nosocomial
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Relating to or originating in a hospital: Describes something, typically an infection or condition, that is acquired in or associated with a hospital or other healthcare facility.
Usage
- The adjective nosocomial is used almost exclusively in medical and public health contexts to describe infections or diseases.
- It is typically placed before a noun (e.g., ) but can follow a linking verb (e.g., ).
- It is a formal, technical term.
Examples
- Adjective:
- Strict hand hygiene is crucial to prevent nosocomial infections.
- The patient developed a nosocomial pneumonia after a week in the intensive care unit.
- Public health officials track rates of nosocomial disease outbreaks.
Advanced Usage
- "Nosocomial transmission": The spread of a pathogen within a healthcare setting.
- The investigation focused on the nosocomial transmission of the virus between patients and staff.
- "Hospital-acquired": A more common, less technical synonym for nosocomial.
- The terms hospital-acquired and nosocomial are often used interchangeably in medical literature.
Variants and Related Words
- Nosocomially (adverb): In a manner relating to a hospital.
- The bacterium was nosocomially transmitted.
- Healthcare-associated infection (HAI): A broader modern term that includes infections acquired in any healthcare setting (e.g., nursing homes, clinics), not just hospitals. It often encompasses nosocomial infections.
Synonyms
- Hospital-acquired: Obtained during a stay in a hospital.
- Hospital-associated: Connected with a hospital.
Antonyms
- Community-acquired: Obtained outside of a healthcare setting, in the general community.
Adjective
- taking place or originating in a hospital
- nosocomial infection