Original DHA nursing questions on public health & prevention, with explanations.
Short answer: 10 original multiple-choice practice questions on public health & prevention for nurses preparing for the DHA licensing exam, each with the correct answer and a full explanation. This is a Meddex topic, not a DHA heading. They are original and are not real exam items.
About these questions
Every question here is original. Meddex wrote it for exam preparation. None is a real, recalled or leaked exam item, and none comes from DHA, Prometric, UAE University or the NIHS.
Meddex is independent and is not affiliated with DHA, Prometric, UAE University or the NIHS.
Clinical review of the question bank is not complete yet. Treat the explanations as study aids and check official guidance before you rely on a fact.
This is a sample, not the whole bank, and doing well on it does not predict an exam result.
What public health covers
Screening, vaccination, health promotion and surveillance.
Know the logic of vaccine schedules, what each level of screening is for and the basic outbreak terms. Prevention questions favour the option that stops harm before it starts.
Where it fits in the exam
DHA lists four coverage headings for Registered Nurse and publishes no weights. Public Health & Prevention is one of ten Meddex domains, so it is a Meddex grouping and not a DHA heading. Its questions can appear under more than one DHA heading.
DHA does not state how many answer options its questions have or whether each has one best answer. Meddex practice items use four options with one best answer, as a practice format.
How to use these questions
Decide your answer before you press Show answer. Then read the reason for every option, including the ones you rejected. Note the idea you missed and come back to it in a few days.
Practice questions
Question 1
Public Health & PreventionMedium
Eight patients on a children's ward develop bloody diarrhoea within a week. The infection control nurse is asked to investigate a possible outbreak. Which is the first step of the investigation?
AOption A: Test every staff member and visitor in the building for the organism, before any case definition is agreed
BOption B: Compare attack rates in people exposed and not exposed to each food or other suspected source
COption C: Verify the diagnosis and confirm that cases exceed the expected number
DOption D: Write the final report for the health authority, with recommendations for the other wards
Show answer for question 1
Correct answer: C. Verify the diagnosis and confirm that cases exceed the expected number
Outbreak investigations begin by confirming that an outbreak exists, which means checking the diagnosis (for example by laboratory confirmation) and comparing the number of cases with the number expected. Case definitions, case finding, descriptive epidemiology, hypothesis testing such as comparing attack rates, control measures and the final report follow. Testing everyone or comparing attack rates before cases are defined wastes effort and can mislead.
Why A is wrong. Wide testing before cases are defined is costly and hard to interpret.
Why B is wrong. Comparing attack rates tests hypotheses, which comes after cases are defined and described.
Why D is wrong. The report is the last step, after findings and control measures.
Topic: Outbreak investigation: first step. Reference: CDC. Principles of epidemiology in public health practice, 3rd edition: investigating an outbreak; WHO. Foodborne disease outbreaks: guidelines for investigation and control, 2008
Question 2
Public Health & PreventionMedium
Twenty minutes after a childhood vaccine, a boy develops hives and wheeze. He is treated with intramuscular adrenaline and recovers. What should the nurse do afterwards?
AOption A: Tell the parents it was a coincidence and give the next dose as scheduled, since the reaction was treated
BOption B: Record it in the child's notes only, because the reaction was treated successfully and he has recovered fully
COption C: Report it only if he is admitted to hospital overnight, because only admissions are counted as serious reactions by the programme
DOption D: Document the event and report it as a suspected adverse event following immunisation to the national system
Show answer for question 2
Correct answer: D. Document the event and report it as a suspected adverse event following immunisation to the national system
A serious reaction such as anaphylaxis after vaccination is documented in the child's record and reported as a suspected adverse event following immunisation through the national pharmacovigilance or immunisation programme, so that vaccine safety can be monitored. The parents are told about the event, and further doses are decided after specialist assessment. Reporting does not depend on admission, and a reaction is not dismissed as coincidence.
Why A is wrong. Calling a reaction coincidence and giving the next dose without assessment risks a repeat reaction.
Why B is wrong. Recording only in the child's notes means that the safety system never learns of the event.
Why C is wrong. Reporting does not depend on hospital admission, and delay loses safety information.
Topic: Immunisation: reporting a suspected adverse event following immunisation. Reference: WHO. Global manual on surveillance of adverse events following immunization, 2016; WHO. Immunization safety surveillance: guidelines for immunization programme managers on surveillance of adverse events following immunization, 3rd edition, 2016
Question 3
Public Health & PreventionEasy
A child in a clinic has fever, cough, conjunctivitis and a spreading maculopapular rash that the nurse suspects is measles. What is the MOST appropriate action?
AOption A: Apply a topical cream for the rash and give routine advice about fever and fluids
BOption B: Place the child in an airborne isolation room and notify public health per local procedure
COption C: Seat the child in the open waiting area with a surgical mask until the doctor is free to review
DOption D: Send the family home and advise them to return if the rash worsens or the fever persists
Show answer for question 3
Correct answer: B. Place the child in an airborne isolation room and notify public health per local procedure
Measles is highly infectious by airborne spread and is a notifiable disease. The child should be isolated immediately and the case reported through the local public health notification system.
Why A is wrong. Symptomatic treatment alone ignores infection control and the duty to notify.
Why C is wrong. A shared waiting area exposes other patients, including infants, to airborne virus; a surgical mask does not remove that risk.
Why D is wrong. Sending the family home unreported prevents contact tracing and exposes the community.
Topic: Notifiable disease. Reference: WHO Measles fact sheet; CDC Infection Control Guidelines for Measles
Question 4
Public Health & PreventionMedium
On arriving at a primary care clinic, the nurse finds the vaccine refrigerator thermometer reading 11 C. What is the BEST action?
AOption A: Discard the vaccines immediately and restock without telling anyone about the excursion
BOption B: Use the vaccines first at today's clinic since they are cold and within their expiry date
COption C: Move the vaccines to the freezer to bring the temperature down quickly, then use them
DOption D: Quarantine the vaccines with a do-not-use label, report, and seek advice on viability
Show answer for question 4
Correct answer: D. Quarantine the vaccines with a do-not-use label, report, and seek advice on viability
Vaccines must be kept at 2 to 8 C. After a temperature excursion the stock should be isolated, the event reported and the manufacturer or immunisation lead consulted before any decision about use or discard. Freezing damages many vaccines.
Why A is wrong. Discarding without reporting wastes stock that may still be viable and prevents investigation of the cause.
Why B is wrong. Using stock that has been outside 2 to 8 C risks giving ineffective protection.
Why C is wrong. Freezing damages adjuvanted and many other vaccines and does not restore a validated cold chain.
Topic: Vaccine cold chain. Reference: WHO Immunization in Practice; CDC Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit
Question 5
Public Health & PreventionMedium
A woman is told her breast screening mammogram was abnormal and asks, 'So do I have cancer?' Which is the MOST accurate nursing response?
AOption A: The test is highly accurate, so you do not need to worry about the result
BOption B: Yes, an abnormal result on a mammogram means that you have breast cancer
COption C: Repeat the screening mammogram in twelve months to see whether the finding changes
DOption D: This is a screening result, not a diagnosis; further tests are needed to confirm
Show answer for question 5
Correct answer: D. This is a screening result, not a diagnosis; further tests are needed to confirm
Screening tests identify people who need further investigation and are not diagnostic. Honest explanation avoids both false certainty and false reassurance and ensures timely referral for confirmatory tests.
Why A is wrong. No screening test is perfectly accurate, and false reassurance may delay confirmatory tests.
Why B is wrong. An abnormal screen does not by itself confirm cancer, and stating so causes needless alarm.
Why C is wrong. Waiting a year delays diagnosis if the finding is a cancer.
Topic: Screening principles. Reference: WHO Screening programmes: a short guide; NICE Breast cancer guidance
Question 6
Public Health & PreventionEasy
A mother brings her afebrile 12-month-old with a mild runny nose for the scheduled MMR vaccine. What should the nurse do?
AOption A: Refuse to vaccinate until a doctor has confirmed she is well
BOption B: Postpone for four weeks until the cold has fully resolved, then rebook
COption C: Give paracetamol now and ask the mother to return in a week
DOption D: Proceed with the vaccine after checking for true contraindications
Show answer for question 6
Correct answer: D. Proceed with the vaccine after checking for true contraindications
Minor illness without fever is not a contraindication to vaccination, and unnecessary delay leaves the child unprotected. The nurse should screen for genuine contraindications such as anaphylaxis to a previous dose or immunosuppression, then vaccinate.
Why A is wrong. No physician review is required for a mild afebrile illness; the nurse can screen for contraindications.
Why B is wrong. Postponing for a minor afebrile cold is unnecessary and leaves the child unprotected for longer.
Why C is wrong. Pre-treatment with paracetamol and delay do not address a contraindication that does not exist.
Topic: Immunisation. Reference: WHO Vaccine safety basics; CDC General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization
Question 7
Public Health & PreventionMedium
A smoker tells the nurse, 'I know I should quit, but I enjoy smoking and I am not sure I can do it.' According to the Transtheoretical Model, the BEST nursing response is to:
AOption A: Explore the pros and cons of smoking and of quitting with the patient
BOption B: Explain the risk of lung cancer and heart disease in detail each visit
COption C: Agree a quit date for next week and start nicotine patches immediately
DOption D: End the conversation politely and review the patient in twelve months
Show answer for question 7
Correct answer: A. Explore the pros and cons of smoking and of quitting with the patient
The patient is ambivalent, which fits contemplation. Motivational interviewing explores ambivalence and builds confidence without pressure. Action-stage tools, repeated warnings and disengaging are mismatched to this stage.
Why B is wrong. Repeated fear-based messages rarely change behaviour and can make a patient defensive.
Why C is wrong. A quit date and patches are action-stage interventions and are premature for an ambivalent patient.
Why D is wrong. Disengaging for a year misses an opportunity to support a patient who already says she should quit.
Topic: Behaviour change. Reference: WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control guidelines; NICE Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting
Question 8
Public Health & PreventionMedium
A community nurse organises a blood pressure and blood glucose screening day for adults with no known disease. This activity is BEST classified as:
AOption A: Secondary prevention
BOption B: Primary prevention
COption C: Tertiary prevention
DOption D: Quaternary prevention
Show answer for question 8
Correct answer: A. Secondary prevention
Screening detects asymptomatic disease early so that treatment can start sooner, which is secondary prevention. Primary prevention prevents disease onset such as vaccination, and tertiary reduces complications of established disease.
Why B is wrong. Primary prevention aims to stop disease occurring, for example immunisation.
Why C is wrong. Tertiary prevention manages established disease to limit disability.
Why D is wrong. Quaternary prevention avoids over-medicalisation and is not the aim here.
Topic: Levels of prevention. Reference: WHO Health promotion glossary; Stanhope and Lancaster Public Health Nursing
Question 9
Public Health & PreventionMedium
A newly hired nurse completed the hepatitis B vaccine series. What is the recommended next step in occupational health?
AOption A: Check anti-HBs one to two months after the final dose to confirm a protective response
BOption B: No further action is needed because completing the series is taken to confirm immunity
COption C: Repeat the full series after two years to maintain immunity against hepatitis B
DOption D: Give a single booster dose every year for as long as she works in a clinical area
Show answer for question 9
Correct answer: A. Check anti-HBs one to two months after the final dose to confirm a protective response
Healthcare workers should have post-vaccination serology one to two months after the last dose to confirm a protective anti-HBs response. Non-responders need review and repeat vaccination, and routine annual boosters are not recommended.
Why B is wrong. Immunity cannot be assumed without confirming the antibody response in a healthcare worker, because some people do not respond.
Why C is wrong. Repeating the whole series is unnecessary when a protective response can be documented, and non-responders need individual review.
Why D is wrong. Routine annual boosters are not recommended in responders and do not replace post-vaccination testing.
Topic: Occupational health. Reference: CDC Immunization of Health-Care Personnel; WHO Hepatitis B vaccines position paper
Question 10
Public Health & PreventionEasy
A community nurse is reviewing services. Which activity is an example of tertiary prevention?
AOption A: Testing blood pressure at a shopping centre to find undiagnosed hypertension
BOption B: Running a pulmonary rehabilitation class for people with COPD
COption C: Holding a cervical screening clinic for women aged 25 to 49
DOption D: Offering HPV vaccination to girls and boys at school
Show answer for question 10
Correct answer: B. Running a pulmonary rehabilitation class for people with COPD
Tertiary prevention reduces disability and complications in people who already have established disease, for example rehabilitation. Immunisation is primary prevention, and screening to find early disease in people without symptoms is secondary prevention.
Why A is wrong. Blood pressure checks find existing disease early, which is secondary prevention.
Why C is wrong. Cervical screening detects early disease in people without symptoms, which is secondary prevention.
Why D is wrong. Immunisation prevents infection and disease before it starts, which is primary prevention.
Topic: Levels of prevention - tertiary. Reference: WHO Health Promotion Glossary; Gordis Epidemiology
Practise more public health questions
A free account lets you practise this subject in the app, review your mistakes and track progress. Nothing to pay.
Meddex is an independent preparation platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Prometric, UAE University or the National Institute of Health Specialties (NIHS). Always confirm exam details on the official websites. Last reviewed .
Frequently asked questions
DHA does not publish how many questions come from each topic. It lists four coverage headings for Registered Nurse with no weights. Meddex groups its questions into ten domains of its own.
No. They are original practice questions written by Meddex for exam preparation. DHA does not publish sample questions, and its Assessment Manual says sharing assessment questions is not allowed, so we do not use or claim real or recalled items.
The Meddex app has the full bank, which you can practise by topic with a free account. These pages are a short sample, and the questions on them do not change.
No. Each question has a Show answer button. The answer, the explanation and the reason each wrong option is wrong are part of the page text, so they are there when you press it.