLEX are CAUTI (catheter-associated urinary tract infection, prevented by removing catheters as soon as possible and maintaining a closed drainage system), CLABSI (central line-associated bloodstream infection, prevented by using sterile technique during insertion and scrubbing the hub before access), VAP (ventilator-associated pneumonia, prevented by elevating the head of bed 30-45 degrees, oral care every 2 hours, and daily sedation vacations), SSI (surgical site infection, prevented by perioperative antibiotic timing and proper wound care), and C. difficile (prevented by contact precautions and hand washing with soap and water because alcohol-based sanitizers do not kill C. diff spores).