Are hospitals liable for nosocomial infection?
The pneumonia your son contracted from the first hospital is a nosocomial infection, also known as a hospital-acquired infection. A nosocomial infection is a clinically-diagnosed infection that is not part of the condition that first brought the patient to the hospital. Hospital-acquired pneumonia is the second leading nosocomial infection and usually occurs 48 to 72 hours after the patient’s admittance to a hospital. Some nosocomial infections occur when hospital personnel do not wash their hands or sterilize equipment between patients. Bacterial infections can also be passed from contagious patients.
