MRSA & hygiene in the Kenntnisprüfung
Multidrug-resistant organisms in everyday nursing: understanding transmission routes, putting on and taking off protective clothing in the right order, isolating without stigmatising – and mastering hand disinfection according to the 5 moments.
Content created with AI assistance from public clinical sources (RKI, AWMF) – may contain mistakes; if in doubt, your textbook is right
Translated from the German original, which is authoritative. The exam itself is in German.
Sample questions from exam preparation
What is the single most important measure against the transmission of pathogens?
- Wearing gloves for every task
- Consistent hygienic hand disinfection (hygienische Händedesinfektion)
- Daily surface disinfection of all floors
- Surgical masks for all nursing staff
Explanation: Hand disinfection is the most effective and cheapest infection prevention. Gloves do not replace it — you disinfect before putting them on and after taking them off.
According to the WHO “5 moments”, when do you perform hand disinfection?
- At the start of the shift, before breaks and at the end of the shift, and when the hands are visibly soiled
- After patient contact and after contact with infectious material — before that, clean gloves are enough
- Before patient contact, before aseptic tasks, after infectious material, after the patient and the patient’s surroundings
- Before aseptic tasks and after patient contact; after contact with the surroundings it is not necessary
Explanation: The five moments structure hand hygiene around the patient. Visible soiling additionally requires hand washing — disinfection alone does not remove coarse dirt.
Key German terms for MRSA & hygiene
- die hygienische Händedesinfektion – hygienic hand disinfection
- die 5 Momente der Händedesinfektion – WHO five moments for hand hygiene
- der MRSA – MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
- der multiresistente Erreger (MRE) – multidrug-resistant organism
- die Kolonisation / die Besiedlung – colonization
20 exam questions on MRSA & hygiene, plus case simulations with an AI examiner and graded feedback – practise until you feel confident.
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