Question

Diseases such as tuberculosis are transmitted by small droplets that remain in the air for longer periods of time. The nurse should wear an N95 respirator whenever entering the patient's room. The nurse should also wear gloves while performing a physical examination to reduce the transmission of infection by direct contact. A specially equipped room with a negative airflow is referred to as an airborne infection isolation room; this room is used to reduce the risk of airborne transmission. Positive airflow is used with patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants as a protective environment precaution. A surgical mask is applied when the patient is 3 feet away or less to reduce the risk of transmission through larger droplet nuclei. The patient, not the nurse, should wear a mask when he or she is outside of his or her room as a protective environment precaution.

A) True
B) False

Answer 1

The information provided is true; protection measures like the N95 respirator and negative air pressure rooms are used to prevent airborne transmission, while positive air pressure rooms protect certain immunocompromised patients.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement provided is largely true and aligns with the precautions recommended for airborne transmission of diseases, such as tuberculosis. An N95 respirator indeed offers a higher level of protection against airborne particles than a standard surgical mask, making it suitable for healthcare workers to wear when entering the room of a patient with an airborne illness. The use of an airborne infection isolation room with negative air pressure helps prevent contaminated air from spreading to other areas. However, the statement regarding the protective environment precautions with positive airflow is specifically utilized for immunocompromised patients, such as those with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Moreover, surgical masks can protect against large droplets, but for airborne diseases, they are more effective when used by the infected individual to contain their respiratory emissions.