A nosocomial infection is defined as an infection that is acquired where?

• A. Present but not apparent at the time of hospitalization
• B. Acquired during the course of hospitalization
• C. Caused by medical personnel
• D. Acquired during surgery

Answer: (B)

Nosocomial infections are infections that develop after a patient has been admitted to a hospital; they are acquired during the course of the hospital stay and were not present or incubating at admission. This means the timing is the key: the infection appears after the patient has entered the hospital, not something the patient already had when they arrived. It can arise from various hospital-related sources—procedures, invasive devices, or transmission from the environment or staff—rather than being tied specifically to surgery or to whom caused it. So the best description is that it is acquired during the course of hospitalization.