Which of the following are core activities of an infection prevention and control (IPC) program?

The core activities of an infection prevention and control (IPC) program primarily focus on identifying, monitoring, and mitigating infection risks within healthcare settings. Among the listed options, monitoring infection rates in the facility is essential as it helps to detect potential outbreaks and assess the effectiveness of infection control practices. This monitoring is crucial for making informed decisions regarding interventions that can reduce infection rates.

Identifying patient care trends and patterns is also a fundamental activity, as understanding how infections spread and the specific conditions under which they occur enables healthcare providers to implement targeted strategies to minimize risks. This trend analysis can reveal insights about the types of procedures or environments that might be contributing to the spread of infections.

Surveillance of employee training needs, while important for ensuring staff are well-equipped to handle infection control measures, does not directly fall under the core activities focused on preventing and managing infections in patients. It is more of a supportive element to ensure that all staff are adequately trained, but not a direct component of infection control itself.

Therefore, the selection of all the items listed except issues related to falls highlights a comprehensive approach to infection control, focusing on patient care and direct infection monitoring while acknowledging that specific safety issues like falls fall under a different realm of patient safety management rather than infection prevention directly.