Which term describes infection acquired in a healthcare setting?

• A. Healthcare-associated infection (nosocomial infection)
• B. Systemic infection
• C. Acute infection
• D. Community-acquired infection

Answer: (A)

Infections that a person acquires while receiving care in a hospital or other healthcare setting are described as healthcare-associated infections. This term specifically means the infection did not exist or wasn’t incubating at the time of admission and developed during the course of care in the facility. The older term nosocomial infection is used interchangeably and emphasizes the hospital origin. This differs from systemic infections, which refer to infection spread within the body; acute infections, which describe the pace and duration of illness but not where it was acquired; and community-acquired infections, which are contracted outside the healthcare setting. Therefore, the best description for an infection acquired in a healthcare setting is healthcare-associated infection (nosocomial infection).