Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC) Practice Exam 2026 - Free CBIC Practice Questions and Study Guide

Targeted surveillance can miss important outbreaks because it often concentrates on specific areas or populations that have been identified as being at higher risk for infection, which can lead to an oversight of breaches or issues in non-targeted areas. While this approach can facilitate the allocation of resources to high-risk zones, it may inadvertently ignore less obvious pathways or settings where infections could emerge and spread.

For example, if surveillance efforts are focused solely on large hospitals with a high volume of patients, smaller healthcare facilities or outpatient settings might not receive the same level of scrutiny, concealing potential outbreaks. This narrow focus may result in undetected infections that could have broader implications if they are not identified and addressed promptly.

On the other hand, concentrating resources excessively or not aligning with current practices might affect the efficiency and relevance of surveillance, but the fundamental nature of targeted surveillance itself often contributes directly to the missing of vital outbreak data, particularly in those areas that are not prioritized for monitoring.