A nurse is tasked with ensuring proper disinfection of medical instruments between uses. The nurse notices that the facility’s disinfection protocol is outdated and not fully compliant with current national guidelines, potentially putting patients at risk of infection. What is the nurse’s ethical obligation?

Follow the outdated protocol to avoid changing routines.
Disinfect instruments using their own improvised methods.
Report the outdated protocol to infection control, and advocate for updating and strict adherence to current guidelines to protect patient safety.
Tell patients about the outdated protocol.

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