Efficacy refers to which of the following?

Efficacy refers to which of the following?

• A. Effectiveness
• B. Speed
• C. Cost
• D. Compliance

Answer: (A)

Efficacy measures how well something achieves its intended result. It tells you whether the intervention actually produces the desired effect under controlled, ideal conditions. In infection control, that means does the product or procedure reliably kill or remove pathogens when tested under standard conditions. It’s about the outcome, not about how fast it works (speed), how much it costs (cost), or whether people will follow it (compliance). So the best answer is the one that reflects the actual achievement of the desired result—its effectiveness.

Efficacy measures how well something achieves its intended result. It tells you whether the intervention actually produces the desired effect under controlled, ideal conditions. In infection control, that means does the product or procedure reliably kill or remove pathogens when tested under standard conditions. It’s about the outcome, not about how fast it works (speed), how much it costs (cost), or whether people will follow it (compliance). So the best answer is the one that reflects the actual achievement of the desired result—its effectiveness.