Level: Clinical
Difficulty: Medium
Subtopic: Standard precautions
NCLEX: A 71-year-old client in a long-term care facility is being evaluated for hospitalized care. Assessment data inclu…
Microbiology Safety and Infection Prevention and Control
Case Study
A 71-year-old client in a long-term care facility is being evaluated for hospitalized care. Assessment data include fever 101.8°F (38.8°C) with elevated WBC and bandemia. Which infection-prevention action is essential?
Question
A. Perform hand hygiene and apply the transmission-based precautions indicated by the client's diagnosis.
B. Wear gloves only and skip hand hygiene when leaving the room.
C. Use sterile technique for all routine hygiene regardless of diagnosis.
D. Skip precautions if the client has no fever.
B. Wear gloves only and skip hand hygiene when leaving the room.
C. Use sterile technique for all routine hygiene regardless of diagnosis.
D. Skip precautions if the client has no fever.
Rationale
Correct answer: A. Perform hand hygiene and apply the transmission-based precautions indicated by the client's diagnosis.
Rationale: Infection control matches the pathogen route: hand hygiene plus appropriate precautions for contact, droplet, or airborne transmission.
Hint: Apply ABCs, client stability, and NCSBN clinical judgment steps before choosing an intervention.
Rationale: Infection control matches the pathogen route: hand hygiene plus appropriate precautions for contact, droplet, or airborne transmission.
Hint: Apply ABCs, client stability, and NCSBN clinical judgment steps before choosing an intervention.