What is the primary goal of Infection Control in a health care setting?

Infection control in a healthcare setting is primarily focused on the identification, prevention, monitoring, and minimization of infections. This goal is critical because infections can significantly impact patient outcomes, increase healthcare costs, and lead to longer hospital stays. By implementing infection control protocols, healthcare facilities aim to reduce the rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), safeguard both patients and staff, and maintain a safe environment for care delivery.

While increasing patient satisfaction, enhancing staff performance, and improving diagnostic accuracy are important objectives within healthcare, they are not the primary focus of infection control. Rather, effective infection control measures contribute to these broader goals by ensuring that patients are less likely to acquire infections during their care, which in turn can lead to higher satisfaction levels, better staff morale, and more accurate diagnostics by reducing complications associated with infections. Therefore, the core aim of infection control is the proactive management of infections to protect overall health and safety within the institution.