APIC Training Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• A facility is in the direct path of an approaching hurricane. Which phase of emergency management should the facility activate?
• What is the goal of fecal microbiota transplantation in managing recurrent C. difficile infections?
• In a facility QAPI program, which of the following should be included?
• Which statement best describes a compliance audit in infection prevention?
• Which method is the most reliable and inexpensive for evaluating environmental cleaning?
• Which organism is responsible for one of the most common foodborne diseases due to preformed enterotoxins in food?
• Which hospital area requires positive air pressure?
• What is the most common method of evaluating major incidents, sentinel events, and medical errors?
• Which of the following is classified correctly as clean-contaminated (class II) surgical wound?
• Before entering a room of a patient on airborne precautions for tuberculosis, which type of personal protective equipment is recommended?
• Which statement best reflects the recommended approach to transporting a patient with active or suspected TB?
• To determine why needlestick injuries occurred and actions to reduce future incidents, what data or information is most useful?
• What is the first step after a health care worker is exposed to tuberculosis?
• Using a standardized NV-HAP definition helps to reduce what administration?
• Which study design was used to assess risk factors for CLABSIs in hematologic and oncologic patients?
• Which infection had a standardized infection ratio (SIR) less than 1 in the dataset?
• For an intensive care unit education program, which technique would best aid tactile learners?
• In the sterile processing area design, which airflow-related recommendation should the infection preventionist emphasize?
• Why do healthcare facilities have vaccination requirements for healthcare personnel?
• Which statement best describes how the IPC risk assessment should be developed?
• Which statement is true regarding fluorescent gels in cleaning verification?
• Post-exposure communication about infectious diseases to outside agencies or non-facility personnel should be based on which rationale?
• Which infectious disease should be avoided by a pregnant HCP who is not immune?
• After ruling out TB disease through a medical evaluation, which contacts should be considered for prophylactic treatment even if they have a negative test for TB infection?
• Which statement about HBV and HCV vaccination is correct in the event of exposure?
• What is the primary purpose of a line list in outbreak investigations?
• What is the most important reason to recognize asymptomatic or subclinical infections in newly admitted patients?
• Which item should be documented in a facility's emergency operations plan?
• Following an outbreak linked to water supply, what surveillance plan change is recommended?
• A surgeon has tested positive for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). How long should the surgeon be restricted from work?
• Which study design would provide the most useful information to determine whether alcohol-impregnated caps prevent cross-contamination in IV lines?
• During an outbreak, targeted environmental sampling should be performed only if advised by which authority?
• In an inpatient facility with fewer than 200 beds that cares for more than three TB patients per year, when should TB screening occur after initial baseline testing?
• Group A Streptococcus is identified as the causative organism for a surgical site infection, and an infection preventionist recommends culturing asymptomatic surgical team members. What rate best describes the expected finding?
• What is the best approach for addressing frequent sharps disposal issues when sharps containers are available but not consistently used?
• What does SMART stand for in goal setting?
• What is the correct action for a used needle found in a patient room?
• Which factor is NOT typically considered when selecting an environmental disinfectant?
• A nursery disinfectant change is suspected to cause hyperbilirubinemia; which agent should be suspected?
• Which time period is an example of latency?
• PPE training for environmental services staff must include which of the following in addition to the listed PPE components?
• Which growth medium may be used when sampling water and dialysate in dialysis?
• Which factor commonly reduces the effectiveness of many disinfectants?
• Which hemodialysis access site is associated with a lower risk of vascular access-related infections?
• What is the approximate risk of HIV transmission after a needlestick exposure?
• In addressing a norovirus outbreak on a patient unit, which action is most appropriate?
• Measles exposure: within how many days can immunoglobulin be given to prevent or modify disease in a susceptible person?
• When evaluating a new disinfectant to add to the cleaning and disinfection program, which factors should the infection preventionist consider?
• When airborne isolation is ordered for suspected TB, what is the recommended specimen collection practice?
• What statement describes how an infection preventionist should assess injection safety within their facility?
• If incubation periods are 6,6,8,8,8,10,10 days, what is the mean incubation period?
• What virulence factor is common to all gram-negative bacteria?
• A healthcare worker declines the influenza vaccine because she is pregnant; she explains that she is concerned about the dangers associated with receiving the influenza vaccine during pregnancy. What information would the infection preventionist share with the pregnant healthcare worker?
• For a food-service worker diagnosed with hepatitis A, what is the work restriction?
• If the p-value in a study is 0.10, what is the probability of committing a Type I error?
• In a case-control study, what best describes the study design regarding exposure assessment?
• Which scenario qualifies as a contamination event that should prompt pharmacy consultation with infection prevention?
• The laboratory of a local healthcare facility has reported an increase in blood culture contamination within the burn ICU. Which of the following best practices should the infection preventionist (IP) share with the unit's leadership team?
• What should the infection preventionist tell the surgeon about autoclaves in operating suites for sterilizing instruments between cases?
• Which statement describes a major difference in the epidemiology of HBV and HIV, as discussed?
• Residents from a local long-term care facility with ongoing norovirus are admitted with symptoms. Which precautions should those residents with symptoms, regardless of confirmative testing, be placed on?
• As it relates to IPC, which environmental issue should an infection preventionist (IP) be most concerned about?
• The removal of faucet aerators from patient care areas helps mitigate what risk?
• Which case scenario would be classified as clean-contaminated (class II) surgical wound in line with typical surgical wound classifications?
• The infection preventionist monitors healthcare personnel adherence to standard and isolation precautions, sterilization quality assurance testing, and environmental cleaning and disinfection. What type of monitoring is this?
• A pregnant employee has not received influenza vaccine in 18 months. Which type of influenza vaccine should be recommended?
• When evaluating products for cleaning noncritical items, which aspects should be considered?
• A registered nurse needs to disinfect an IV pole after removing it from patient use to hand to another patient. Which action is essential to ensure proper disinfection?
• Which statement describes a benefit of using hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant?
• What is the correct method for cleaning the operating room (OR) at the start of the day?
• During renovations, what is the risk associated with lack of water flow due to capped plumbing?
• During February, three sternal wound infections occurred among CABG patients. If Dr A performed 28 surgeries, Dr B performed 26, and Dr C performed six, what was the SSI attack rate for CABGs in February?
• In a catheter-associated urinary tract infection scenario, the organism shows resistance to cephalosporins. Which antibiotic class is most likely to be ineffective?
• Which statement describes what is necessary for airborne precautions?
• After a volunteer with active pulmonary TB delivered mail and was exposed, what should the IP do first?
• Which statement about disinfectants is true?
• Which of the following is a behavioral risk factor?
• Regarding epidemiological studies, which statement is correct?
• An infection preventionist's contribution to patient safety is best demonstrated by which activity?
• Which statement about Pseudomonads is true regarding Gram staining?
• Which action is appropriate regarding rubella exposure when a pregnant healthcare worker is not immune?
• The infection prevention program notes on Clostridioides difficile spores. Which statement should be emphasized about the spores?
• What is used to help clinicians in the selection of an empiric antimicrobial therapy?
• An IP designs a quality improvement project to reduce pneumonia and line sepsis by incorporating the latest evidence-based strategies into unit bundles. Which tool would best allow this?
• A patient presents with dizziness, a 1.1 cm hand abrasion, fever, and a low white blood cell count. Urine culture shows <10,000 CFU of E. coli and wound culture shows <10,000 CFU of Staphylococcus spp. What is the most likely diagnosis?
• What is defined as the frequency of new cases of a disease or condition in a population during a limited time period?
• What is an advantage of a case-control study over a cohort study?
• An outbreak of group B Streptococcus following a total hip replacement is most likely to have which common source?
• An ICU ice machine shows black flakes and PM logs have not been documented for three months; what should the IP do next?
• When collecting data on catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) bundle compliance, what rate should an infection preventionist expect from the collected data?
• A rise in hospital-acquired pneumonia with suspected tap water as the source points to infection with which gram-negative organism?
• Which professionals are commonly involved in implementing diagnostic stewardship with an IP?
• During rounds, the IP observes a dusty construction site; what information should be communicated to the site manager?
• What is the recommended practice when dust containment is not adequately addressed at a construction site adjacent to patient care areas?
• What statistical test is used when the data set is small?
• In the NICU outbreak, what was the attack rate among parents?
• Which statement describes the TB screening requirement for all employees?
• A healthcare facility has an effective immunization program, but some vaccines are not mandatory; several employees have declined to be vaccinated with these optional vaccines. What issues may need to be addressed in order to improve employee vaccination rates for these non-mandatory vaccines?
• The healthcare facility has installed an open water wall in the main lobby. Which organism should the IP ask the laboratory to monitor for?
• An IP is asked to lead a team to prevent catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and to incorporate findings into practice. Which model should be used to ensure stakeholder buy-in?
• A VZV-susceptible healthcare worker exposed to a patient with primary chickenpox should be furloughed for how many days after exposure?
• A nurse from the local health department asks the infection preventionist to help develop a graph to display statewide tuberculosis cases. The trend has been increasing and they want the graph to be dramatic. What type of graph would be best suited to this task?
• Which cleaning device is best suited for cleaning sensitive intraocular surgical instruments?
• When can a healthcare worker with an active norovirus infection return to work?
• A 55-year-old male with rapid onset respiratory distress after cleaning out an abandoned storage shed is most likely diagnosed with which infection?
• In a dataset, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, what is the mode?
• Which organism is most likely to be implicated in an outbreak associated with outpatient whirlpool wound therapy?
• IgG antibodies indicate which of the following?
• If a study reports p<0.001 for an association, what does this imply?
• Which finding is most indicative of a pseudo-outbreak?
• An oncology hospital with ample resources wants to mitigate all infection risks. Which type of surveillance would best support this goal?
• Which educational approach best supports timely MDRO updates beyond unit in-services?
• What represents the greatest risk for infection complications arising from surgery on a dirty wound?
• In a cluster of pediatric cases with watery diarrhea linked to a water park, which organism is the most likely cause?
• Which factor poses an elevated risk of disease transmission in healthcare settings because it may not be recognized?
• Which organization regulates the reprocessing of single-use medical devices?
• Anthrax, botulism, smallpox, and viral hemorrhagic fevers are examples of which bioterrorism agent category?
• What is the definition of an outbreak?
• What isolation precaution is indicated for a patient with C. difficile infection?
• Which CSF finding supports a diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis in the described case?
• An infection preventionist sets up an electronic report within the EMR to identify cases with GI symptoms and notifies the health department. What type of surveillance is this?
• If a clinic seeks a disinfectant with lower respiratory irritation risk, which active ingredient would be preferred?
• Which waste disposal method is acceptable for treating patients with confirmed or suspected Ebola?
• Which term best describes the spread of disease across multiple continents?
• What does a standardized infection ratio (SIR) compare?
• Negative predictive value depends on which factor?
• In facility construction planning, the Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) is used to mitigate sources of microbes through which aspect?
• Which calculation yields the attack rate among neonates in the NICU outbreak?
• A patient on chemotherapy develops fever and respiratory symptoms; sputum culture yields Aspergillus fumigatus. What initial step should begin an outbreak investigation?
• An infection preventionist working with the employee health department to evaluate policies for safe injection practices is an example of what type of surveillance event?
• Herd immunity refers to what concept?
• Which influenza vaccine type is contraindicated in pregnancy?
• ATP bioluminescence testing is used to assess cleaning by detecting what?
• What factor should the IP monitor to minimize the risk for infection transmission during laundry processing?
• After confirming TB exposure among ED staff, what should the infection preventionist do next?
• A nurse is concerned about exposure to a patient with possible meningitis because they assisted with the patient's lumbar puncture in the ED and did not wear a mask. The CSF Gram stain shows gram-positive cocci in pairs and chains. Does the nurse need to receive post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)?
• Which statement about outbreaks is true?
• Which action is primarily a control measure during an outbreak?
• After cleaning a flood-damaged area in a cancer center, what step should be completed next?
• In the data table, which infection had the highest number of observed infections?
• When comparing internal and external surgeon-specific surgical site infection rates, what factor is most important to consider?
• Which feature best describes an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR) used for airborne pathogens?
• Which step should be taken first when preparing the strategic plan for an IPC program?
• A young man with a negative initial HIV ELISA test asks how long after exposure HIV antibodies would most likely be detected in the blood?
• If a CLABSI SIR is 2 with p-value 0.01 and a confidence interval of 2.1-4, how should the IP interpret this data?
• Diagnostic stewardship mainly aims to improve what aspects of diagnostic testing?
• An infection preventionist evaluating a cluster of Clostridioides difficile infection on the alternate level of care unit to determine an association with antibiotic use; which analytical study design is best?
• What is the primary use of benchmarking infection rates against national data?
• In Leavell's model of prevention, TB baseline testing for healthcare personnel is an example of which level of prevention?
• In epidemiology, which model describes infection transmission as a set of interconnected processes?
• Which antimicrobial works by inhibiting cell-wall synthesis?
• Which organization provides guidelines that are used to prevent intravascular catheter-related infections?
• The ED notifies the IP that a patient with syphilis was recently diagnosed. Who should the IP notify?
• A patient with an indwelling urinary catheter for more than 30 days develops fever and abdominal tenderness. How should the infection preventionist instruct the nurse to collect a urine sample to determine whether the patient has a UTI?
• Which CSF findings are most typical in meningococcal meningitis?
• To minimize time spent observing hand hygiene, which surveillance method is recommended?
• What are IPC risk assessment results used for?
• When using statistical data in infection prevention, which statement is true?
• Which are the four primary types of surveillance?
• Whose instructions must be followed for operating and maintaining washers and dryers?
• In response to a reported outbreak with a p-value of 0.01, what decision should be made at alpha = 0.05?
• An infection preventionist developing an action plan based on resources and identified risks should include which element for each risk?
• How long should healthcare personnel with an active pertussis infection be restricted from work?
• In an outpatient clinic policy for influenza that requires movement in dedicated single-patient exam rooms, which additional requirement should be included?
• There is an increase in staphylococcal respiratory infections in the ICU. The intensivist recommends ordering respiratory cultures for all patients to treat positive cultures in the absence of infection. What is this an example of?
• Which of the following is a modifiable risk factor?
• A patient transferred from ED to pediatrics has a harsh cough and a whooping sound; what pathogen and precautions should be used?
• In infection prevention initiatives, which approach involves identifying and empowering influential staff to advocate for changes?
• No-touch decontamination: which statement is true regarding its use on environmental surfaces?
• Outbreak measures often report the proportion ill among those at risk during a defined period. Which term describes this measure?
• What is the primary purpose of standard precautions?
• With median age 65 and mean age 62 for COVID-19 admissions, which statement best describes the data?
• What treatment has been shown to significantly improve the likelihood of preventing recurrent C. difficile infections (CDIs)?
• In sterile processing department layout design, which requirement should the IP recommend?
• When determining the type of data to collect as part of the IPC surveillance program, what should an IP look for?
• What task should follow a sudden increase in cases of a pathogenic organism?
• A cluster of homeless patients presents with fever of unknown origin, hemoptysis, rapid weight loss, and night sweats. What is the most likely outbreak etiology?
• A healthcare worker found bedbugs on the clothes of a patient. What action should be taken in response?
• Which bioterrorism agent category includes agents such as anthrax, smallpox, and viral hemorrhagic fevers?
• Which activity follows a risk assessment when updating IPC program goals and objectives?
• A patient had a spinal fusion this morning; the surgeon reports a positive 14-3-3 protein test at another facility. What is the primary infection prevention intervention you should perform?
• During construction, where was the negative air-pressure barrier incorrectly installed in relation to the patient flow?
• Which bacterium is recognized as a potential agent of bioterrorism?
• An infection preventionist is alerted to an unusually high number of patients presenting to the emergency department with severe respiratory symptoms. What step should be taken first?
• In healthcare settings, Acinetobacter baumannii infections are most often associated with which factors?
• What is the odds ratio for pre-operative hair removal as a risk factor for SSI (with its 95% CI)?
• A non-facility employee experiences a needlestick injury at a healthcare facility. Whom should the infection preventionist contact?
• Which statement correctly describes general guidelines for specimen collection?
• Which statement describes the role of the infection preventionist in establishing a facility's water management plan?
• In a multivariate logistic regression for CLABSI risk, which insertion site shows a protective association?
• Immediate-use steam sterilization (IUSS) should not be used for sterilizing instruments between cases.
• Which infection had the smallest P-value in the dataset, indicating statistical significance?
• An infection preventionist practicing in a correctional setting is considering risk factors for this population. What secondary level of prevention would be an appropriate intervention?
• In epidemiology, what does the term point prevalence describe?
• A possible smallpox patient is admitted to your facility. What type of precautions should staff use?
• Which organism is identified as a category A bioterrorism agent in the described scenario?
• A pediatric patient is admitted with a low-grade fever, sore throat, and a rash that started on the face and spread to the rest of the body. The IP is asked to restrict healthcare workers entering the room. Who should be restricted?
• An IP, infectious disease physician, and pharmacy and laboratory staff collaborating to improve C. difficile testing exemplifies which concept?
• An IP designs a survey to assess the effectiveness of an infection prevention and control in-service course. The choices after each question are: Unsatisfied, Satisfied or Very Satisfied. These are examples of which kind of scale?
• Which pathogen is commonly responsible for stomach flu outbreaks that can be mistaken for influenza in healthcare settings?
• Which statement best aligns with evidence-based practice in catheter management?
• The removal of foreign material from objects by using water and detergents or enzymatic products is called what?
• An RSV outbreak in the pediatric unit leads the IP to start a descriptive study of patient and employee population. Which statement is true about descriptive studies?
• Which activity reflects the highest level of learning in Bloom's taxonomy for an infection preventionist?
• What is the ultimate goal of collecting, compiling, and organizing infection prevention and control data?
• Which test result most strongly suggests active TB requiring isolation?
• Which measure should be taken to prevent exposure to Aspergillus?
• Extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) resistance confers resistance to most beta-lactam antibiotics. What is an example of a beta-lactam antibiotic?
• Which type of performance measure would monitors of central line dressings focus on?
• In the event of a sterilizer malfunction, which documentation is essential?
• A health care worker seeks a religious exemption for COVID-19 vaccination. Considering hospital policy, state regulations, national regulations, and CMS requirements, what should the infection preventionist do?
• A line list created during a measles exposure should include which groups?
• Which storage practice would most likely block hallway egress and compromise safety?
• Which organism is commonly used as a BI for ethylene oxide sterilization in the documentation?
• According to Spaulding classification, what describes critical devices?
• Renovations to inpatient rooms created dust and containment issues; to ensure proper processes for construction projects, what should be updated?
• Which of the following steps aligns with preparing an informative strategic plan for IPC?
• What is the significance of a positive hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) test result?
• The primary focus during construction and renovation to reduce the spread of dust is which of the following?
• After completing a root cause analysis for a central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) identified in the ICU, the infection prevention and control team is discussing potential corrective actions to mitigate the root causes. According to the action hierarchy, what corrective action will be most effective at producing a positive outcome?
• An IPC committee has established an interdisciplinary CAUTI performance improvement team to identify potential root causes. Which quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) tool is used for this purpose?
• Which statement best describes the overall purpose of IPC education for staff?
• Which of the following is not a transmission-based precaution?
• In water safety planning, an infection preventionist's role includes performing what assessment specific to water exposures?
• How do Enhanced Barrier Precautions differ from other transmission-based precautions?
• Which type of exposure evaluation step is commonly prioritized when a report is incomplete?
• Retrospective epidemiological studies are particularly susceptible to which type of bias?
• In a hospital norovirus outbreak, what is the most immediate concern?
• To switch from manual to electronic denominators the IP must validate data by
• Which statement about specimen staining is true?
• Post-exposure communication to outside entities such as paramedics should be based on which principle?
• What statement describes proper food-storage rack requirements?
• Which statement describes the appropriate use of positive air pressure in isolation settings?
• A patient is admitted with an infected wound from a cosmetic procedure performed abroad. The wound is draining purulent material and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) are seen on stain. Which organism is the most likely cause?
• Which statement describes a risk factor for developing a urinary tract infection (UTI)?
• During surgery, an inflamed appendix is removed after laparotomy. The procedure should be documented as which level of contamination?
• Post-exposure prophylaxis is used after which scenario?
• In surveillance for non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP), what is key to ensuring that cases are consistently identified?
• In planning risk-based infection control programs, what type of objectives should be included for each risk?
• Who is typically responsible for presenting infection data to the board of directors?
• An 18-year-old college student presents with headache, lethargy, fever, neck stiffness, and seizures. What organism is the probable cause?
• Which marker is applied to high-touch surfaces prior to room cleaning to indicate soil removal?
• Which color do Gram-negative enteric bacteria typically appear after the safranin counterstain?
• In the NICU outbreak, what was the attack rate among employees?
• Which wound management approach represents the greatest risk for infection complications arising from surgery on a dirty wound?
• Which data collection tool is used to gauge learners' interests and educational needs?
• What is identified as the main mechanism for improving IPC practices and ensuring policy adherence?
• What is considered the gold standard for evaluating the thoroughness of cleaning?
• If the CDC informs an IP about a potential international viral hemorrhagic fever outbreak, what should the IP do first?
• When a result is statistically significant, which statement is true?
• A healthcare worker experiences a needlestick injury; which action should the infection preventionist recommend?
• Which statement about bloodborne pathogens and occupational exposure is true?
• When anticipating a change in on-the-job behavior as an outcome of training, what action by the instructor is most useful?
• In the context of outbreak investigation, which data type is essential to identify associations over time?
• After learning of a high Legionella count in NICU water and missing flushing documentation, what step should the IP take next?
• Upon receiving an incident report that a pediatric nurse was scratched by a 'needle' in a patient's room while spiking an intravenous bag, what should be the first action?
• For severely immunocompromised patients, what is the recommended air-exchange rate to reduce exposure to airborne contaminants?
• If influenza vaccine effectiveness is questioned because staff report stomach flu, what action should the infection preventionist take?
• Which option correctly identifies a choice that is NOT one of the four primary surveillance types?
• Which serology pattern indicates immunity to hepatitis B due to vaccination?
• What does SIR stand for in infection surveillance?
• From the provided data table of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which infection type had a standardized infection ratio above 1 with a statistically significant p-value?
• The Bowie-Dick test is classified as which type of chemical indicator?
• During a prevalence study of HAIs, the following lengths of stay per infection were observed: 10, 4, 4, 1, 8, 7, 18, 25, 18, 9, 5, 18. What is the median length of stay?
• From the following, what does the source patient’s hepatitis B serology indicate if HBsAg is negative, anti-HBc is negative, but anti-HBs is positive?
• Which of the following best describes the audience for the IPC orientation program designed for diverse hospital staff?
• Which statement accurately describes spore-forming bacteria and disinfection?
• An IP reviewing CAUTI surveillance data included event, process, and time data. Which data category did they fail to include?
• In a monthly audit of the sterile processing storage area, which finding indicates noncompliance?
• Food safety threats such as Salmonella and Shigella spp., and water safety threats such as Vibrio cholerae and Cryptosporidium parvum are examples of organisms in which bioterrorism agent category?
• Which immune marker represents past exposure to disease?
• Which tool helps develop a strategic, proactive method for mitigating sources of microbes during construction planning?
• Which data element category is represented by demographic data?
• Replacing reusable equipment with single-use devices during renovation is an example of which type of control?
• What is the minimum clearance for food-storage racks from the floor?
• Which statement is true about sampling of water and dialysate in dialysis?
• In investigating a Serratia marcescens outbreak in a surgical ICU, which tool is most appropriate to determine plausible causes?
• Following a rubella outbreak, which documentation is considered acceptable evidence of rubella immunity for employees?
• Which individuals are involved in the post-exposure notification process?
• What is the major difference between Legionnaires' disease and Pontiac fever?
• What percentage of observations fall within three standard deviations of the mean in a normal distribution?
• Environmental sampling is recommended for routine quality control purposes such as monitoring sterilizers with bacterial spores and testing water in hemodialysis units.
• An infection preventionist presents hospital-wide CLABSI rate data for the last 12 months to the quality improvement committee. What would be the most appropriate statistical measurement for this type of infection data?
• Which action demonstrates the 'Create' level of Bloom's taxonomy in an IPC context?
• Which method is best suited to assess staff adherence to proper PPE use?
• After receiving notice of increased Legionella in the NICU, what action should the IP take next?
• What is the optimal patient positioning to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)?
• In a reported norovirus outbreak with staff and patients, what is the guidance for a nurse who had diarrhea on Tuesday and returned on Wednesday?
• To maximize recovery of acid-fast bacilli from sputum, how often should specimens be collected?
• Which statement is the primary purpose of the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) in TB testing?
• Prospective audits and feedback, together with preauthorization, are among the most effective antibiotic stewardship interventions available in hospitals. Under which element in the CDC Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs are these interventions classified?
• Which organism is most commonly associated with intra-abdominal infections among anaerobic gram-negative rods?
• Which additional role should be involved in evaluating and selecting new environmental cleaning and disinfecting products, beyond EVS, IP, Nursing, Materials Management, Pharmacy, and Clinical Engineering?
• Which feature of a urinary drainage system is most likely to decrease the risk of a urinary tract infection?
• A newly hired employee reports a history of active tuberculosis and has completed therapy. What action should be taken first?
• Which situation in a behavioral health facility would potentially increase the likelihood of nosocomial infections among hospitalized patients?
• In the foodborne outbreak investigation, which food had the highest attack rate?
• After a risk assessment identifies IPCP priorities, what should the IPC committee do next?
• Under Enhanced Barrier Precautions, when should staff don gown and gloves?
• Which statement is true about developing an infection prevention and control (IPC) risk assessment process?
• An infection preventionist recommends a standing order for vaccine administration that includes several elements. Which element is included in error?
• An odds ratio less than 1 in a multivariate logistic regression indicates what about the exposure and outcome?
• Which statement about environmental sampling in healthcare facilities is true?
• How long after active exposure or post-exposure to mumps should susceptible healthcare personnel (HCP) be restricted from work?
• In an outbreak investigation of ventilated patients, which line-item should the infection preventionist include in the initial line list?
• Negative air pressure is used for isolation; which rooms should also have negative air pressure?
• Which statement describes a disadvantage of using phenolics as disinfectants?
• A sputum culture from a ventilated patient in an ICU grew Burkholderia cepacia. Additional surveillance identified two more patients with respiratory tract infections and B. cepacia. Past events showed a 15% increase over historical trends. What should the infection preventionist do next?
• According to national regulations and CMS requirements, which exemptions are commonly allowed for healthcare personnel vaccination?
• What is the most important focus of an IPCP during construction and renovation projects within a healthcare facility?
• Which tool helps identify gaps between current practice and new guidelines?
• Which statement is not a signal of an out-of-control process on a control chart?
• Active immunity can be acquired by which method?
• During renovations when plumbing fixtures at one end are being capped rather than removed, should the infection preventionist bring this concern to the water management team, and why?
• In a just culture, how is accountability addressed when an incident occurs?
• An outpatient clinic wants a disinfectant with less respiratory irritation. Which active ingredient has the lowest toxicity risk among common institutional products?
• Which coinfection increases mortality in chronic hepatitis B carriers?
• What is the device utilization ratio for a facility that has 600 ventilator days and 3,000 patient days?
• Which culture result would lead an infection preventionist to question whether the proper methods were used when collecting and labelling the sample that was tested?
• Which healthcare worker with an active viral illness should be excluded from patient care?
• An infection preventionist (IP) is concerned about an increase in influenza cases within their facility. Suspecting that they may be experiencing an outbreak, the IP immediately initiates emergency outbreak protocols within the facility. Facility leaders ask for more information related to the scope of the outbreak. What should the IP have done before instituting emergency plans?
• What is true about Acinetobacter baumannii in healthcare settings?
• All employees must be screened for tuberculosis (TB), including baseline screening and, for high-risk or exposed employees, annual screening. What statement describes the components of TB education needed for employees identified with a latent TB infection (LTBI)?
• Which statement about C. difficile spores is true?
• Which element is crucial when a multidisciplinary team creates annual goals and objectives for the IPC program?
• In the sterile processing area, what is the minimum number of air exchanges per hour recommended?
• In the described case of aspergillosis in an immunocompromised patient, which organism was identified in the sputum culture?
• Which microorganism is commonly associated with water and poses a risk in healthcare settings?
• Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) should be given as soon as possible to healthcare personnel (HCP) after parenteral exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Regardless of whether PEP is administered, HIV-antibody testing should be performed at what times, post-exposure?
• To improve specificity of HAIs labeling, MRSA should include what detail?
• An emergency department patient presents with sudden fever and headache after potential exposure to Ebola virus disease (EVD) while volunteering in West Africa. Based on exposure history and timing, what is the level of risk for developing EVD?
• Which biological indicator (BI) is used to test ethylene oxide sterilization?
• A patient with a pending acid-fast bacilli (AFB) culture is transferred from acute care to a long-term acute care (LTAC). In order to mitigate risk, what is the most important task the transferring facility must complete prior to transport?
• If a facility has 900 ventilator days and 4,500 patient days, the device utilization ratio is closest to which value?
• Fresh flower arrangements should be excluded from areas housing immunocompromised patients because they are potential reservoirs for which organism?
• An IP is notified that a shipment of lettuce is being recalled. To whom should the IP report the lettuce product lot number?
• In a long-term care facility, thirteen residents present with watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and nausea. Which organism is the most likely cause?
• Which statement best describes the use of markers for cleaning verification?
• In the context of surgical contamination, an inflamed appendix removed during laparotomy is classified as which level of contamination?
• A patient with a recent pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis is admitted. Which finding is most closely associated with an increased risk of transmission?
• Which risk factor had the highest odds ratio for SSI after knee arthroplasty?
• Which statement describes what a confidence interval that does not cross 1 for a risk estimate indicates at alpha 0.05?
• In the described exposure to a patient with gram-negative diplococci, which individuals require prophylaxis after exposure?
• In a needlestick exposure where the source patient is immune by vaccination and the healthcare worker is susceptible, what information should be shared and what follow-up action is recommended?
• Routine monitoring for sterilizers is an example of which practice?
• A patient with HIV and cavitary lesions on a chest x-ray is placed on airborne precautions. Which diagnosis is most likely?
• Which action should be taken to ensure oversight when a new disinfectant is introduced in the nursery?
• In the prevalence study of healthcare-associated infections, the following lengths of stay per infection were observed: 10, 4, 4, 1, 8, 7, 18, 25, 18, 9, 5, 18. What is the mode?
• A patient with suspected West Nile fever should be managed with which precautions?
• In a case-control study investigating whirlpool-associated infections at a health club, which group would be the most appropriate control?
• The use of hand hygiene and safe injection practices for all patients in all settings is known as what?
• In cohort studies comparing disease incidence between two groups, which statistical term is appropriate?
• To calculate the surgical-site infection attack rate for CABGs, what should be used as the denominator?
• Based on the table showing test results, what is the negative predictive value?
• Negative air pressure is used to prevent the escape of microbes from rooms housing patients with airborne infections (e.g., TB, measles). Which statement best describes this purpose?
• Which CSF profile is most consistent with bacterial meningitis?
• Scabies transmission in healthcare settings is most commonly through which contact?
• In disaster preparedness, a hazard vulnerability analysis helps identify which of the following?
• In the Serratia marcescens ICU outbreak scenario, which tool would help depict the chain of events leading to the outbreak?
• Finding positive blood cultures from a group of asymptomatic patients with identical susceptibility patterns is most consistent with which type of outbreak?
• In a prevalence study for healthcare-associated infections, which metric describes the proportion of patients with infection at a given point in time?
• An IPC orientation program for diverse staff should include which type of objective?
• All 72 patients in a chronic hemodialysis center were tested for hepatitis C. Eight of the patients were identified as HCV positive. What is the prevalence of HCV among the patients at the center?
• In IPC training design, what characteristic makes objectives reliable across staff with varied educational levels?
• What is the measure of central tendency most affected by outliers?
• What monitoring method should the IP use to assess the effectiveness of environmental cleaning of high-touch surfaces?
• Regarding no-touch decontamination, what must be done before using the device on a surface?
• A patient with confirmed multidrug-resistant tuberculosis requiring an immediate bronchoscopy should be performed in which type of room?
• An IP is assisting their facility in developing an emergency management plan. In what order should the IP organize the steps of their plan, according to the phases of emergency management?
• An inpatient mental health unit is experiencing a cluster of norovirus cases. What action should the IP recommend?
• Which study design is typically less time consuming and less expensive?
• Which patient population is at higher risk for severe Babesia divergens infection?
• In an adenovirus outbreak in a NICU, attack rate among neonates is what value?
• A facility experiencing an increase in active tuberculosis (TB) infections should implement what strategy to prevent transmission?
• Which document governs infection prevention practices for construction projects in patient areas?
• On a unit with an influenza A outbreak, what transmission-based precautions should be instituted?
• Which type of precautions should be used for patients with suspected influenza to reduce transmission?
• Which type of analysis is used to identify why a needlestick injury occurred and determine actions to reduce recurrence?
• What explanation should the infection preventionist give to a surgeon when a surgical site infection (SSI) has been declared for a colon procedure?
• What is the first step an infection preventionist should take if routine surveillance indicates a potential outbreak?
• What is the purpose of outbreak signage?
• What is a primary role of the infection preventionist during a bioterrorism event when the incident response plan is unclear about this role?
• Which term describes an incidence of a given disease spread over a wide geographical area, across countries or continents?
• According to recent guidelines, what strategy is recommended for preventing ventilator-associated events (VAEs)?
• What provides acceptable presumptive evidence of immunity against rubella after a community outbreak?
• Why should IP be involved in making recommendations related to sink design?
• An outbreak of waterborne pathogens in a healthcare facility is likely caused by which organism when the outbreak is linked to contaminated equipment?
• During an outbreak scenario, IP should take what action when new patients present with skin ulcers and gram-negative coccobacilli in blood cultures and all are local farmers?
• What type of isolation precautions are indicated for patients with varicella (chickenpox)?
• In training for environmental services staff before cleaning patient rooms, which detail should be included?
• Within what time frame should specimens be transported to the laboratory?
• After exposure to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive blood, a healthcare worker who did not respond to the primary hepatitis B vaccine series should receive what?
• Which vaccine is recommended for pregnant healthcare personnel?
• A new employee to your facility is foreign-born and received the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine as a child. Their pre-employment assessment for tuberculosis (TB) should include what?
• Intra-abdominal fluid culture reveals few anaerobic, gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria. Which organism is most likely responsible?
• Which statement describes a disadvantage of phenolics in healthcare disinfection?
• Which infection had an SIR of 3.191?
• Which bacterium is recognized as a potential agent of bioterrorism and is historically associated with plague?
• Which statement about Type I errors in hypothesis testing is true?
• Immunity to a disease is categorized by ACIP into which two types?
• Which environmental monitoring processes should be routinely performed in healthcare settings?
• A bone marrow transplant recipient develops aspergillosis. Which action should infection preventionists take to prevent additional cases?
• What action should the infection preventionist take first when a patient’s sputum smear shows 4+ acid-fast bacilli?
• In a normal distribution, 95 percent of the data lie within how many standard deviations from the mean?
• Latent TB infection (LTBI) management includes several considerations. Which statement accurately reflects LTBI in the context of HIV?
• An infection preventionist (IP) is investigating an outbreak associated with reprocessing of gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopes. During the investigation, the IP should review policies and procedures that address what?
• Which organization provides data to support vaccination recommendations for pregnant employees?
• During unit construction, if a negative air-pressure barrier is mislocated, what is the proper procedure when transferring a patient with active or suspected TB?
• Cohorting patients with similar symptoms during an outbreak is primarily intended to reduce what?
• According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH's) hierarchy of controls, the most effective method for protecting workers from potential hazards is the elimination of risk. Which of the following methods is considered the least effective?
• For healthcare workers in labor and delivery, which immunity status provides the best protection against infectious disease in the scenario?
• After a recent tuberculosis exposure, a healthcare worker has a 15 mm positive TST but no symptoms. What is the significance and recommended follow-up?
• In a dataset of hospital lengths of stay, which measure is less influenced by extreme values?
• What is the primary reason for infection preventionists to communicate and share notifiable disease reports with the local health department?
• How frequently should a healthcare facility reevaluate its IPC program's effectiveness, including significant risk changes?
• An IP identifies roles and locations with decreased hand hygiene compliance and develops how to improve compliance. What is this called?
• An employee refuses the annual inactivated influenza vaccine claiming it will give them the flu. What is an appropriate response by the infection preventionist?
• In a NICU, which data point best stratifies risk data?
• If an employee vaccinated against hepatitis B is exposed to the virus and the employee's vaccine response is unknown, what post-exposure follow-up step should be performed first?
• To reduce toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) after cataract surgery, what strategy should an IP recommend?
• Which statement best describes the composition of the team typically involved in designing a C. difficile testing algorithm to improve accuracy and timeliness?
• Which infection had the highest predicted number of infections in the dataset?
• Which model is focused on engaging, educating, and enabling change to achieve stakeholder buy-in during practice changes?
• What procedure should be implemented to reduce the risk of ice machine–related outbreaks?
• Which outcome best describes the purpose of transforming infection prevention data findings into action plans?
• ESBL-producing bacteria show resistance to which class of antibiotics?
• What evaluation approach provides a straightforward measure of learner impact after training on IPC resources?
• In a just culture, what should be the focus when an adverse event occurs?
• Which positive test result for hepatitis B would indicate that an exposure to HBV has occurred in the source patient?
• When writing goals for an infection prevention and control plan, what metrics should be used?
• When a surgeon asks why an SSI was declared for a colon procedure, what explanation should the IP provide?
• What is a special need of adult learners that should be considered when developing an IPC education program?
• What is the first action a healthcare worker should take after a needlestick injury?
• An IP is deciding how to implement recently published evidence-based guidelines. Which quality improvement tool is best suited to reviewing the new guidelines?
• How often should water used for hemodialysis be sampled and what should the bacterial counts be?
• An employee health nurse complains that she has recently seen five employees with scabies. They have been pulled to various departments. What potential source should the IP investigate?
• Why is it important for infection preventionists to share reports on notifiable diseases with the local department of health?
• When disinfecting an IV pole, what procedure ensures the pole is adequately disinfected before reuse?
• A healthcare worker exposed to a C. difficile patient not on isolation precautions is worried about infection; what should the IP convey about risk?
• A physician in the ICU has a practice of changing central venous catheters every five days. Which statement provides the strongest reason for supporting the facility's policy against this practice?
• An IP compares hand hygiene product use to patient days to create educational materials. This represents which type of measure?
• What surveillance approach would be beneficial for identifying an infectious disease disaster after a hazards vulnerability analysis?
• Which risk factor was statistically significant for SSI after knee arthroplasty based on the reported odds ratios?
• What is the purpose of an antibiogram in infection prevention and control practice?
• Which measure is most appropriate for determining the strength of association between chlorhexidine exposures and Burkholderia cepacia complex infections?
• Which of the following actions is most consistent with improving vaccination rates for non-mandatory vaccines?
• When sharps containers are overfull, who should be informed?
• Which statement describes a drawback of concurrent surveillance?
• What statement describes a major difference in the epidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)?
• A patient with cavitary tuberculosis should be placed on which type of precautions?
• A pregnant healthcare worker refuses COVID-19 vaccination due to fear of long-term complications. Which is the most appropriate response for the infection preventionist?
• Which practice best supports the goal of IPC education in preventing transmission within the facility?
• Which vaccine category is considered safe for pregnant women at any time during pregnancy?
• Which test is preferred to assess latent TB infection in someone who has received BCG vaccination?
• The IP must validate patient-day data from an electronic surveillance system. What type of validation should be performed?
• Urine culture from an indwelling catheter shows 50,000 CFU/mL of E. coli with resistance to cephalosporins and sensitivity to ciprofloxacin. This resistance pattern indicates which mechanism?
• An IP was notified that a sterilizer stopped working in the middle of a cycle. What recommendation about record retention should the IP make to the technician?
• Higher mortality rates are associated with chronic hepatitis B carriers when coinfected with which virus?
• In facilities with decorative water features like open water walls, which organism should be routinely monitored?
• What communication method should be used to update the CEO about IPC implications after extensive water damage in the operating rooms?
• If a worker is exposed to HBV and their vaccine response is unknown, which is the correct initial post-exposure action?
• What educational strategy is best to ensure all healthcare personnel receive up-to-date information on a novel MDRO?
• Which cleaning agent is ineffective against spore-producing bacteria?
• Which environmental exposure is linked to hantavirus infection in the described case?
• In Leavell's model of prevention, immunization or vaccination is an example of which level?
• A healthcare worker presents with a red, inflamed eye with drainage. What work restriction is recommended?
• A hospital detects rising GI illness and uses EMR-based reporting to identify cases with symptom clusters and notify authorities. This is an example of which surveillance type?
• If the mean age is lower than the median, the age distribution is most likely skewed toward which direction?
• Which study design uses retrospective exposure data to assess outcomes?
• Which statement correctly describes adult learners?
• Which department should consult with the infection preventionist when there is suspected or confirmed contamination?
• During the annual review of the infection prevention risk assessment, central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) were monitored only in the critical care and step-down units. What type of surveillance describes this approach?
• Why should faucet aerators be removed from patient care areas?
• Data can be used to help identify outbreaks, halt the spread of infectious diseases, and drive performance improvement. To understand what information is collected, why it is collected, and how it will be used to make improvements, an IP must ensure that the information is
• Which mechanism can effectively enhance multidisciplinary support for new infection prevention initiatives?
• An unvaccinated HCW exposed to HBV and given HBV immunoglobulin. What vaccination recommendation should the IP make for post‑exposure vaccination?
• What is the recommended schedule for routine central venous catheter (CVC) replacement?
• Which method can be used to determine the educational needs of a learner population by using checklists or questionnaires?
• Which color do Gram-positive bacteria appear after staining with crystal violet?
• Which statement describes the influenza vaccine used annually?
• What kind of bacteria is Legionella pneumophila?
• A line list of patients with positive sputum cultures is used to monitor which type of infection?
• A patient was admitted to the emergency department with a high fever and CSF findings suggestive of meningitis. What should the infection preventionist do?
• Routine culturing is indicated for which of the following?
• Which of the following is not a mechanical barrier to infection?
• Which statement describes a process that is NOT part of a hospital linen plan for minimizing infection transmission?
• A nasal swab tests positive for Staphylococcus aureus, but the patient shows no clinical signs of infection. What does this indicate?
• When educating endoscopy staff about routine microbiological monitoring of endoscopes, which statement is correct?
• If the 95% CI for a SIR is 2.1-4, what does this imply about the null value of 1?
• Which quality improvement tool is commonly used to visually map root causes of a problem in infection prevention?
• HBV can be transmitted to susceptible personnel by which exposure routes?
• A patient has been admitted with a diagnosis of whooping cough. What precautions should be initiated with this patient?
• Which organism is associated with food poisoning due to preformed enterotoxins and is a common cause of foodborne illness?
• Which design feature is recommended for a sterile processing area to help prevent contamination?
• A newly hired employee cannot receive a tuberculin skin test because of a childhood BCG vaccination. What should the IP recommend?
• Which bodily fluid can be used for a simple, quick, and reliable antigen test to detect Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1?
• Which allergy constitutes a true hypersensitivity contraindication for the MMR vaccine?
• Which infectious diseases should be avoided by a pregnant healthcare professional who lacks immunity?
• CSF Gram stain shows gram-positive cocci in pairs and chains. This finding most likely indicates infection with which organism?
• What is true regarding type II errors in hypothesis testing?
• Before switching to a new molecular testing platform for C. difficile, what should the IP review with laboratory leadership?
• Which epidemiology causation model has an inner core of genetic information?
• Which reporting method is among the most valuable for conveying outbreak surveillance findings?
• In identifying the most important process to consider when investigating IPC breaches during a CAUTI outbreak, which option is correct?
• An IP is called to the emergency department to assess a cluster of acute gastrointestinal symptoms. ED staff is overwhelmed and asks the IP to help determine the cause. The IP starts surveillance. What should the IP consider when starting surveillance?
• Which elements should be considered when developing a case definition?
• An outbreak of gastrointestinal infections in a specific inpatient department leads the infection preventionist to implement TBP, enhanced cleaning, cohorting, visitor education, outbreak signage, and postponement of admissions. What are these actions examples of?
• Legionella pneumophila is classified as which type of organism?
• When prion disease is suspected due to a positive 14-3-3 protein finding, what is the primary consideration for surgical instrumentation?
• An employee vaccination rate is an example of what type of surveillance data?