What does the term discard mean in basic infection control practice?

• A. To throw away
• B. To clean
• C. To disinfect
• D. To reuse

Answer: (A)

Discard means to throw away items that have been used or become contaminated and should not be cleaned and reused. In basic infection control, once something has been used or is contaminated with potentially infectious material, it is placed into the appropriate waste container to prevent spreading infection. This is different from cleaning (removing soil) and disinfection (killing pathogens on surfaces). Reusing an item would require proper cleaning and possibly sterilization, which is not what discarding entails. For example, used disposable gloves or paper towels are discarded to prevent cross-contamination.