Final answer:
Universal precautions refer to the standard measures used by healthcare professionals to prevent the transmission of infections from blood and other bodily fluids, by treating them all as potentially infectious.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that best defines universal precautions is c) Standard measures to be followed to prevent the spread of infection from blood and other bodily fluids. Universal precautions are a set of guidelines that healthcare professionals follow to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious agents. This involves treating all human blood and certain human body fluids as if they were known to be infectious for bloodborne pathogens, like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.
By assuming that all blood and bodily fluids could be infectious, healthcare workers take stringent measures to protect themselves and their patients from potential infection. These precautions include proper hand hygiene, using personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and goggles, proper disposal of sharps and biomedical waste, and following safe injection practices, among others. The goal of universal precautions is to reduce the risk of disease transmission in healthcare settings to protect both healthcare providers and patients.