PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY NCLEX
QUESTIONS 2026/2027| NCLEX-Style
Questions with Verified Answer
Q1: A nurse is caring for a patient with confirmed Clostridioides difficile (C. diff)
infection. Which PPE is required before entering the room?
A. Gloves and surgical mask only
B. Gown and gloves
C. N95 respirator, gown, and gloves
D. Face shield and sterile gloves
Rationale: C. diff requires Contact Precautions—gown and gloves. Surgical mask
(A) is for droplet; N95 (C) is for airborne; face shield and sterile gloves (D) are
unnecessary.
Q2: A nurse is preparing to insert a Foley catheter. Which hand hygiene method
is most appropriate before the procedure?
A. Alcohol-based hand rub for 15 seconds
B. Soap and water handwashing for at least 20 seconds
C. Wearing gloves alone is sufficient; no hand hygiene needed
D. Alcohol-based hand rub for 5 seconds
Rationale: Invasive procedures require soap and water handwashing for at least
20 seconds. Alcohol rub (A) is acceptable for standard care but soap and water is
preferred before invasive procedures.
Q3: A patient is admitted with active pulmonary tuberculosis. The nurse should
place the patient in which type of isolation?
A. Contact Precautions
B. Droplet Precautions
,C. Airborne Precautions
D. Protective Isolation
Rationale: TB spreads via airborne droplet nuclei, requiring Airborne Precautions
with negative-pressure room and N95 respirator.
Q4: A nurse enters a patient’s room wearing gloves after changing a wound
dressing. Before leaving the room, what is the correct sequence?
A. Remove gloves, perform hand hygiene, then leave
B. Leave the room first, then remove gloves at the nurses’ station
C. Remove gloves and leave; hand hygiene can wait until after documentation
D. Wipe gloves with alcohol-based hand rub and reuse them for the next patient
Rationale: Gloves must be removed and hand hygiene performed before leaving
the room to prevent pathogen spread.
Q5: A patient is on neutropenic precautions. Which visitor restriction is most
appropriate?
A. Allow all visitors as long as they wear a surgical mask
B. Exclude visitors with active infections (cold, flu, or recent fever)
C. Allow only immediate family
D. No visitors are allowed at any time
Rationale: Neutropenic patients are severely immunocompromised. Visitors with
any signs of infection must be excluded. Masks help but do not eliminate risk.
Q6: A nurse finds a patient on the floor next to the bed. The patient says, “I
tried to go to the bathroom but fell.” What is the nurse’s priority action?
A. Help the patient back to bed immediately
B. Assess the patient for injuries before moving
C. Complete an incident report
D. Notify the physician
, Rationale: The priority is to assess for possible fractures or head injury before
moving the patient. Moving an injured patient can worsen harm.
Q7: A hospitalized older adult has a high fall risk score. Which intervention is
most effective for preventing falls?
A. Keep all four side rails up at night
B. Place a bed alarm and ensure the call light is within reach
C. Apply wrist restraints at bedtime
D. Ambulate the patient only once per shift
Rationale: Bed alarms alert staff to unsafe exits. Keeping four side rails up is
considered a restraint and increases injury risk. Call light access promotes safe
assistance.
Q8: A nurse is administering medications. Which action best follows the “rights”
of medication administration?
A. Checking the room number before giving the drug
B. Verifying the patient’s name and date of birth against the wristband and
medication record
C. Asking the patient, “Are you Mr. Jones?”
D. Assuming the patient in the bed is the correct one
Rationale: Two patient identifiers (e.g., name and DOB) are standard. Asking a
leading question or using room number is unsafe.
Q9: A sentinel event has occurred on a medical unit. What is the primary
purpose of a root cause analysis (RCA)?
A. Assign blame to the responsible staff member
B. Identify system failures and process improvements to prevent recurrence
C. Document the event for legal purposes only
D. Determine the financial impact of the event
Rationale: RCA focuses on systems, not individual blame, to improve safety and
prevent future events.
QUESTIONS 2026/2027| NCLEX-Style
Questions with Verified Answer
Q1: A nurse is caring for a patient with confirmed Clostridioides difficile (C. diff)
infection. Which PPE is required before entering the room?
A. Gloves and surgical mask only
B. Gown and gloves
C. N95 respirator, gown, and gloves
D. Face shield and sterile gloves
Rationale: C. diff requires Contact Precautions—gown and gloves. Surgical mask
(A) is for droplet; N95 (C) is for airborne; face shield and sterile gloves (D) are
unnecessary.
Q2: A nurse is preparing to insert a Foley catheter. Which hand hygiene method
is most appropriate before the procedure?
A. Alcohol-based hand rub for 15 seconds
B. Soap and water handwashing for at least 20 seconds
C. Wearing gloves alone is sufficient; no hand hygiene needed
D. Alcohol-based hand rub for 5 seconds
Rationale: Invasive procedures require soap and water handwashing for at least
20 seconds. Alcohol rub (A) is acceptable for standard care but soap and water is
preferred before invasive procedures.
Q3: A patient is admitted with active pulmonary tuberculosis. The nurse should
place the patient in which type of isolation?
A. Contact Precautions
B. Droplet Precautions
,C. Airborne Precautions
D. Protective Isolation
Rationale: TB spreads via airborne droplet nuclei, requiring Airborne Precautions
with negative-pressure room and N95 respirator.
Q4: A nurse enters a patient’s room wearing gloves after changing a wound
dressing. Before leaving the room, what is the correct sequence?
A. Remove gloves, perform hand hygiene, then leave
B. Leave the room first, then remove gloves at the nurses’ station
C. Remove gloves and leave; hand hygiene can wait until after documentation
D. Wipe gloves with alcohol-based hand rub and reuse them for the next patient
Rationale: Gloves must be removed and hand hygiene performed before leaving
the room to prevent pathogen spread.
Q5: A patient is on neutropenic precautions. Which visitor restriction is most
appropriate?
A. Allow all visitors as long as they wear a surgical mask
B. Exclude visitors with active infections (cold, flu, or recent fever)
C. Allow only immediate family
D. No visitors are allowed at any time
Rationale: Neutropenic patients are severely immunocompromised. Visitors with
any signs of infection must be excluded. Masks help but do not eliminate risk.
Q6: A nurse finds a patient on the floor next to the bed. The patient says, “I
tried to go to the bathroom but fell.” What is the nurse’s priority action?
A. Help the patient back to bed immediately
B. Assess the patient for injuries before moving
C. Complete an incident report
D. Notify the physician
, Rationale: The priority is to assess for possible fractures or head injury before
moving the patient. Moving an injured patient can worsen harm.
Q7: A hospitalized older adult has a high fall risk score. Which intervention is
most effective for preventing falls?
A. Keep all four side rails up at night
B. Place a bed alarm and ensure the call light is within reach
C. Apply wrist restraints at bedtime
D. Ambulate the patient only once per shift
Rationale: Bed alarms alert staff to unsafe exits. Keeping four side rails up is
considered a restraint and increases injury risk. Call light access promotes safe
assistance.
Q8: A nurse is administering medications. Which action best follows the “rights”
of medication administration?
A. Checking the room number before giving the drug
B. Verifying the patient’s name and date of birth against the wristband and
medication record
C. Asking the patient, “Are you Mr. Jones?”
D. Assuming the patient in the bed is the correct one
Rationale: Two patient identifiers (e.g., name and DOB) are standard. Asking a
leading question or using room number is unsafe.
Q9: A sentinel event has occurred on a medical unit. What is the primary
purpose of a root cause analysis (RCA)?
A. Assign blame to the responsible staff member
B. Identify system failures and process improvements to prevent recurrence
C. Document the event for legal purposes only
D. Determine the financial impact of the event
Rationale: RCA focuses on systems, not individual blame, to improve safety and
prevent future events.
