Which of the following is NOT a function of an effective surveillance program?

• A. Detect infections and injuries
• B. Identify trends
• C. Detect outbreaks and clusters
• D. Assign bed colors for patient flow

Answer: (D)

Infection control surveillance is about systematically collecting, analyzing, and interpreting infection-related data to guide prevention and response. It focuses on detecting infections and injuries, watching for patterns over time, and identifying outbreaks or clusters so that timely control measures can be taken.

Assigning bed colors for patient flow isn’t part of that data-driven monitoring and analysis. Bed color coding is an operational or logistical tool used to manage patient movement, isolation zoning, or resource allocation, not to track infection trends or trigger outbreak responses. So while bed management is important for hospital operations, it doesn’t constitute a function of an effective surveillance program.