True or False: Infection Prevention in Combat-related Injuries standard precautions apply to all patients, regardless of their infectious status.

The statement is true because standard precautions in infection prevention are designed to be applied universally to all patients, regardless of their known or suspected infectious status. This approach ensures that healthcare providers minimize the risk of transmission of infections in a clinical setting. Standard precautions include practices such as hand hygiene, using personal protective equipment (PPE), and safe injection practices. The rationale behind this universal application is that a patient may have an undiagnosed infectious disease, and assuming that all patients could potentially carry infection helps protect both healthcare workers and other patients from harm.

By adhering to these standard precautions, healthcare personnel maintain a higher level of safety and create a more controlled environment, particularly important in combat-related injuries where the risk of infection can be significantly heightened due to contamination and exposure.