Question

The nurse is teaching a group of patient care attendants about infectioncontrol measures. The nurse tells the

group that the fi rst line of intervention for preventing the spread of infection is:
A. wearing gloves.
B. administering antibiotics.
C. hand hygiene.
D. assigning private rooms for patients.

Answer 1

Hand hygiene is identified as the first line of intervention in preventing the spread of infection, according to the nurse's teaching. It's a universally recognized and fundamental practice in healthcare settings.

Step-by-step explanation:

The foundation of infection control measures in any healthcare setting is hand hygiene. The nurse correctly emphasizes this as the first line of intervention. Effective hand hygiene involves washing hands thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. This practice is crucial for preventing the transmission of pathogens, as hands are a common vector for the spread of infections. While wearing gloves, administering antibiotics, and assigning private rooms do play roles in infection control, they follow hand hygiene in order of immediate priority and are situation-dependent measures. Hand hygiene is a universal precaution that applies across all healthcare settings and scenarios, making it the most fundamental step.

The first line of intervention to prevent the spread of infection as taught by the nurse is hand hygiene (C). It is the most basic and widely applicable infection control practice in healthcare. Initiatives like the World Health Organization's 'Save Lives: Clean Your Hands' campaign highlight the global recognition of hand hygiene as critical to preventing infection.