Deck 12: Infection

Question 1

You are a pediatric nurse practitioner working in a walk-in clinic. A young mother comes to the clinic with her two-year-old because the child has a swollen arm. While you are taking a history, the mother tells you the child "got stung by a bee yesterday." You examine the child and find only a localized reaction to the bee venom. How would you explain the swelling in the arm to the mother?

A) "Your child got a lot of bee venom and it made the arm puff up."
B) "The swelling is caused by a localized reaction to the bee venom. It will go away in a few days."
C) "The swelling is nothing to worry about."
D) "With this little bit of swelling it should be gone tomorrow."

Answer 1

"The swelling is caused by a localized reaction to the bee venom. It will go away in a few days."

Question 2

The nursing instructor is teaching beginning nursing students about infection. Towards the end of class the instructor gives the students a scenario of a client with an infection who has developed fever and diarrhea. What should the student nurse instruct the client to avoid?

A) Tea and coffee
B) Ice water and broth
C) Fruit juices
D) Milk and gelatin

Answer 2

Tea and coffee

Question 3

The nursing instructor is teaching her students about the rectal administration of drugs. The instructor gives the students a scenario in which the client is prescribed an antipyretic drug, which is to be administered rectally. What nursing interventions should a student nurse perform after administering the suppository?

A) Provide the client with plenty of fluids.
B) Ensure that the client maintains bed rest for at least two hours.
C) Ensure that the client avoids food intake for at least 30 minutes.
D) Check the client every 30 minutes.

Answer 3

Check the client every 30 minutes.

Question 4

You are helping out at your hospital's semiannual blood drive. Your job is to screen the clients for blood donation. Which client would you reject?

A) A client who visited the United Kingdom for 25 days three years ago
B) A client who received a blood transfusion in the United Kingdom four years ago
C) A client who eats beef and beef products regularly
D) A client who had a superficial fungal infection 11 months ago

Question 5

The nurse is giving an educational talk to a local parent-teacher association. A parent asks how he can help his family avoid community- acquired infections. What would be the nurse's best response to help prevent and control community-acquired infections?

A) "Encourage your family to adopt a healthy diet and exercise regimen."
B) "Encourage your family to stop smoking."
C) "Make sure your family has all their childhood immunizations."
D) "Make sure your family has regular checkups."

Question 6

You have been floated to the adolescent floor. You are caring for a 13-year-old girl who has a diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis. The girl asks you what "germ" caused her to be sick. As you explain her infection you mention that some bacteria are called "nonpathogens." How would you explain nonpathogens to this client? Select all that apply.

A) They can interact with other things and help make vitamins.
B) They cause different diseases than pathogens do.
C) They can live inside us and not cause disease.
D) They generally are harmless to healthy humans.

Question 7

A nurse on your unit sustains a needlestick injury while caring for a client whose infectious status is unknown. What would be the best course of action for the nurse to follow?

A) Avoid notifying the supervisor of the injury until the client's infectious status is confirmed.
B) Avoid revealing the identity of the client or source of blood.
C) Be tested for disease antibodies at appropriate intervals.
D) Document the injury in writing after the client's infectious status is confirmed.

Question 8

You are caring for a client with an impaired immune system. You are concerned about the client acquiring a nosocomial infection. What intervention would help nurses control nosocomial infections?

A) Apply principles of medical and surgical asepsis.
B) Maintain a proper diet and exercise regimen.
C) Use proper antibiotics.
D) Ensure childhood immunizations.

Question 9

You have admitted a new client to your unit. This client has an open draining sore on his leg. What diagnostic test would you anticipate being ordered?

A) Platelet count
B) Culture and sensitivity
C) Sputum culture
D) Urinalysis

Question 10

You are caring for a client with a stage IV leg ulcer. You are closely monitoring the client for sepsis. What would indicate that sepsis has occurred and that you should notify the physician of immediately?

A) The client feels restless and hungry.
B) The client exhibits an increased urinary output.
C) The client's heart rate is greater than 90 beats per minute.
D) The client's respiratory rate is less than 20 breaths per minute.

Question 11

You are teaching a health class in the local public health center. What instructions should you provide as the single most important measure to prevent the spread of infection?

A) Minimal social contact
B) Regular immunizations
C) Thorough hand washing
D) Sufficient food intake

Question 12

You are caring for a client with sepsis who is an alcoholic. When the client's vital signs are taken, her temperature is low. The nurse's aide asks you whether the client is getting better because she doesn't have a fever. What is the best answer you could give the nurse's aide?

A) "Yes, all clients who are septic have fever."
B) "Clients in sepsis sometimes have a fever and sometimes they don't."
C) "No, it means the sepsis is caused by a virus instead of bacteria."
D) "Clients who are addicted to alcohol may not have a fever even though they have an infection."

Question 13

You are caring for a client with sepsis. What should you monitor closely to determine whether disseminated intravascular coagulation has occurred in the client?

A) The client's mental status
B) The client's vital signs
C) The client's appetite and food intake
D) The client's skin color

Question 14

You are teaching a pathophysiology class to pre-nursing students. Today you are teaching about infection. What groups of people would you tell the students are at increased risk for infection? (Mark all that apply.)

A) Debilitated clients
B) Older adults
C) Adolescents
D) Clients with impaired skin
E) Clients with pancreatic disease

Question 15

You are an intensive care unit nurse caring for a client with a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. You know that this type of encephalopathy is caused by what type of infectious agent?

A) Prion
B) Protozoa
C) Helminth
D) Rickettsia

Question 16

The nursing instructor is discussing mechanical and chemical defense mechanisms of the body to help prevent infection. The instructor tells the students that chemical defense mechanisms either destroy or incapacitate microorganisms with biologic substances that the body naturally produces. What is a chemical defense mechanism of the body?

A) Corticosteroids
B) Catecholamines
C) Secretions
D) Hormones

Question 17

You are working on a gerontology unit. A family member calls and tells you they want to bring their family in to see one of the clients onthe unit. The family member is concerned because several of the family members have colds. What instructions should you provide to someone with a respiratory infection?

A) Avoid intake of frozen foods.
B) Avoid visiting older adults.
C) Avoid direct sunlight.
D) Avoid meats and other protein-rich foods.

Question 18

You are a school nurse teaching a health class about the chain of infection in the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Astudent asks you which part of the chain of infection can be missing when transmission occurs. What would be your best answer?

A) "Not everyone is susceptible to STDs, but they still get them."
B) "STDs can be gotten from bed linens and toilet seats, so you don't really need a reservoir."
C) "You can be missing any part of the chain of infection except the infectious agent."
D) "All parts of the chain of infection have to be present for the disease to be passed to another human."

Question 19

A client you are caring for has developed a bladder infection while in the hospital. The client has had a Foley catheter for two weeks. The client's family asks you how the client got this infection. What would be your best response?

A) "People in hospitals are often more susceptible to infections because they are already ill and they are exposed to germs while they are in the hospital."
B) "People in hospitals sometimes exhibit signs of infections they had before being admitted."
C) "Sometimes people in hospitals get exposed to microorganisms that their visitors bring in."
D) "People in hospitals are surrounded by infectious agents, so they can get infections they didn't have before being admitted."

Question 20

Which of the following would be considered a mechanical defense mechanism?

A) Cast
B) Coughing
C) Clothing
D) Sunscreen

Question 21

You are caring for a client with an infected wound that is draining. What sort of dressing would you expect to be ordered for this client's wound to facilitate the removal of dead and damaged tissue?

A) Dry
B) Gauze
C) Wet-to-dry
D) Pressure

Question 22

You are caring for a client with breast cancer who has been receiving chemotherapy. The client was admitted with an infected lesion on her left leg. The physician has ordered Neupogen. What will Neupogen do for this client?

A) Increase platelet count
B) Boost the immune system
C) Increase white blood cell production
D) Boost red blood cell production

Question 23

You are giving TB tests at the local nursing school. You inject the material for testing intradermally. When do you tell the students you will be back to read the result of the test?

A) One to two days
B) Two to three days
C) Three to four days
D) Four to five days

Question 24

You work on a long-term care unit. In the last two weeks more than half the clients on your unit have been diagnosed with gastroenteritis. What is the most likely reason?

A) The clients are in too small an area, so they pass around diseases.
B) The clients don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom.
C) The visitors brought the disease into the unit.
D) The infection is being transmitted by healthcare personnel.

Question 25

The nurse has been injured with a needlestick while caring for a newly admitted client, and she goes to tell the charge nurse. The charge nurse tells her to wash her hands thoroughly and then to determine the client's HIV status, get instructions on monitoring potential symptoms and medical follow-up, and document the injury in writing. What is the first thing the injured nurse should do?

A) Document the injury in writing.
B) Obtain the client's HIV status.
C) Get instructions on monitoring potential symptoms.
D) Report the injury to the supervisor.