What is the goal of standard precautions in healthcare?

The goal of standard precautions in healthcare is to prevent infection and treat all body fluids as if they are infectious. This approach is crucial for safeguarding both healthcare workers and patients from potential exposures to pathogens. Standard precautions include practices such as proper hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when necessary, and the safe handling of needles and sharp objects.

By applying these precautions universally, healthcare providers can minimize the risk of transmission of infectious agents, regardless of a patient’s known infection status. This is particularly important in environments where a variety of patients with differing health conditions are treated, ensuring a safer experience for everyone involved.

The other options do not reflect the primary purpose of standard precautions: reducing patient wait times, enhancing patient comfort, and protecting staff from physical harm, while important in their own right, do not directly relate to infection control practices that standard precautions are established to address.