Final answer:
The objective that is NOT part of surgical prep is the sterilization of the skin. Surgical prep aims to reduce microbial load but cannot achieve complete sterilization due to the quick recolonization from deeper skin areas.
Step-by-step explanation:
The objective of surgical prep is to reduce the possibility of infection during and after surgical procedures. This is achieved by removal of dirt, skin oil, and microbes from the skin, reduction of bacterial count, and to ensure that the surgical site does not promote the regrowth of microbes for several hours. Therefore, the option that is NOT an objective of surgical prep is b. Sterilization of the skin. Sterilization implies the complete destruction or removal of all forms of microbial life, which is not possible to achieve on living human skin. In contrast, the goal of surgical preparation is to decrease the microbial load to as low a level as possible to prevent postoperative infections.
Desquamation, or the shedding of the outer layer of the skin, also helps in preventing infections by removing microbes that adhere to the outermost cells. Moreover, skin cannot be truly sterilized because areas such as hair follicles and adjacent parts will quickly recolonize the area. Surgical scrubs and other antiseptic methods focus on debulking the number of microorganisms rather than achieving complete sterilization.