Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Practice Test 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Standard precautions in infection control are essential practices that healthcare providers use to prevent the transmission of infectious pathogens. These precautions are designed to protect both the healthcare worker and the patient from potential infections, regardless of the patient's diagnosis or presumed infection status.

Standard precautions include various measures such as hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection when necessary, as well as safe disposal of sharps and managing soiled equipment. The emphasis is on treating all patients as potentially infectious, which enhances safety and promotes better patient care.

The other options do not adequately encompass the full scope of standard precautions. For example, wearing gloves only when blood is present fails to account for the many other situations where exposure to infectious materials may occur. Similarly, wearing masks for all patients is not a requirement of standard precautions; masks are typically used based on a risk assessment rather than a blanket rule. Washing hands only before meals neglects the critical importance of hand hygiene throughout a healthcare interaction, particularly before and after patient contact. Thus, option B captures the comprehensive nature of standard precautions in infection control.