The Hospital's Obligation to Protect Patients from Carriers of Infectious Diseases

A nosocomial infection is one which occurs in a patient who has been in a hospital for at least 72 hours and who did not have signs and symptoms of such infection upon admission. New American Pocket Medical Dictionary (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York) (1978).

See, e.g., Barber M. Whitehead J.E.M. , Bacteriophage Types in Penicillin-resistant Staphylococcal Infection, British Medical Journal 2:565–71 (1949); Thoburn R. Infections Acquired By Hospitalized Patients, Archives of Internal Medicine 121(1):1–10 (1968); Williams R.E.O. , Changing Perspectives in Hospital Infection, Proceedings of the International Conference on Nosocomial Infections, pp. 1–10, edited by Brachman P.S. Eickhoff T.C. (American Hospital Association, Chicago) (1971) [hereinafter referred to as Proceedings on Nosocomial Infections].

See generally, Dixon R.E. , Effect of Infections on Hospital Care, Annals of Internal Medicine 89(2): 749–53 (1968).

Sherris J.C. , The Epidemiology of Drug Resistance, Proceedings on Nosocomial Infections, supra note 2, at 50–60.

Stamm W.E. Indwelling Arterial Catheters as a Source of Nosocomial Bacteremia: An Outbreak Caused by Flavobacterium Species. New England Journal of Medicine 292: 1099–102 (May 1979).

Cluff L.E. , Medical Determinants of Nosocomial Infections, Proceedings on Nosocomial Infections, supra note 2, at 164–68.

Moore B. , Surveillance of Hospital Infection, Proceedings on Nosocomial Infections, supra note 2, at 272–76.

Yarbrough M.G. , Training Needs of the Infection Control Nurse, Annals of Internal Medicine 89(2): 815–17 (1978).

Edinger S.E. , Legal and Regulatory Considerations: Federal and State Requirements for Surveillance, Infection Control in Health Care Facilities, pp. 171–82, edited by Cundy K.R. Ball W. , (Baltimore University Park Press, Baltimore) (1977).

See, e.g., Thompson v. Methodist Hospital, 367 S.W.2d 134(Tenn. 1962) (action to recover for injuries allegedly sustained by a newborn baby and its mother and father from a staphylococcus aureus infection contracted by the baby after birth in the hospital); Yeates v. Harms, 393 P.2d 982 (Kans. 1964) (patient who had undergone eye surgery lost eye as result of post-operative infection contracted in hospital). Also see Horsh D.J. , Legal Aspects of Infection Control (Center for Disease Control, Atlanta) (1967).

Stamm W.E. Bennett J.V. , Nosocomial Infections, Communicable and Infectious Diseases, p. 468, edited by Top F.H. Wehrle P.F. (C.V. Mosby Co., St. Louis) (1976) (hereinafter referred to as Communicable and Infectious Diseases].

Scheckler W.E. , Prevalence of Infections and Antibiotic Usage in Eight Community Hospitals, Proceedings on Nosocomial Infections, supra note 2, at 299–305.

Nahmias A.J. Eickhoff T.C. , Staphylococcal Infections in Hospitals: Recent Developments in Epidemiologic and Laboratory Investigation, New England Journal of Medicine 265(2): 74–81 (part 1); 265(3): 120–28, at 122 (part 2); 265(4): 177–82 (part 3) (1961); Stollerman G.H. , Group A Streptococcal Infection, Textbook of Medicine, pp. 291–94, edited by Beeson P.B. McDermott W. (W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia) (1975).

Dineen P. , Influence of Operating Room Conduct on Wound Infections, Surgical Clinics of North America 55(6): 1283–87 (December 1975); Dineen P. , Infections Following Surgical Operations, Infectious Disease, pp. 1233–35, edited by Hoeprich P.D. (Harper & Row, Hagerstown, MD) (1972); Nahmias A.J. Wickhoff T.C. , Staphylococcal Infections in Hospitals, New England Journal of Medicine 265(3): 120–28, at 124 (1961).

Fekety F.R. Jr. , The Epidemiology and Prevention of Staphylococcal Infections, Medicine 43: 593–613 (September 1964); Mogabgab W.J. , Influenza, Communicable and Infectious Diseases, supra note 11, at 369.

Koff R.S. , Viral Hepatitis at 102, 112, 118, 119–23 (John Wiley & Sons, New York) (1978) [hereinafter referred to as Viral Hepatitis].

Overturf G.D. Mathies A.W. , Salmonellosis, Communicable and Infectious Diseases, supra note 11, at 599.

See, e.g., Warren D.G. , Problems in Hospital Law 120 (Aspen Systems Corp., Germantown, MD) (1978) (hospital has duty to screen personnel to eliminate the chance that patients may come into contact with employees who are carriers of infection); Fekety F.R. , The Epidemiology and Prevention of Staphylococcal Infections, Medicine 43: 593–613 (September 1964).

Perspectives on the Control of Viral Hepatitis, Type B, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 25(17); Supp. 1–11 (May 7, 1976); Koff R.S. , Viral Hepatitis, supra note 16, at 115–19.

Nahmias A.J. , Postsurgical Staphylococcie Infections, Journal of the American Medical Association 174(10): 1269–75 (November 1960).

Werdegar D. , Guidelines for Infection Control Aspects of Employee Health, APIC 5: 15–22 (1977).

Holzman J. , The “Human” Factor in Infectious Contamination Within Hospitals, MAC, The Argonaut Insurance Companies (1974).

Kapuschinsky v. United States, 248 F. Supp. 732 (D.C.S.C. 1966).

Thompson v. Methodist Hospital, 367 S.W.2d 134 (Tenn. 1962).

Kapuschinsky v. United States, 248 F. Supp. 732, 748 (D.C.S.C. 1966).

Thompson v. Methodist Hospital, 367 S.W.2d 134, 139 (Tenn. 1962).

Thompson v. Methodist Hospital, 367 S.W.2d 134, 135 (Tenn. 1962).

Hurley v. Nashua Hospital Association, 191 A. 649, 650 (N.H. 1937).

Taaje v. St. Olaf Hospital, 271 N.W. 109, 110 (Minn. 1937).

Garrison v. Hotel Dieu, 319 So.2d 557 (La. App. 1975).

Sommers v. Sisters of Charity of Providence, 561 P.2d 603 (Ore. 1977).

Helman v. Sacred Heart Hospital, 381 P.2d 605 (Wash. 1963).

Madden J.W. , Wound Healing: Biological and Clinical Features, Davis-Christopher Textbook of Surgery, pp. 271–94, edited by Sabiston D.C. Jr. (W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia) (1977).

The J.C.A.H. requires on-going surveillance of infections in hospitalized patients with “required follow-up action;” exactly what follow-up action is appropriately left up to the hospital, or more specifically, the infection control practitioner. In the area of employee health services, the J.C.A.H. requires that hospitals maintain records of “pre-employment health examinations and subsequent health services rendered to the employees as are necessary to establish that all hospital employees are physically able to perform their duties and are free of active communicable disease.”

National Nosocomial Infections Study Report, at 18–20 (Center for Disease Control, Atlanta) (February 1970).

See. e.g., Barrett-Connor E. , Staphylococcal Infections in the Nursery. Epidemiology for the Infection Control Nurse, pp. 158–60, edited by Barrett-Connor E. Brandt S. Simon H.J. , and Chiaro D.C. (C.V. Mosby Co., St. Louis) (1978); Bartlett R.C. , Section on Microbiological Surveillance, Chapter 9 - Control of Hospital-associated Infections, Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 2d ed. (1974).