Infection control principles Practice Questions
20 free Infection control principles practice questions for the USMLE Step 1, each with the correct answer and a detailed explanation. Open any question below, or take the full set as an interactive quiz.
Questions
20 questions
All Infection control principles questions
- Q1. A healthcare worker performs hand hygiene after removing gloves. Which statement best explains why this step is necessary?
- Q2. Which method is most effective at inactivating bacterial spores on surgical instruments?
- Q3. A patient with Clostridioides difficile infection is placed on which type of precautions?
- Q4. Which pathogen requires airborne precautions in a hospital setting?
- Q5. A patient with suspected meningococcal meningitis should be placed under which precautions?
- Q6. A nurse touches a contaminated wound and then adjusts her face mask without performing hand hygiene. Which type of transmission is most likely?
- Q7. Which disinfectant is most effective against enveloped viruses such as influenza?
- Q8. Which scenario requires sterilization rather than disinfection?
- Q9. A healthcare worker caring for a patient with MRSA should use which precautions?
- Q10. A patient with varicella (chickenpox) is admitted. What combination of precautions is required?
- Q11. A nurse recaps a used needle and accidentally sustains a finger-stick injury. What is the most important immediate step?
- Q12. Which type of hand hygiene is required after caring for a patient with norovirus?
- Q13. A hospital wants to reduce central line–associated bloodstream infections. Which intervention is most effective?
- Q14. A patient with active measles is admitted. What preventive measure must all healthcare workers entering the room take?
- Q15. Which statement best describes standard precautions?
- Q16. Which organisms are NOT reliably inactivated by alcohol-based hand sanitizers?
- Q17. A patient with suspected pertussis is admitted. Which precautions are needed?
- Q18. Which of the following items requires high-level disinfection rather than sterilization?
- Q19. An outbreak of Pseudomonas in a burn unit is traced to contaminated sink drains. What infection control measure is most effective?
- Q20. A hospitalized patient with scabies requires what type of precautions?