Hospitaläre

Hospitaläre is an adjective in German that denotes something relating to or occurring in a hospital. Derived from hospital, the term is used primarily in formal or technical language within medicine, healthcare administration, and research. It contrasts with ambulant (outpatient) and with stationär (inpatient) in many contexts, although in everyday speech people usually say im Krankenhaus or im Spital.

In practice, hospitaläre Dinge include hospitaläre Behandlung (treatment that takes place in a hospital), hospitaläre Versorgung (hospital-based care), hospitaläre Kosten (costs incurred in hospital care), and hospitaläre Infektionen (infections acquired in the hospital). The latter is commonly referred to in English as nosocomial infections; in German, both nosokomiale Infektionen and hospitaläre Infektionen may be used, though nosokomiale is more precise in epidemiology.

The term appears in medical literature, health policy, and billing documentation. It helps distinguish between services and outcomes that are present within the hospital setting versus those provided on an outpatient basis, such as ambulante oder stationäre Versorgung.

Note: While standard in specialized contexts, hospitalär is less common in everyday German; many speakers prefer "im Krankenhaus" or "stationär" to convey the same idea.