Infection Control interview questions

What a strong answer covers

• Airborne precautions for suspected pulmonary TB: negative pressure room with the door closed, a fit-tested respirator rather than a surgical mask, and a mask on the patient during transport
• Contact precautions for C. difficile: gown and gloves, dedicated or single-use equipment, and soap and water hand hygiene because alcohol does not kill the spores
• Standard precautions sit underneath both and apply to every patient regardless of diagnosis
• Start precautions on suspicion rather than waiting for confirmation, and say who you would notify

Where people lose the point

• ×Offering a surgical mask for an airborne organism
• ×Using alcohol-based hand rub after caring for a patient with C. difficile
• ×Waiting for a positive result before isolating

What a strong answer covers

• Donning: hand hygiene, gown, mask or respirator with a seal check, eye protection, then gloves over the gown cuff
• Doffing: gloves and gown removed together or in sequence while rolling contamination inward, hand hygiene, then eye protection, then the respirator, removed from behind by the straps, then hand hygiene again
• Doffing is the dangerous step because the outside of every item is contaminated and self-inoculation of the face and forearms happens here
• Hand hygiene is performed multiple times through the sequence, not only at the end

Where people lose the point

• ×Touching the front of a mask or the outside of a gown while removing it
• ×Removing the respirator before leaving the room in airborne precautions
• ×Treating gloves as a substitute for hand hygiene

What a strong answer covers

• The recognized moments: before touching a patient, before a clean or aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient, and after touching the patient's surroundings
• Soap and water when hands are visibly soiled, after caring for a patient with a spore-forming organism such as C. difficile, and after using the toilet
• Alcohol-based hand rub is otherwise preferred because it is faster, more effective against most organisms, and gentler on skin, which drives compliance
• Hand hygiene is required before donning and after removing gloves

Where people lose the point

• ×Naming only before and after patient contact and missing the surroundings moment
• ×Assuming gloves remove the need for hand hygiene
• ×Not knowing which organisms defeat alcohol

What a strong answer covers

• Insertion: hand hygiene, maximal sterile barrier precautions, skin antisepsis with chlorhexidine allowed to dry, optimal site selection avoiding the femoral route where possible, and a checklist with an empowered observer who can stop the procedure
• Maintenance: scrub the hub before every access, sterile dressing changes on schedule and whenever soiled or loose, and aseptic handling of the line and administration sets
• Daily review of whether the line is still needed and prompt removal, which is the step most often missed
• Connect it to the outcome: bloodstream infections fall when the bundle is applied completely rather than partially

Where people lose the point

• ×Listing insertion steps and forgetting maintenance entirely
• ×Omitting daily review of line necessity
• ×Not letting the antiseptic dry before insertion

What a strong answer covers

• Avoid the catheter in the first place: insert only for an accepted indication and consider alternatives such as intermittent catheterisation or external devices
• Aseptic insertion technique with trained staff and sterile equipment
• Maintenance: closed drainage system kept below bladder level and off the floor, secured tubing without dependent loops, and no routine bladder irrigation
• Daily review of continued need with prompt removal, supported by nurse-driven removal protocols where they exist

Where people lose the point

• ×Focusing only on insertion technique and ignoring duration of use
• ×Breaking the closed system to obtain specimens
• ×Treating asymptomatic bacteriuria as an infection

What a strong answer covers

• Speak up in the moment, because the risk is to the patient in front of you and it does not keep until later
• Use short, non-accusatory language and an easy out, for example offering the gel dispenser as you say it
• Do it regardless of seniority, because hierarchy is exactly the reason these breaches persist
• If it is repeated or the challenge is rejected, escalate to the charge nurse or infection prevention rather than dropping it

Where people lose the point

• ×Saying you would mention it afterwards or tell someone else instead
• ×Being confrontational in front of the patient
• ×Treating a doctor's seniority as a reason not to challenge

What a strong answer covers

• Say it immediately and out loud, because a suspected breach is treated as a breach
• Stop, identify what was contaminated, and replace the affected items or re-establish the field
• Do not weigh the cost of the pack or the delay against the infection risk
• Document it if required and, where it reflects a recurring problem such as a cramped room or a badly positioned trolley, report it so the setup is fixed

Where people lose the point

• ×Staying quiet because you are not certain
• ×Trying to cover a contaminated area rather than replacing it
• ×Framing the delay as the bigger problem

What a strong answer covers

• Recognize it as a possible cluster and notify infection prevention immediately rather than treating three separate cases
• Reinforce and audit the basics: hand hygiene, precautions, environmental cleaning and equipment decontamination
• Support the investigation: case definition, line listing with dates and locations, cohorting patients and where necessary staff, and reviewing shared equipment and procedures
• Communicate to the team and to families clearly, and follow through on the actions that come out of the review

Where people lose the point

• ×Waiting for infection prevention to notice
• ×Assuming it is coincidence because the patients are in different bays
• ×Focusing on cleaning alone without reviewing practice and shared equipment