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1157 Cards in this Set
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acute care nurse practitioner(ACNP)
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Nurse trained to function in the absence of a physician.
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advanced practice nurse (APN)
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Nurse with a master's degree in nursing, advanced education in pharmacology and physical assessment, and certification and expertise in a specialized area of practice. An APN usually works in a critical, acute, restorative, or community health care agency.
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American Nurses Association (ANA)
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Organization of professional nurses in the United States that focuses on standards of health care, nurses' professional development, and economic and general welfare of nurses.
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caregiver
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One who contributes the benefits of medical, social, economic, or environmental resources to a dependent or partially dependent individual.
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certified nurse-midwife (CNM)
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Nurse who is educated in midwifery and possesses certification in accordance with criteria of the American College of Midwives.
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certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
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An RN who has received advanced training in an accredited program in anesthesiology.
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client advocate
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Role in which the nurse protects the client's human and legal rights and provides assistance in asserting those rights if the need arises.
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clinical nurse specialist (CNS)
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Nurse with a master's degree in nursing and expertise in a specific area of practice.
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continuing education
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Formal educational programs designed to further the knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes of practicing nurses.
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in-service education
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Instruction or training provided by an agency or institution to nurses practicing within that agency or institution.
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International Council of Nurses (ICN)
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International organization for professional nurses; the ANA and Canadian Nurses Association (CAN) are members.
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National League for Nursing (NLN)
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Organization of nurses and laypeople concerned with improving nursing education, nursing service, and the delivery of health care in the United States. The NLN is the official accrediting agency for nursing schools.
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nurse administrator
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Nurse in a management position with an agency who focuses on the delivery of nursing services.
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nurse practitioner
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Nurse with advanced training or education who provides primary care for nonemergency clients, usually in an outpatient or community setting.
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nurse researcher
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Nurse with graduate nursing education who investigates problems related to nursing practice.
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professional organization
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Association of professionals created to deal with issues of concern to the profession as a whole.
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registered nurse (RN)
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Health care professional who has completed a course of study at an accredited school of professional nursing and has passed an examination administered by a State Board of Nursing or the Canadian Nurses Association Testing Service.
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adult day care centers
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Centers that provide a variety of health and social services to specific client populations who live alone or with family in the community.
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assisted living
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Attractive long-term care setting with a homier environment and greater resident autonomy.
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capitation
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Method of paying a physician, hospital, or managed care system for annual services based on a fee per client.
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discharge planning
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Set of decisions and activities involved in providing continuity and coordination of nursing care when a client is discharged from a health care agency.
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extended care facility
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Institution providing medical, nursing, or custodial care for clients over a prolonged period.
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home care
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The provision of medically related professional and paraprofessional services and equipment to clients and families in their homes for health maintenance, education, illness prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, palliation, and rehabilitation.
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integrated delivery networks (IDNs)
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A set of providers and services organized to deliver a coordinated continuum of care to the population of clients served at a capitated cost.
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managed care
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Health care system in which there is administrative control over primary health care services. Redundant facilities and services are eliminated, and costs are reduced. Preventive care and health education are emphasized.
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Medicaid
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State medical assistance based on Title XIX of the Social Security Act. States receive 50% in matching federal funds to provide medical care and services to people meeting categorical and income requirements; covers home care services based on Medicare guidelines. Many innovative home care programs can be covered by Medicaid, as long as they meet the recipient's needs and cost less than institutionalization.
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Medicare
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Federal government insurance coverage for persons over 65 years of age (or disabled and under 65) who have paid into the Social Security or Railroad Retirement system; covers inpatient hospital charges and some home care services.
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professional standards review organization
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Organization that focuses on the evaluation of nursing care provided in a health care setting. The quality, effectiveness, and appropriateness of nursing care for the client are the foci of evaluation.
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prospective payment system (PPS)
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Method of reimbursement for health care services. It involves a fixed reimbursement for a medical condition/procedure regardless of client's length of stay.
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rehabilitation
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Restoration of an individual to normal or near-normal function following a physical or mental illness, injury, or chemical addiction.
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resource utilization groups
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A system for reimbursement used in the long term care setting.
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respite care
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Care that gives the primary care provider the opportunity to have time away. Respite care services can take place in the client's home, a hospital, or an extended care setting.
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restorative care
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Care settings that include but are not limited to inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation facilities, subacute care facilities, clinics, and home care agencies. The services provided in restorative care settings are designed to bring the client to the maximal level of health and function.
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skilled nursing facility
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Institution or part of an institution that meets criteria for accreditation established by the sections of the Social Security Act that determine the basis for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing care, including rehabilitation and various medical and nursing procedures. Law requires that policies designate which level of caregiver is responsible for the implementation of each policy; that the care of every client be under the supervision of a physician; that a physician be available on an emergency basis; that records be maintained regarding the condition and care of every client; that nursing service be available 24 hours a day; and that at least one full-time registered nurse be employed.
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utilization review (UR)
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Assessment of the appropriateness and economy of an admission to a health care facility or continued hospitalization.
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vulnerable populations
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Clients who are more likely to develop specific health problems.
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acute care
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Secondary and tertiary care; short-term care for medical conditions
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globalization
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The ability of health care providers to make their services more accessible globally.
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Independent Practice Association (IPA)
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Managed care organization contract physicians who are not members of the group and whose practices include fee-for-service and capitated patients
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minimum data set (MDS)
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Part of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) discussing the most appropriate health care interventions to support the health care needs of the residential population.
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outliers
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Clients with extended lengths of stay, well beyond allowed inpatient DRG days.
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subacute care
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Care for clients who need a greater intensity of care that usually provided in a skilled nursing facility who no longer require acute care.
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utilization review (UR) committees
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Committee that reviews the admissions, diagnostic testing, and treatments provided by physicians for clients receiving Medicare.
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work redesign
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The redesign of nursing units to make more services available on those units minimizing the need to transfer and transport clients across multiple diagnostic and treatment areas
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community-based nursing
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Acute and chronic care of individuals and families that enhances their capacity for self-care and promotes autonomy in decision-making.
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community health nursing
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Approach that merges knowledge from the public health sciences with professional nursing theories to safeguard and improve the health of populations in the community.
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population
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Collection of individuals who have in common one or more personal or environmental characteristics.
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public health
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Measures that we, as a society, collectively pursue to ensure the conditions in which people can be healthy.
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public health nursing
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An approach to nursing care that addresses the health of populations and their communities.
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assumptions
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Statements that describe concepts or connect two concepts that are factual and that are accepted as truths.
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concepts
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Mental formulations of objects or events that come from individual perceptual experience.
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domain
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Perspective and territory of a professional discipline.
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environment situation (environment/situation)
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All possible conditions affecting the client and the setting in which health care needs occur.
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grand theory
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Theory that requires further specification through research before it can be fully tested and applied.
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input
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Information that enters the system.
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interdisciplinary theory
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Theory that suggests a purposive and systematic view of phenomena specific to the discipline of the inquiry.
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middle-range theory
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Theory that is limited in scope and less abstract; it addresses specific phenomena or concepts and reflects nursing practice.
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nursing theory
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Organized framework of concepts and purposes designed to guide the practice of nursing.
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output
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End product of a system.
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paradigm
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Term used to denote the linkages of science, philosophy, and theory accepted by a discipline.
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person
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Recipient of care.
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prescriptive theory
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Theory addressing nursing therapeutics and the consequences of interventions.
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theory
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Set of concepts, definitions, relationships, and assumptions that project a systematic view of phenomena.
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nursing's paradigm
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Links the person, health, environment/situation and nursing to direct the activities of the nursing profession, including knowledge development, philosophy, theory, education experience, research and practice.
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anonymity
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Nondisclosure of a client's or other person's name or identification; used in research to ensure the privacy of research subjects.
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empirical data
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Information that has been collected with use of the human senses and that can be verified through research.
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evaluation research
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Form of quantitative research that involves finding out how well a program, practice, procedure, or policy is working.
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experimental study
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Study designed to test cause-and-effect relationships between a treatment/intervention (independent variable) and a measured dependent variable.
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hypothesis
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Statement derived from a theory that predicts a relationship among variables representing concepts, constructs, or events.
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nursing research
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Detailed process in which a systematic study of a problem in the field of nursing is performed.
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qualitative nursing research
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Qualitative research involves inductive reasoning used to develop generalizations or theories from specific observations or interviews.
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quantitative nursing research
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Quantitative research focused on numerical data, statistical analysis, and controls to eliminate bias in findings.
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research process
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Systematic collection and analysis of data to obtain new knowledge, add to existing knowledge, or find solutions to problems.
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surveys
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Instruments designed to obtain information from populations.
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bias
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A preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgment; the opinions of the researcher will influence the results of the research.
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clinical guidelines
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Systematically developed statements about a plan of care for a specific set of circumstances involving a specific client population
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generalizable
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Results obtained from a scientific study that can be applied to the larger population
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inductive reasoning
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Making a conclusion based on a empirical data; develop generalizations or theories from specific observations or interviews.
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performance improvement
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An organization analyzes and evaluates current performance to use the results to develop focused improvement activities.
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PICO question
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Format to help state a research question discussing the Patient population of Interest; Intervention of interest; Comparison of interest; and Outcome
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reliable
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The results of the research can be replicated in other studies.
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valid
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The results of the research are true outside of the research environment.
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variable
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Concept, characteristic or trait that varies within the subjects
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active strategies of health promotion
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Activities that depend on the client being motivated to adopt a specific health program.
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acute illness
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Illness characterized by symptoms that are of relatively short duration, are usually severe, and affect the functioning of the client in all dimensions.
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chronic illness
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Illness that persists over a long period of time and affects physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual functioning.
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health
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A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
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health behavior change
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Five stages of change from no intention to change (precontemplation) to maintaining a changed behavior (maintenance stage).
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health behaviors
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Activities through which a person maintains, attains, or regains good health and prevents illness.
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health belief model
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Conceptual framework that predicts a person's health behavior as an expression of personal health beliefs.
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health promotion
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The concept of motivating people to seek ways of decreasing the incidence and minimizing the results of illness or disability.
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holistic health model
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This model attempts to create conditions that promote optimal health. The model focuses on the all dimensions of the client, not just a physiological dimension, as important aspects of physical wellness.
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illness
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Abnormal process in which any aspect of a person's functioning is diminished or impaired as compared with the previous condition.
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illness behavior
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Ways in which people monitor their bodies, define and interpret their symptoms, take remedial actions, and use the health care system.
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illness prevention
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Health education programs or activities directed toward protecting clients from threats or potential threats to health and toward minimizing risk factors.
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passive strategies of health promotion
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Activities that involve the client as the recipient of actions by health care professionals.
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risk factor
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Any internal or external variable that makes a person or group more vulnerable to illness or an unhealthy event.
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secondary prevention
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Activities directed toward early diagnosis and prompt intervention, thereby lessening the severity of a condition and enabling the client to return to the highest level of health at the earliest possible point.
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primary prevention
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True prevention; precedes disease or dysfunction and is applied to clients who are considered physically and emotionally healthy
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tertiary prevention
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Occurs when a defect or disability is permanent and irreversible.
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evidence-based practice
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The integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values taking into account a nurse's clinical experience, practice trends, and individual client preferences.
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nurse educator
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Nurse with a background in clinical nursing who works in a school of nursing as a faculty member, in a staff development department of a health care agency, or in an inpatient education department.
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primary care
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First contact in a given episode of illness that leads to a decision regarding a course of action to resolve the health problem.
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cancer related fatigue
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One of the most common side effects of cancer and its treatment; fatigue that can be described as paralyzing; the exact cause is unknown although a cancer relationship is present.
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cancer survivor
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An individual is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis, through the balance of his or her life.
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chemotherapy
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The use of chemicals to treat and eliminate cancer
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hormone therapy
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Treatment of disease or the processes of aging with the use of hormone replacement
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lumpectomy
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Removal of a lump for biopsy; most commonly used for diagnosing breast cancer.
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mastectomy
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Removal of the breast, usually for breast cancer
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neuropathy
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Damage to the nerves
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oncology
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The study of cancer
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parethesias
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Feeling of tingling or "pins and needles" in an extremity
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posttraumatic stress disorder
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Ongoing psychological reaction to a stressor
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radiation therapy
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Use of radiation to remove or destroy cancer cells
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caring
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Sense of dedication to another person.
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comforting
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Skillful and gentle performance of a nursing procedure.
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acculturation
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Process of intercultural borrowing between diverse peoples, resulting in a new and blended pattern.
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assimilation
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The result of an individual giving up his or her ethnic identity in favor of the dominant culture.
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biculturalism
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Term used to describe a person who has two culture's lifestyles or sets of values.
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bilineal
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Kinship extended to both the father's and mother's side of the family.
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confianza
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A Spanish term for caregivers who interact with the client in a personalistic, warm, friendly, and respectful manner.
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cultural backlash
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A counterculture effect when experience with the new or different culture is extremely negative and the culture is then rejected.
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cultural care accommodation or negotiations
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Adapt or negotiate with others for a beneficial or satisfying health outcome.
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cultural care preservation and maintenance
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Retain and/or preserve relevant care values so that clients can maintain their well-being, recover from illness, or face handicaps and/or death.
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cultural care repatterning and restructuring
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Reorder, change, or greatly modify clients' lifeways for a new, different, and beneficial health care plan.
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cultural imposition
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Using one's own values and lifeways as the absolute guide in dealing with clients and interpreting their behaviors.
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cultural pain
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May be suffered by a client whose valued way of life is disregarded by practitioners.
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culturally congruent care
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Care that fits the people's valued life patterns and set of meanings.
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culture
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Nonphysical traits such as values, beliefs, attitudes, and customs shared by a group and passed from one generation to the next.
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culture bond syndrome
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Illnesses constituted by the personal, social, and cultural explanations and reactions of a given society to perceived dysfunctions or abnormalities in its members.
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emic worldview
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An insider or native perspective of any intercultural encounter.
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enculturation
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Socialization into one's primary culture as a child.
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ethnicity
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Cultural group's sense of identification associated with the group's common social and cultural heritage.
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ethnocentrism
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Strong belief that one's own cultural group is the best and that all that this group believes and teaches is truth.
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ethnohistory
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Knowledge of a client's country of origin and its history and ecological contexts.
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etic worldview
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An outsider's perspective of an intercultural encounter.
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fictive
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Nonblood kin.
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Halal
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Foods that are permissible for Muslims to eat; includes meat (that has been slaughtered during a prayer ritual), fish, fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk, and cheese.
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haram
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Foods that are prohibited for Muslims to eat; includes non-Halal meat, animals with fangs, pork products, gelatin products, and alcohol.
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hilot
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The name Filipinos use for a practitioner other than medical doctors attending childbirth.
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Hmongs
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A culture that believes in the global causation of illness that goes beyond the mind and body of the person to forces of nature.
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Hwa-Byung
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A Korean culture-bound syndrome observed among middle-age, low-income women who are overwhelmed and frustrated by the burden of caregiving for their in-laws, husbands, and children.
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Igbos
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A culture in West Africa that greatly celebrates the birth of a son.
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invisible culture
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The less visible components of a culture.
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kosher
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The diet of the Jewish people, including avoiding meat from carnivores, pork products, and fish without scales or fins.
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matrilineal
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Kinship to the mother's side of the family.
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naturalistic practitioners
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Attribute illness to natural, impersonal, and biological forces that cause alteration in the equilibrium of the human body.
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patrilineal
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Kinship to the father's side of the family.
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personalismo
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Mexican-American term for caregivers who interact with them in personalistic manner.
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personalistic practitioners
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Cultural healers who believe that health and illness can be caused by active influence of an external agent, which can be human (e.g., sorcerer) or nonhuman (e.g., ghosts, evil, or deity).
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phenomena
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Data that can be observed in reality.
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rabbi
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A Jewish cleric or teacher.
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Ramadan
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A Muslim time of fasting during daylight hours for the 28 days of the ninth lunar month.
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resiliency
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The ability to cope with expected and unexpected stressors.
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respeto
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Spanish word for respectful.
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rites of passage
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Significant social markers of changes in a person's life.
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Sabbath
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The day God appointed to be observed as a day of rest. Jewish people refrain from using electrical appliances on the Sabbath.
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shaman
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A priest or conjurer among those who profess shamanism, such as the Hmongs, an Asian culture.
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Sikh (Sikhism)
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An Indian culture, half religious, half military; Sikh man easily identified by visible artifacts that he wears (uncut hair with wooden comb, beard, turban, cotton underwear, steel bracelet, and short sword).
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simpatia
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Spanish word for warm and friendly.
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subcultures
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Cultures that represent various ethnic, religious, and other groups with distinct characteristics from the dominant culture.
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transcultural nursing
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Nursing style that represents an effort by nurses from all cultural backgrounds and clinical areas to come together and define concepts that enable them to develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide culturally sensitive care.
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visible culture
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A culture that has easily seen components. It is important to understand that the invisible value-belief system of a particular culture is the major driving force behind visible practices.
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family
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Group of people related by heredity, such as parents, children, and siblings; group of interacting individuals composing a basic unit of society. Although concepts of what constitutes a family vary, the family usually has some degree of permanence, commitment, and attachment.
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family as client
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Nursing perspective in which the family is viewed as a unit of interacting members having attributes, functions, and goals separate from those of the individual family members; the nurse provides care to the family as a whole.
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family as context
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Nursing perspective in which the primary focus of care is on an individual within a family.
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family as system
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Nursing perspective in which both family as client and context are included.
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hardiness
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Combination of three personality characteristics that are thought to mediate against stress: a sense of control over life events, a commitment to meaningful activities, and an anticipation of challenge as an opportunity for growth.
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reciprocity
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Care recipient shows appreciation for the caregiver, which leads to a more productive and healthy relationship.
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family forms
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Patterns of people considered by family members to be included in the family
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Erikson's eight stages of life
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Theory that describes the development of identity of the self and the ego through successive stages that unfold throughout the life span.
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Freud's psychoanalytic model of personality development
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Five stages associated with a sequencing of sensual pleasurable zones.
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Gould's development themes
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Set of stages in adulthood that dismantle the protective thinking of childhood.
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heteronomous (conventional) stage
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The stage of moral development when children follow the rules set up by those in authority, such as their parents, teachers, clergy, or police.
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Kohlberg's moral development theory
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Theory that suggests a link between moral development and Piaget's cognitive development.
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moral development
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Advancement of moral reasoning.
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temperament
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Child's characteristic style of approaching and reacting to people and situations.
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conventional reasoning
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Moral reasoning based on his or her own personal internalization of societal and others' expectations.
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modeling
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Observation and learning of behavior
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post conventional reasoning
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Finding a balance between basic human rights and obligations and societal rules and regulations in this level
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preconventional reasoning
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reflections on moral reasoning based on personal gain
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psychoanalytic-psychosocial development (psychoanalytic/psychosocial development)
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The psychoanalytic/psychosocial theories describe human development from the perspectives of personality, thinking, and behavior
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adolescence
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Period of development between the onset of puberty and adulthood.
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Apgar score
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Rating describing a newborn's physiological status at birth and thereafter; assists with the determination of the newborn's ability to adjust to extrauterine life.
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bonding
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Parent's emotional tie to a child; usually develops soon after birth as a result of such close interaction.
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embryo
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Stage of human development from implantation of the fertilized ovum to the eighth week of intrauterine life.
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estrogen
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Hormonal steroid compound that promotes the development of female secondary sex characteristics.
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fetus
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Stage of human development from the end of the embryonic period until birth.
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fontanel
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Space covered by tough membranes between the bones of an infant's cranium.
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hyperbilirubinemia
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Greater than normal amounts of the bile pigment bilirubin in the blood.
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inborn errors of metabolism
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Genetic disorders caused by the absence or deficiency of a substance, usually an enzyme.
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infancy
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Stage of life from 1 month to 1 year of age.
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lanugo
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Fine hair that normally covers the fetus after the fifth month of intrauterine life and that is mostly shed by birth.
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menarche
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Onset of a girl's first menstruation, usually occurring between the ages of 9 and 16 years.
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molding
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Overlapping and shaping of the soft skull bones during birth, usually resolved during the first few days of life.
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morning sickness
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Pregnant woman's symptoms of nausea and vomiting related to changes in serum hormone levels.
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Nägele's rule
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Concept that the estimated due date for a pregnant woman can be determined by counting back 3 months from the last menstrual period and adding 7 days; this calculated due date is based on the belief that the average length of pregnancy is 9 months.
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neonatal period
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Stage of life from birth to 1 month of age.
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object permanence
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Piagetian term for the understanding that a person or object out of sight still exists.
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placenta
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Organ surrounding the embryo and fetus through which nutrients and other substances from the mother and waste products from the fetus pass.
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prematurity
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Condition in which an infant is born between 20 and 37 weeks' gestation.
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prenatal care
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Routine examination of a pregnant woman by an obstetrician.
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preschool period
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Stage of life from 3 to 5 years of age.
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puberty
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Developmental period of emotional and physical changes, including the development of secondary sex characteristics and the onset of menstruation and ejaculation.
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school age
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Period that begins when the child starts elementary school, around the age of 6 years, and that ends with the onset of puberty.
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testosterone
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Naturally occurring male sex hormone.
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toddlerhood
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Stage of life from 1 to 3 years of age.
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fertilization
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The penetration of the ova by a sperm
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Braxton Hicks contractions
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Irregular, short uterine contractions.
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doula
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Support person.
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lactation
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Process and period in which the mother produces milk for the infant.
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menopause
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Natural cessation of menses by the ovaries; normally occurs in women between the ages of 45 and 60.
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puerperium
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Period of approximately 6 weeks after childbirth during which the woman's reproductive system is in transition to the nonpregnant state.
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sandwich generation
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Adults caught between the responsibilities of caring for dependent children and those of caring for aging and ailing parents.
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ageism
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Attitude that disadvantages, separates, and stigmatizes older adults on the basis of age-related characteristics.
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Alzheimer's disease
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Brain disorder that causes a gradual and progressive decline in cognitive functioning: the most frequent cause of irreversible dementia; also known as senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT).
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delirium
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Syndrome involving impairment of memory and other cognitive abilities and characterized by clouding of consciousness.
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dementia
|
Progressive, organic mental state characterized by chronic personality disintegration, confusion, disorientation, decreased intellectual function, and other cognitive changes, which can have a variety of causes.
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geriatrics
|
Branch of health care dealing with the physiology and psychology of aging and with the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses affecting the older adult.
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gerontic nursing
|
Seldom-used term that considers the nursing care of older adults to be the art and practice of nurturing, caring, and comforting rather than merely the treatment of disease.
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|
gerontological nursing
|
Nursing specialty that focuses on the health care needs of the older adult. Gerontological nurses have a broad focus and assist older adults in maximizing their functional capabilities.
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|
gerontology
|
Study of all aspects of the aging processes and their consequences.
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|
nonstochastic theory
|
Biological theory of aging that states that the occurrence of aging changes are predetermined by mechanisms within the body.
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|
stochastic theories
|
Biological theories that consider that aging is caused by random damage that accumulates over time.
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|
reality orientation
|
Communication technique used to make an older adult more aware of time, place and person with the purpose of restoring a sense of reality, improving the level of awareness, promoting socialization, elevating independent functioning and minimizing confusion, disorientation, and physical regression.
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|
reminiscence
|
Recalling the past.
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|
validation therapy
|
Alternative approach to communication with a confused older adult which accepts the description of the time and place as stated by the confused older adult.
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|
critical thinking
|
Active, organized, cognitive process used to carefully examine one's thinking and the thinking of others.
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|
database
|
Information about a client's level of health, health practices, past illnesses, present illnesses, and physical examination combined to serve as the basis for the plan of care.
|
|
decision making
|
Process involving critical appraisal of information that results from recognition of a problem and ends with the generation, testing, and evaluation of a conclusion.
|
|
functional health patterns
|
Method for organizing assessment data based on the level of client function in specific areas (e.g., mobility).
|
|
problem solving
|
Methodical, systematic approach to explore conditions and develop solutions and that includes analysis of data, determination of causative factors, and selection of appropriate actions to reverse or eliminate the problem.
|
|
reflection
|
Process of thinking back or recalling an event or discovering the meaning and purpose of that event.
|
|
evidence-based knowledge
|
Knowledge that comes from scientific investigation or knowledge that is based on clinical expertise
|
|
prognosis
|
A prediction of the probable outcome of a disease or condition of a client and the usual course of the disease as observed in similar situations
|
|
assessment
|
First step of the nursing process. Activities required in the first step are data collection, data validation, data sorting, and data documentation; the purpose is to gather information for health problem identification.
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back channeling
|
Active listening techniques that indicate that the nurse has heard what the client says.
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|
clinical decision making
|
The use of critical thinking skills throughout the nursing process to obtain relevant information about the client and to plan and provide effective care and measure the outcomes of the care provided. Clinical decision making may occur alone or in collaboration with other health care providers.
|
|
interview
|
Type of communication with a client that is initiated for a specific purpose and focused on a specific content area.
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|
nursing health history
|
Data collected about a client's present level of wellness, changes in the client's life patterns, sociocultural role, and mental and emotional reactions to an illness.
|
|
objective data
|
Data relating to a client's health problem that are obtained through observation or diagnostic measurements.
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|
open-ended questions
|
Inquiries aimed at obtaining a full client response and discussion between the client and the nurse.
|
|
review of systems
|
Systematic method for collecting data on all body systems.
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|
standards
|
Measure or guide that serves as a basis for comparison when evaluating similar phenomena or substances.
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|
subjective data
|
Data relating to a client's health problem that are given in the client's own words.
|
|
cue
|
Information that you obtain through use of the senses
|
|
data analysis
|
A process of reviewing available data for patterns or trends and forming conclusions about the meaning of the data.
|
|
validation
|
The process of comparing data with another source to confirm its accuracy
|
|
actual nursing diagnosis
|
Human response to health conditions/life processes that exist in an individual, family, or community.
|
|
collaborative problem
|
Actual or potential physiological complications that can result from disease, trauma, treatment, or diagnostic studies for which nurses intervene in collaboration with personnel of other health care disciplines.
|
|
etiology
|
Identification of the cause of a problem. The cause may be a direct or a contributing factor in the development of a client problem or need.
|
|
medical diagnosis
|
Identification of a specific disease or pathological process.
|
|
risk nursing diagnosis
|
Human response to health conditions/live processes that may develop in a vulnerable individual, family, or community.
|
|
wellness nursing diagnosis
|
Human response to levels of wellness in an individual, family, or community that have a readiness for enhancement.
|
|
clinical criteria
|
Objective or subjective signs and symptoms that lead to a diagnostic conclusion
|
|
diagnostic label
|
The name of a nursing diagnosis as approved NANDA International
|
|
related-factor
|
A condition or etiology identified from the client's assessment data
|
|
nursing diagnosis
|
Nursing direction response to a problem ; provides the basis for selection of nursing interventions for which the nurse is accountable.
|
|
expected outcome
|
Likely condition of a client at the end of therapy or of a disease process, including the degree of wellness and the need for continuing care, medications, support, counseling, or education.
|
|
goals
|
Desired results of nursing actions, set realistically by the nurse and client as part of the planning stage of the nursing process.
|
|
long-term goal
|
Objective that is expected to be achieved over a longer period of time, usually over weeks or months.
|
|
nursing care plan
|
Written guidelines of nursing care that document specific nursing diagnoses for the client and goals, interventions, and projected outcomes.
|
|
planning
|
Process of designing interventions to achieve the goals and outcomes of health care delivery.
|
|
scientific rationale
|
Reason for choosing a specific nursing action that is based on supporting literature.
|
|
short-term goal
|
Objective that is expected to be achieved in a short period of time, usually less than a week.
|
|
client-centered goal
|
A specific and measurable behavior or response that reflects a client's highest possible level of wellness and independence in function.
|
|
collaborative intervention
|
Therapies that require the combined knowledge, skill and expertise of multiple health care professionals.
|
|
dependent nursing intervention
|
Those actions that require an order from a physician or another health care professional
|
|
nurse-sensitive client outcome
|
Individual, family or community state behavior or perception that is measured along a continuum in response to a nursing intervention
|
|
priority setting
|
The order of nursing diagnoses using notations of urgency and/or importance, in order to establish a preferential order for nursing actions
|
|
independent nursing intervention
|
Actions that a nurse initiates without direction from a physician or other health care professional.
|
|
adverse reaction
|
Harmful or unintended effect of a medication, diagnostic test, or therapeutic intervention.
|
|
client adherence
|
Refers to the degree to which the client, and in some cases the caregiver, follows the therapeutic regimen with respect to medications, exercise, treatments, and/or diet.
|
|
counseling
|
Implementation method that helps the client use a problem-solving process to recognize and manage stress and that facilitates interpersonal relationships between the client and the family, significant others, or the health care team.
|
|
diagnostic reasoning
|
Process that enables an observer to assign meaning and to classify phenomena in clinical situations by integrating observations and critical thinking.
|
|
direct care
|
Treatments preformed through interaction with the client.
|
|
indirect care
|
Treatments performed away from the client but on behalf of the client or group of clients.
|
|
interdisciplinary care plans
|
Plans that represent the contributions of all disciplines caring for the client.
|
|
lifesaving measure
|
Implemented when a client's physiological or psychological state is threatened.
|
|
nursing intervention
|
Any action by a nurse that implements the nursing care plan or any specific objective of the plan.
|
|
preventive nursing actions
|
Interventions directed toward preventing illness and promoting health to avoid the need for secondary or tertiary health care.
|
|
standing order
|
Written and approved document containing rules, policies, procedures, regulations, and orders for the conduct of client care in various stipulated clinical settings.
|
|
clinical guideline
|
A document that guides decisions and interventions for specific health care problems or conditions
|
|
implementation
|
The fourth step of the nursing process, the nurse initiates the interventions that are most likely to achieve the goals and expected outcomes needed to support or improve the client's health status.
|
|
evaluation
|
Category of nursing behavior in which a determination is made and recorded regarding the extent to which the client's goals have been met.
|
|
functional nursing
|
Division of tasks in which one nurse assumes responsibility for certain tasks while another nurse assumes responsibility for others.
|
|
outcomes management
|
A term that encompasses managing the individual clinical outcomes of clients as a result of prescribed treatments to the formal measurement of system level performance and effectiveness.
|
|
scientific method
|
Codified sequence of steps used in the formulation, testing, evaluation, and reporting of scientific ideas.
|
|
performance improvement
|
Term interchangable with quality improvement that describes and approach to the continuous study and improvement of the processes of providing health care services to meet the needs of clients and others.
|
|
authority
|
Right to act in areas in which the individual has been given and accepts responsibility.
|
|
decentralized management
|
Process by which managers and staff become more actively involved in shaping a health care organization's identity and determining its success.
|
|
nursing
|
Diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems.
|
|
primary nursing
|
Nursing services designed to maintain continuity of care across shifts, days, or visits.
|
|
shared governance
|
Senior clinical staff groups are empowered to establish and maintain care standards for nursing practice on their work unit.
|
|
team nursing
|
A delivery of care model that has an RN as leader of the team and team members consisting of other RNs, LPN/LVNs, and assistive personnel. Team members provide direct client care to a group of clients, under the direction and coordination of the RN team leader.
|
|
total patient care
|
A delivery of care model where a registered nurse is responsible for all aspects of one or more clients' care. The model has a shift-based focus.
|
|
beneficence
|
The doing or active promotion of doing good. One of the four principles of the ethical theory of deontology.
|
|
consequentialism
|
Utilitarian system of ethics that proposes that the value of something is determined by its usefulness.
|
|
deontology
|
Study that proposes a system of ethics that defines actions as right or wrong based on their "right-making characteristics such as fidelity to promises, truthfulness, and justice" (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001).
|
|
ethics
|
Principles or standards that govern proper conduct as they apply to professional issues or problems.
|
|
fidelity
|
Quality or state of being faithful.
|
|
justice
|
Fairness or equity of the manner in which decisions are made; one of the principles of the ethical theory of deontology.
|
|
nonmaleficence
|
Duty to do no harm to another person; one of the principles of the ethical theory of deontology.
|
|
teleology
|
Concept that proposes the greatest good for the greatest number of people as the guiding principle for determining right action.
|
|
value
|
Personal belief about the worth of a given idea or behavior.
|
|
value system
|
Values that are related to one another (e.g., religious and cultural values can shape health values).
|
|
active listening
|
Listening attentively with one's whole being— mind, body, and spirit.
|
|
administrative law (also known as regulatory law)
|
Law created by administrative bodies such as State Boards of Nursing when they pass rules and regulations.
|
|
assault
|
Unlawful threatening or inflicting of harm on another.
|
|
battery
|
Legal term for touching of another's body without consent.
|
|
civil laws
|
Laws established by a nation or state for its own jurisdiction.
|
|
code of ethics
|
Code that defines the ethical principles by which nurses function.
|
|
common law
|
Law that is created by judicial decisions as opposed to law created by legislative bodies (statutory law).
|
|
criminal law
|
Law of crimes and their punishment.
|
|
defamation of character
|
Harm of the reputation of a person by libel or slander.
|
|
delegation
|
Process of assigning another member of the health care team aspects of client care (e.g., assigning nurse assistants to bathe a client).
|
|
felony
|
Crime of a serious nature that carries a penalty of imprisonment or death.
|
|
libel
|
Written false statement about a person that may injure that person's reputation.
|
|
living wills
|
Instruments by which a dying person makes wishes known to caregivers; a living will has no legal validity in most states.
|
|
malice
|
Spirit with which the person publishing information knows it is false and publishes it anyway or publishes it with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity of the statement.
|
|
malpractice
|
Injurious or unprofessional actions that harm another.
|
|
misdemeanor
|
Lesser crime; penalty is usually a fine or imprisonment for less than 1 year.
|
|
negligence
|
Careless act of omission or commission that results in injury to another.
|
|
regulatory law (also known as administrative law)
|
Law created by administrative bodies such as State Boards of Nursing when they pass rules and regulations.
|
|
risk management
|
System of ensuring appropriate nursing care.
|
|
slander
|
Utterance of a false statement about another that harms that person's reputation.
|
|
statutory law
|
Of or related to laws enacted by a legislative branch of the government.
|
|
tort
|
Act that causes injury for which the injured party can bring civil action.
|
|
intentional torts
|
Willlful acts that violate another's rights, such as assault, battery and false imprisonment.
|
|
occurrence reports
|
Provides a database for further investigation in an attempt to determine deviations from the Standards of Care, corrective measures needed to prevent recurrence and to alert risk management to a potential claim situation.
|
|
privacy
|
Privacy is the right of clients to keep information about themselves from being disclosed.
|
|
assertiveness
|
Comprises respect for others, respect for yourself, self-awareness, and effective, clear and consistent communication.
|
|
channels
|
Means of conveying and receiving messages through visual, auditory, and tactile senses.
|
|
communication
|
Means by which people interact.
|
|
empathy
|
Ability to understand and accept another person's reality.
|
|
interpersonal communication
|
Exchange of information between two persons or among persons in a small group.
|
|
interpersonal variables
|
Factors within both the sender and receiver that influence communication.
|
|
intrapersonal communication
|
Communication that occurs within an individual (e.g., a person who talks with the self silently or who forms an idea in the mind).
|
|
message
|
Information sent or expressed by the sender in the communication process.
|
|
metacommunication
|
Communication that includes not only what is said but also the relationship of those involved in the interaction. It is a message that conveys the sender's attitude toward the self, the message, and the attitudes, feelings, and intentions toward the listener.
|
|
nonverbal communication
|
Communication using expressions, gestures, body posture, and positioning rather than words.
|
|
perceptional biases
|
Human tendencies that interfere with accurately perceiving and interpreting messages from others.
|
|
public communication
|
Interaction between one person and a large group of people.
|
|
receiver
|
Person to whom the message is sent during the communication process.
|
|
referent
|
Factor that motivates a person to communicate with another individual.
|
|
sender
|
Person who initiates interpersonal communication by conveying a message.
|
|
small-group communication
|
Interaction that occurs when a small number of persons meet together.
|
|
symbolic communication
|
Verbal and nonverbal symbolism used by others to convey meaning.
|
|
sympathy
|
Concern, sorrow, or pity felt for the client, generated by the nurse's personal identification with the client's needs.
|
|
therapeutic communication techniques
|
Specific responses that encourage the expression of feelings and ideas and convey the nurse's acceptance and respect.
|
|
transpersonal communication
|
Interaction that occurs within a person's spiritual domain.
|
|
verbal communication
|
Sending of messages from one individual to another or to a group of individuals through the spoken word.
|
|
affective learning
|
Acquisition of behaviors involved in expressing feelings in attitudes, appreciations, and values.
|
|
analogies
|
Comparisons made between things otherwise unalike.
|
|
cognitive learning
|
Acquisition of intellectual skills that encompass behaviors such as thinking, understanding, and evaluating.
|
|
compliance
|
Person's fulfillment of the prescribed course of treatment.
|
|
functional illiteracy
|
Inability to read or comprehend above a fifth-grade level.
|
|
learning
|
Acquisition of new knowledge and skills as a result of reinforcement, practice, and experience.
|
|
learning objective
|
Written statements that describe the knowledge or skill a teacher expects an individual to gain following a learning activity.
|
|
motivation
|
Internal impulse that causes a person to take action.
|
|
psychomotor learning
|
Acquisition of ability to perform motor skills.
|
|
reinforcement
|
Provision of a contingent response to a learner's behavior that increases the probability of the behavior recurring.
|
|
return demonstrations
|
Demonstrations performed by the client after he or she has first observed the teacher and then practiced the skill in mock or real situations.
|
|
self-efficacy
|
Term that refers to a person's perceived ability to successfully complete a task.
|
|
teaching
|
Implementation method used to present correct principles, procedures, and techniques of health care.
|
|
accrediting (accreditation)
|
Process whereby a professional association or nongovernmental body grants recognition to a school or institution for its demonstrated ability in a special area of practice or training, such as the accreditation of hospitals by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations or of nursing schools by the National League for Nursing.
|
|
acuity recording
|
Mechanism by which entries describing client care activities are made over a 24-hour period. The activities are then translated into a rating score or acuity score that allows for a comparison of clients who vary by severity of illness.
|
|
change-of-shift report
|
Report that occur between two scheduled nursing work shifts. Nurses communicate information about their assigned clients to nurses working on the next shift of duty.
|
|
charting by exception
|
Charting methodology in which data is entered only when there is an exception from what is normal or expected; reduces time spent documenting.
|
|
DAR
|
A type of documentation note that includes D—data (both subjective and objective), A—action or nursing intervention, and R—response of the client (i.e., evaluation of effectiveness).
|
|
documentation
|
Act of authenticating events or activities by keeping written records.
|
|
flow sheets
|
Documents on which frequent observations or specific measurements are recorded.
|
|
focus charting
|
Charting methodology for structuring progress notes according to the focus of the note (e.g., symptoms and nursing diagnosis). Each note includes data, actions, and client response (DAR).
|
|
problem-oriented medical record (POMR or POR)
|
Method of recording data about the health status of a client that fosters a collaborative problem-solving approach by all members of the health care team.
|
|
record
|
Written form of communication that permanently documents information relevant to health care management.
|
|
reports
|
Transfer of information from the nurses on one shift to the nurses on the following shift. Report may also be given by one of the members of the nursing team to another health care provider (e.g., physician or therapist).
|
|
residents
|
Individual clients who reside in a long-term care facility.
|
|
SOAP
|
Acronym for subjective, objective, assessment, and plan, the four parts of the written account of a client's health problem in a problem-oriented record.
|
|
SOAPIE
|
Acronym for subjective, objective, assessment, plan, intervention, and evaluation, the six parts of the written account of a client's health problem in a problem-oriented record.
|
|
source record
|
Method for organizing a client's health care record by placing information in sections organized for each discipline that cares for the client.
|
|
standardized care plans
|
Preprinted, established guidelines that are used to care for clients who have similar health problems.
|
|
transfer reports
|
Verbal report exchanged between care providers when a client is moved from one nursing unit or health care setting to another. The report includes information necessary to maintain a consistent level of care from one setting to another.
|
|
PIE
|
Acronym for Problem-Intervention-Evaluation method of charting
|
|
referrals
|
Arrangements for services by another care provider
|
|
variances
|
Unexpected outcomes, unmet goals and interventions not specified within a critical pathway timeframe.
|
|
body image
|
Mental picture of one's body internally and externally.
|
|
homosexual
|
Sexual orientation involving erotic preference for members of one's own sex.
|
|
identity
|
Component of self-concept; sense of continuity and sameness; one's persisting consciousness of being oneself, separate, unique, and distinct from others.
|
|
identity confusion
|
Form of self-concept disturbance in which a person does not maintain a clear consciousness of a consistent and continuous self; sense of fragmentation or distortion.
|
|
role ambiguity
|
State in which a person has unclear role expectations and feels unable to predict the outcomes of behavior.
|
|
role conflict
|
State in which a person experiences incongruent or incompatible expectations within one role or between two or more simultaneously held roles.
|
|
role overload
|
State in which a person has more roles or more responsibilities within a role than are manageable.
|
|
role performance
|
Way in which an individual perceives his or her competency in carrying out significant roles.
|
|
role strain
|
Generalized state of frustration or anxiety produced by the stress of role conflict and ambiguity.
|
|
self-concept
|
Complex, dynamic integration of conscious and unconscious feelings, attitudes, and perceptions about one's identity, physical being, worth, and roles; how people perceive and define themselves.
|
|
self-esteem
|
Feeling of self-worth characterized by feelings of achievement, adequacy, self-confidence, and usefulness.
|
|
condom
|
Thin rubber sheath that fits over the penis to prevent entrance of sperm into the vagina.
|
|
confidentiality
|
Privacy; a nurse must maintain the confidentiality of information related to a client's health care.
|
|
contraception
|
Prevention of pregnancy by means of a medication, device, or method that blocks or alters one or more of the processes of reproduction in such a way that sexual union can occur without impregnation.
|
|
diagnosis-related groups (DRGs)
|
Groups of clients classified for purposes of measuring a hospital's delivery of care.
|
|
diaphragm
|
Round rubber dome that has a flexible spring around the edge.
|
|
dyspareunia
|
Painful intercourse for a woman.
|
|
feedback
|
In communication theory, information produced by a receiver and perceived by a sender that informs the sender about the receiver's reaction to the message. Feedback is a cyclical part of the process of communication that regulates and modifies the content of messages.
|
|
gay
|
Any person who is homosexual.
|
|
gender identity
|
Awareness of being male or female that develops from infancy.
|
|
gender role (sex role)
|
Expression of one's maleness or femaleness to both oneself and others.
|
|
heterosexual
|
Sexual orientation involving erotic preference for members of the opposite sex.
|
|
intercourse
|
Sexual relations between two individuals.
|
|
lesbian
|
Female with homosexual partner preference.
|
|
perimenopausal
|
Span of 4 to 6 years preceding menopause when menstrual cycles and blood flow may be irregular.
|
|
sexual dysfunction
|
Inability or difficulty in sexual function caused by physiological or psychological factors or both.
|
|
sexual health
|
Integration of the somatic, emotional, intellectual, and social aspects of the sexual being in ways that are positively enriching and that enhance personality, communication, and love.
|
|
sexual orientation
|
Clear, persistent desire of a person for one sex rather than the other.
|
|
tubal ligation
|
Female sterilization; involves cutting, tying, or otherwise ligating the fallopian tubes.
|
|
vaginismus
|
Intense contraction of the perineal and vaginal musculature that closes the vaginal introitus; only occasionally associated with painful genital conditions. Instead, it is most often a psychological response and frequently associated with rape or childhood sexual abuse.
|
|
vasectomy
|
Cutting and tying of the vas deferens, which carries the sperm away from the testicles.
|
|
bisexual
|
A person who is equally attracted to men and women
|
|
agnostic
|
Term used to describe individuals who believe that any ultimate reality is unknowable.
|
|
atheist
|
Individual who does not believe in the existence of God.
|
|
bereavement
|
Response to loss through death; a subjective experience that a person suffers after losing a person with whom there has been a significant relationship.
|
|
faith
|
More than a set of beliefs but a way of relating to the self, others, and God and integrating the past, present, and future with God as the center.
|
|
holistic
|
Body of thought that encourages nurses to look for factors and relations that affect the complexity of health and illness.
|
|
spiritual distress
|
State of being out of harmony with a system of beliefs, a supreme being, or God.
|
|
spirituality
|
Spiritual dimension of a person, including the relationship with humanity, nature, a system of beliefs, a supreme being, or God.
|
|
spiritual well-being
|
Sense of harmonious interconnectedness between self, others, nature, and an ultimate order that exists throughout and beyond time and space.
|
|
connectedness
|
The sense of being connected with self, with others and the environment and with God or a higher power
|
|
self-transcendence
|
The belief that there is a force out side of and greater than the person that is goes beyond space and time.
|
|
acceptance
|
The individual accepts the loss and begins to look to the future.
|
|
actual loss
|
Any loss of a person or object that can no longer be felt, heard, known, or experienced by the individual.
|
|
anger
|
The stage in which the individual resists the loss and may strike out at everyone and everything.
|
|
anticipatory grief
|
Grief response in which a person begins the grieving process before the actual loss.
|
|
appraisal
|
How people interpret the impact of the stressor on themselves, of what is happening and what they can do about it.
|
|
bargaining
|
An individual postpones awareness of the reality of the loss and may try to deal in a subtle or overt way as though the loss can be prevented.
|
|
denial
|
The stage in which the individual acts as though nothing has happened and may refuse to believe or understand that a loss has occurred.
|
|
disorganization and despair
|
The endless examination of how and why the loss occurred.
|
|
hope
|
Confident (yet uncertain) expectation of achieving a future goal.
|
|
implantation
|
Process involving the attachment, penetration, and embedding of the blastocyst in the lining of the uterine wall during the early stages of prenatal development.
|
|
necessary loss
|
Loss that is the result of the natural growth and development processes in our lives.
|
|
numbing
|
The response to grief as a stunned or unreal feeling. The briefest phase of mourning.
|
|
palliative care
|
The prevention, relief, reduction, or soothing of symptoms of disease or disorders without effecting a cure.
|
|
perceived loss
|
Any loss that is less tangible and uniquely defined by the grieving client, such as the loss of confidence or prestige.
|
|
postmortem care
|
The care given the body after death.
|
|
reorganization
|
The person begins to accept unaccustomed roles, acquire new skills, and build new relationships.
|
|
situational loss
|
Loss of a person, thing, or quality resulting from a change in a life situation, including changes related to illness, body image, environment, and death.
|
|
yearning and searching
|
Emotional outburst of tearful sobbing and acute distress in most persons.
|
|
autopsy
|
Surgical dissection of the body after death to determine the exact cause and circumstances of death or discover a pathway of a disease.
|
|
complicated (dysfunctional) grief
|
The grieving person has a prolonged or significantly difficult time moving forward after a loss.
|
|
disenfranchised grief
|
The individual's relationship to the deceased person is not socially sanctioned, cannot be openly acknowledge or publicly shared or seems of lesser significance.
|
|
grief
|
The emotional response to a loss, manifested in ways unique to an individual, based on personal experiences, cultural expectations and spiritual beliefs.
|
|
maturational loss
|
A form of necessary loss and include all normally expected life changes across the lifespan.
|
|
normal (uncomplicated) grief
|
Consists of the most commonly experienced feelings and behaviors in reaction to loss.
|
|
organ and tissue donation
|
Process of using properly harvested organs and tissues for donation to individuals in need of the tissues or organs.
|
|
spiritual integration
|
When an individual comes to terms with his or her life and puts life's pieces together in a way consistent with one's entire life.
|
|
acute stress disorder
|
Begins with the person experiencing, witnessing, or being confronted with a traumatic event and responding with intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
|
|
burnout
|
A syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of others, and perceptions of reduced personal accomplishment.
|
|
coping
|
A person's ability and resources to manage psychological stress.
|
|
crisis
|
Stressful encounter that presents a change or an obstacle to attaining life goals that is perceived as insurmountable.
|
|
crisis intervention
|
Use of therapeutic techniques directed toward helping a client resolve a particular and immediate problem.
|
|
developmental crises
|
Crises that occur when a person is unable to complete the developmental tasks of a psychosocial stage and is therefore unable to continue developing.
|
|
distress
|
Damaging stress.
|
|
ego-defense mechanism
|
Unconscious behavior that protects a person from an emotional stress.
|
|
endorphin
|
The hormone that acts on the mind like morphine and opiates, producing a sense of well being and reducing pain.
|
|
eustress
|
Stress that protects health.
|
|
fight-or-flight response
|
The stress response that is arousal of the sympathetic nervous system.
|
|
flashbacks
|
Recurrent and intrusive recollections of a traumatic event.
|
|
general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
|
Generalized defense response of the body to stress that consists of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
|
|
inference
|
Taking one proposition as a given and guessing that another proposition follows.
|
|
nursing process
|
Systematic problem-solving method by which nurses individualize care for each client. The five steps of the nursing process are assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
|
|
perfusion
|
Passage of a fluid, such as blood, through a specific organ or an area of the body.
|
|
posttraumatic stress disorder
|
Stress that lasts well after the traumatizing event ends.
|
|
presence
|
Person-to-person encounter that conveys a closeness and sense of security.
|
|
primary appraisal
|
Evaluating an event for its personal meaning.
|
|
secondary appraisal
|
Reappraisal focusing on possible coping strategies.
|
|
situational crisis
|
Crisis occurring suddenly in response to a specific external event or conflict.
|
|
stress
|
Physiological or psychological tension that threatens homeostasis or a person's psychological equilibrium.
|
|
stressor
|
Any event, situation, or other stimulus encountered in a person's external or internal environment that necessitates change or adaptation by the person.
|
|
trauma
|
Symptoms of stress persist beyond the duration of the stressor.
|
|
alarm reaction
|
The first stage of the General adaption syndrome where the body reacts to a stressor.
|
|
exhaustion stage
|
The stage of the General Adaption syndrome where the body is no longer able to resist the effects of the stressor and when the body has depleted the energy necessary to maintain adaption.
|
|
resistance stage
|
The second stage of the General Adaption syndrome where the body stabilizes and responds in an opposite matter to the alarm reaction
|
|
afebrile
|
Without fever.
|
|
antipyretic
|
Of or pertaining to a substance or procedure that reduces fever.
|
|
auscultatory gap
|
Disappearance of sound when obtaining a blood pressure: typically occurs between the first and second Korotkoff sounds.
|
|
blood pressure (BP)
|
Pressure exerted by the circulating volume of blood on the walls of the arteries, veins, and chambers of the heart. The pressure in the aorta and the large arteries of a healthy young adult is approximately 120 mm Hg during systole and 70 mm Hg during diastole.
|
|
bradycardia
|
Slower than normal heart rate; heart contracts fewer than 60 times per minute.
|
|
Celsius
|
Denotes a temperature scale in which 0° is the freezing point of water and 100° is the boiling point of water at sea level.
|
|
concept map
|
Visual representation of client problems and interventions that shows their relationships to each other. Metacognitive tool that assists learners in developing a self-appraisal of their own individual thinking processes and in considering the context of nursing practice in the conceptualization of client problems.
|
|
conduction
|
Transfer of heat from one object to another with direct contact.
|
|
convection
|
Transfer of heat away by air movement.
|
|
core temperature
|
Temperature of deep body tissues and organs.
|
|
diaphoresis
|
Secretion of sweat, especially profuse secretion associated with an elevated body temperature, physical exertion, or emotional stress.
|
|
diastolic pressure
|
Minimum level of blood pressure measured between contractions of the heart.
|
|
eupnea
|
Normal respiration that is quiet, effortless, and rhythmic.
|
|
evaporation
|
Transfer of heat energy when a liquid is changed to gas.
|
|
Fahrenheit
|
Scale for the measurement of temperature in which the boiling point of water is 212° and the freezing point is 32° at sea level.
|
|
febrile
|
Pertaining to or characterized by an elevated body temperature.
|
|
fever
|
Elevation of the hypothalamic set point so that body temperature is regulated at a higher level.
|
|
fever of unknown origin (FUO)
|
Refers to a fever whose cause cannot be determined.
|
|
frostbite
|
Traumatic effect of extreme cold on the skin and subcutaneous tissues; first manifested by distinct pallor.
|
|
heat exhaustion
|
Abnormal condition characterized by weakness, vertigo, nausea, muscle cramps, and loss of consciousness; caused by depletion of body fluid and electrolytes resulting from exposure to intense heat or the inability to acclimatize to heat.
|
|
heatstroke
|
Severe and sometimes fatal condition resulting from the failure of the temperature-regulating capacity of the body; caused by prolonged exposure to the sun or high temperatures.
|
|
hematocrit
|
Measure of the packed cell volume of red cells, expressed as a percentage of the total blood volume.
|
|
hospice
|
A system of family-centered care designed to allow clients to live and remain at home with comfort, independence, and dignity while alleviating the strains caused by terminal illness.
|
|
hyperthermia
|
Situation in which body temperature exceeds the set point; fever.
|
|
hypotension
|
Abnormal lowering of blood pressure in which pressure is inadequate for normal perfusion and oxygenation of tissues.
|
|
hypothalamus
|
Portion of the diencephalon of the brain that activates, controls, and integrates the peripheral autonomic nervous system, the endocrine processes, and many bodily functions such as body temperature, sleep, and appetite.
|
|
hypoxemia
|
Abnormal deficiency of oxygen in arterial blood.
|
|
nonshivering thermogenesis
|
Condition that occurs primarily in neonates; because neonates cannot shiver, a limited amount of vascular brown tissue, present at birth, is metabolized for heat production.
|
|
postural hypotension
|
Abnormally low blood pressure occurring when an individual assumes the standing posture; also called orthostatic hypotension.
|
|
pulse pressure
|
Difference between the systolic and diastolic pressures, normally 30 to 40 mm Hg.
|
|
pyrexia
|
Abnormal elevation of the temperature of the body above 37° C (98.6° F) because of disease; fever.
|
|
pyrogen
|
Any substance that causes a rise in body temperature (e.g., bacterial toxins).
|
|
radial pulse
|
Pulse of the radial artery palpated at the wrist over the radius. The radial pulse is the one most often taken.
|
|
radiation
|
Method of temperature regulation used by the body to lower body temperature.
|
|
shivering
|
Process used by the body to raise body temperature.
|
|
sphygmomanometer
|
Device for measuring the arterial blood pressure that consists of an arm or leg cuff with an air bladder connected to a tube, a bulb for pumping air into the bladder, and a gauge for indicating the amount of air pressure being exerted against the artery.
|
|
stria (striae)
|
Streak or linear scar that results from rapidly developing tension in the skin, commonly seen on the abdomen after pregnancy.
|
|
systolic pressure
|
Pressure exerted in the aorta and large arteries of a human during systolic contraction of the left ventricle; indicated during blood pressure measurement as the point when sound can first be heard during deflation of the pressure cuff.
|
|
tachycardia
|
Rapid heart rate ranging between 100 and 150 beats per minute.
|
|
thermoregulation
|
Internal control of body temperature.
|
|
vital signs
|
Temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure.
|
|
hypertension
|
Blood pressure of greater than 120-139/80-89
|
|
acromegaly
|
Chronic metabolic condition caused by overproduction of growth hormone and characterized by gradual, marked enlargement and elongation of bones of the face, jaw, and extremities.
|
|
adventitious sounds
|
Abnormal lung sounds heard with auscultation.
|
|
aneurysm
|
Localized dilation of the wall of a blood vessel, usually caused by arteriosclerosis, hypertension, or a congenital weakness in the vessel wall.
|
|
apical impulse
|
Point at which the apex of the heart touches the anterior chest wall; best site for auscultation of heart sounds; also called the point of maximal impulse (PMI).
|
|
arcus senilis
|
Thin white ring along the margin of the iris.
|
|
atherosclerosis
|
Common arterial disorder characterized by yellowish plaques of cholesterol, lipids, and cellular debris in the inner layers of the walls of the large- and medium-sized arteries.
|
|
atrophied
|
Wasting or diminution of size or physiological activity of a part of the body caused by disease or other influences.
|
|
basal cell carcinoma
|
Malignant epithelial cell tumor that begins as a papule and enlarges peripherally, developing a central crater that erodes, crusts, and bleeds. Metastasis is rare. Primary cause is excessive exposure to the sun or to x-rays.
|
|
borborygmi
|
Audible abdominal sound produced by hyperactive intestinal peristalsis.
|
|
bronchophony
|
Increase in intensity and clarity of the vocal resonance that may result from an increase in the lung tissue density, such as in the consolidation of pneumonia.
|
|
bruit
|
Abnormal sound or murmur heard while auscultating an organ, gland, or artery.
|
|
chancre
|
Small open ulcer that drains serous material; found on genitalia, associated with syphilis.
|
|
cherry angiomas
|
Ruby red papules of the skin.
|
|
cholecystitis
|
Inflammation of the gallbladder; may be acute or chronic.
|
|
cirrhosis
|
Chronic degenerative disease of the liver.
|
|
clubbing
|
Bulging of the tissues at the nail base due to insufficient oxygenation at the periphery resulting from conditions such as chronic emphysema and congenital heart disease.
|
|
conjunctivitis
|
Highly contagious eye infection; the crusty drainage that collects on eyelid margins can easily spread from one eye to the other.
|
|
dermatitis
|
Inflammation of skin characterized by itching, redness, and skin lesions.
|
|
distention
|
Swelling of a body cavity; may be caused by fluid, gas, or a mass.
|
|
ectropion
|
Eversion of the eyelid that exposes the conjunctival membrane and part of the eyeball.
|
|
eczema
|
Superficial dermatitis of unknown cause.
|
|
entropion
|
Condition in which the eyelid turns inward toward the eye.
|
|
epidemiology
|
Study of the occurrence, distribution, and causes of disease.
|
|
erythema
|
Redness or inflammation of the skin or mucous membranes that is a result of dilation and congestion of superficial capillaries; sunburn is an example.
|
|
exophthalmos
|
Abnormal protrusion of one or both eyeballs.
|
|
exostosis
|
Abnormal benign growth on the surface of a bone.
|
|
goniometer
|
Device that measures the precise degree of motion in a particular joint and is used mainly in clients who have a suspected reduction in joint movement. The instrument has two flexible arms with a 180-degree protractor in the center.
|
|
hepatitis
|
Inflammatory condition of the liver.
|
|
hernia
|
Protrusion of abdominal organs through the muscle wall.
|
|
hirsutism
|
Excessive body hair in a masculine distribution caused by heredity, hormonal dysfunction, or medication.
|
|
hydrocephalus
|
Abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain.
|
|
hypertonicity
|
Increased muscle tone.
|
|
hypotonicity
|
Low muscle tone.
|
|
iatrogenic infections
|
Infections caused by a treatment or diagnostic procedure.
|
|
indurated
|
Hardened tissue, particularly skin, due to edema, inflammation, or infiltration by a tumor.
|
|
integument
|
Skin and its appendages: hair, nails, and sweat and sebaceous glands.
|
|
invasive
|
Referring to procedures that involve puncture, incision, or insertion of a foreign object, such as a needle or catheter, into the body.
|
|
jaundice
|
Yellow discoloration of the skin, mucous membranes, and sclera, caused by greater than normal amounts of bilirubin in the blood.
|
|
kyphosis
|
Exaggeration of the posterior curvature of the thoracic spine.
|
|
leukoplakia
|
Thick, raised, pearly-white patch of precancerous tissue found on the lips, buccal mucosa, penis, or vulva.
|
|
localized
|
With regard to infections, a type of infection in which the infectious process is limited to a particular area, such as a wound infection.
|
|
lordosis
|
Increased lumbar curvature.
|
|
melanoma
|
Group of malignant neoplasms, primarily of the skin, that are composed of melanocytes; common in fair-skinned people having light-colored eyes and in persons who have had a sunburn; any black or brown spot having an irregular border, pigment appearing to radiate beyond that border, or a red, black, and blue coloration observable on close examination.
|
|
metastasize
|
To spread.
|
|
microorganisms
|
Any microscopic entity capable of carrying on living processes, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
|
|
murmur
|
Low-pitched fluttering or humming sound, such as a heart murmur.
|
|
nystagmus
|
Involuntary rhythmic movements of the eyes; the oscillations may be horizontal, vertical, rotary, or mixed.
|
|
occlusion
|
Blockage in a canal, vessel, or passage of the body.
|
|
ophthalmoscope
|
Instrument used to illuminate the structures of the eye for the examination of the fundus, which includes the retina, choroid, optic nerve disc, macula, fovea centralis, and retinal vessels.
|
|
otoscope
|
Instrument with a special ear speculum used to examine the deeper structures of the external and middle ear.
|
|
ototoxicity
|
Referring to the characteristic of any drug or substance that has a harmful effect on the eighth cranial nerve or the organs of hearing and balance.
|
|
pancreatitis
|
Inflammation of the pancreas.
|
|
Papanicolaou (Pap) test
|
Painless screening test for cervical cancer; specimens of squamous and columnar cells of the cervix are taken.
|
|
peritonitis
|
Inflammation of the peritoneum produced by bacteria or irritating substances introduced into the abdominal cavity by a penetrating wound or perforation of an organ in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or the reproductive tract.
|
|
PERRLA
|
Acronym for pupils equal, round, reactive to light, accommodative; the acronym is recorded in the physical examination if eye and pupil assessments are normal.
|
|
petechiae
|
Tiny purple or red spots that appear on the skin as minute hemorrhages within dermal layers.
|
|
phagocytosis
|
Process by which certain cells, such as macrophages, engulf and dispose of microorganisms.
|
|
pigmentation
|
Organic coloring material, such as melanin, that gives color to the skin.
|
|
point of maximal impulse (PMI)
|
Anatomical point along the fourth to fifth intercostal space at the midclavicular line where the heartbeat can most easily be palpated through the chest wall.
|
|
ptosis
|
Abnormal condition of one or both upper eyelids in which the eyelid droops; caused by weakness of the levator muscle or paralysis of the third cranial nerve.
|
|
scoliosis
|
Lateral spinal curvature.
|
|
senile keratosis
|
Slowly developing, localized thickening of the outer layers of the skin as a result of chronic, excessive exposure to the sun; commonly develops in older adults.
|
|
stenosis
|
Abnormal condition characterized by the constriction or narrowing of an opening or passageway in a body structure.
|
|
syncope
|
Brief lapse in consciousness caused by transient cerebral hypoxia.
|
|
systemic
|
Of or pertaining to the whole body rather than to a localized area.
|
|
tactile fremitus
|
Tremulous vibration of the chest wall during breathing that is palpable on physical examination.
|
|
thrill
|
Continuous palpable sensation, like the purring of a cat.
|
|
turgor
|
Normal resiliency of the skin caused by the outward pressure of the cells and interstitial fluid.
|
|
varicosities
|
Superficial veins that become dilated, for example, varicose veins on the lag or esophageal varicosities along the surface of the esophagus
|
|
ventricular gallop
|
Abnormal low-pitched extra heart sound (S3) heard in early diastole.
|
|
vocal fremitus
|
Vibrations created by sound waves that can be palpated externally.
|
|
whispered pectoriloquy
|
Transmission of a whisper through the pulmonary structures so that it is heard as normal audible speech on auscultation.
|
|
aphasia
|
Loss of ability to comprehend language or communicate
|
|
benign breast disease (fibrocystic)
|
Condition characterized by lumpy, sore breasts and sometimes nipple discharge. Symptoms are more apparent before the menstrual period.
|
|
capillary refill
|
The time it takes for a nail bed to return to its usual color after the blood flow has been momentarily occluded—is an indicator of peripheral circulation.
|
|
squamous cell carcinoma
|
Skin cancer that develops on outer layers of sun damaged skin; may travel to lymph nodes.
|
|
aerobic
|
Of or pertaining to the presence of air or oxygen; requiring oxygen for the maintenance of life.
|
|
anaerobic
|
Absence of oxygen.
|
|
asepsis
|
Absence of germs or microorganisms.
|
|
bactericidal
|
Destructive to bacteria.
|
|
bacteriostasis
|
State in which the development or reproduction of bacteria is suspended.
|
|
broad-spectrum antibiotics
|
Antibiotics that are effective against a wide range of infectious microorganisms.
|
|
carriers
|
Animals or persons who harbor and spread a disease-causing organism but who do not become ill.
|
|
communicable disease
|
Any disease that can be transmitted from one person or animal to another by direct or indirect contact or by vectors.
|
|
disinfection
|
Process of killing pathogenic organisms.
|
|
endogenous infection
|
Infection produced within a cell or organism.
|
|
exogenous infection
|
Infection originating outside an organ or part.
|
|
hand hygiene
|
CDC-recommended approaches for cleansing of the hands involving the use of an instant alcohol hand antiseptic before and after providing client care, hand washing with soap and water when hands are visibly soiled, or performing a surgical scrub.
|
|
hand washing
|
Vigorous, brief rubbing together of all surfaces of hands lathered in soap, followed by rinsing under a stream of water.
|
|
immunocompromised
|
Abnormal condition of the immune system in which cellular or humoral immunity is inadequate.
|
|
inflammatory response
|
Protective vascular and cellular reaction that neutralizes pathogens and repairs body cells.
|
|
leukocytosis
|
Abnormal increase in the number of circulating white blood cells.
|
|
medical asepsis
|
Procedures used to reduce and prevent the spread of microorganisms; also known as clean technique.
|
|
necrotic
|
Of or pertaining to the death of tissue in response to disease or injury.
|
|
normal flora
|
Microorganisms that live on or within a body to compete with disease-producing microorganisms and provide a natural immunity against certain infections.
|
|
pathogenicity
|
Ability of a pathogenic agent to produce disease.
|
|
sterile field
|
Specified area, such as within a tray or on a sterile towel, that is considered free of microorganisms.
|
|
suprainfection
|
Secondary infection usually caused by an opportunistic pathogen.
|
|
surgical asepsis
|
Procedures used to eliminate all microorganisms, including pathogens and spores, from an object or area; also known as sterile technique.
|
|
susceptibility
|
Condition of being vulnerable to a disease or disorder.
|
|
vector
|
Carrier, especially one that transmits disease.
|
|
virulence
|
The ability to produce disease.
|
|
health care-associated infections
|
A client develops an infection that was not present or incubating at the time of admission.
|
|
absorption
|
Passage of substances across and into tissues (e.g., intestinal and parenteral absorption).
|
|
adverse effects
|
A severe response to medication. For example, a client may become comatose when a drug is ingested.
|
|
anaphylactic reactions
|
Reactions characterized by sudden constriction of bronchiolar muscles, edema of the pharynx and larynx, and severe wheezing and shortness of breath.
|
|
biotransformation
|
Change that occurs under the influence of enzymes that detoxify, degrade, and remove biologically active chemicals.
|
|
buccal
|
Of or pertaining to the inside of the cheek or the gum next to the cheek.
|
|
client-centered problems
|
What nursing leaders and educators revised their curricula to reflect.
|
|
concentration (concentrate)
|
Substance, particularly a liquid, that has been strengthened and reduced in volume through evaporation or other means.
|
|
idiosyncratic reaction
|
Individual sensitivities to drug effects; caused by inherited or other bodily constitution factors.
|
|
infusion
|
Introduction of a substance such as a fluid, drug, electrolyte, or nutrient directly into a vein by means of gravity flow.
|
|
inhalation
|
To breathe in or draw in with the breath.
|
|
injection
|
Act of forcing a liquid into the body by means of a needle and syringe.
|
|
instillation
|
Procedure in which a fluid is slowly introduced into a cavity or passage of the body (e.g., rectum) and allowed to remain for a specific length of time before being withdrawn or drained.
|
|
integrative medical programs
|
Programs that allow health care consumers to be treated by a team of providers that consists of both allopathic and complementary practitioners.
|
|
intraarticular
|
Within a joint.
|
|
intracardiac
|
Within the myocardium.
|
|
intradermal (ID)
|
Within the dermis of the skin.
|
|
intramuscular (IM)
|
Tissue within the interior of a muscle.
|
|
intraocular
|
Eye medication delivery involving inserting a medication, similar to a contact lens, into a client's eye.
|
|
intravenous (IV)
|
Pertaining to the inside of a vein.
|
|
irrigation
|
Process of washing out a body cavity or wounded area with a stream of fluid.
|
|
medication allergy
|
Severe or mild reaction to medication.
|
|
medication error
|
Any event that could cause or lead to a client receiving inappropriate medication therapy or failing to receive appropriate medication therapy.
|
|
meridians
|
Channels of energy running in regular patterns through the body and over its surface.
|
|
metered-dose inhaler (MDI)
|
Inhaler designed to produce local effects such as bronchodilatation.
|
|
metric system
|
Decimal system of measurement based on the meter (39.37 inches) as the unit of length; on the gram (15.432 grains) as the unit of weight or mass; and, as a derived unit, on the liter (0.908 U.S. dry quart or 1.0567 U.S. liquid quart) as the unit of volume.
|
|
narcotic
|
Drug substance, either derived from opium or produced synthetically, that alters perception of pain and that with repeated use may result in physical and psychological dependence.
|
|
ophthalmic
|
Medications for eye conditions such as glaucoma.
|
|
parenteral administration
|
Injecting a medication into body tissues.
|
|
peak concentration
|
Highest serum concentration.
|
|
prescriptions
|
Written by the prescriber for clients who are to take medications outside the hospital.
|
|
serum half-life
|
Time needed for excretion processes to lower the serum drug concentration by half.
|
|
side effects
|
Any reaction or consequence that results from medication or therapy.
|
|
subcutaneous (Sub-Q)
|
Injection into tissues just below the dermis of the skin.
|
|
sublingual
|
Route of medication administration in which the medication is placed underneath the client's tongue.
|
|
synergistic effect
|
When two drugs act synergistically, the effect of the two drugs combined is greater than the effect that would be expected if the individual effects of the two drugs acting alone were added together.
|
|
therapeutic effects
|
Desired benefits of a medication, treatment, or procedure.
|
|
toxic effects
|
Resulting from an excess amount of medication in a client's blood, these effects may be caused by the excessive use of medication, overdose, impaired excretion, or idiosyncratic reaction to the medication itself.
|
|
verbal order
|
Physician's order given to the nurse, usually over the telephone.
|
|
medication interaction
|
One medication alters the action of another.
|
|
medication reconciliation
|
Comparison of two medication lists to ensure that the nurse is aware of all medications prescribed for a client
|
|
acupoints
|
Holes through which qi can be influenced by the insertion of needles.
|
|
acupuncture
|
Traditional Chinese method of producing analgesia or altering the function of a body system by the insertion of needles.
|
|
allopathic medicine
|
System of medical therapy in which a disease or an abnormal condition is treated by creating an environment that is antagonistic to the disease or condition.
|
|
alternative therapies
|
Any of the systems of medical diagnosis and treatment differing in technique from that of the allopathic practitioner's use of drugs and surgery to treat disease and injury.
|
|
chiropractic therapy
|
System of therapy based on the theory that the state of a person's health is determined in general by the condition of his or her nervous system.
|
|
complementary therapies
|
Therapies used in addition to conventional treatment recommended by the person's health care provider.
|
|
creative visualization
|
Form of self-directed imagery that is based on the principal of mind-body connectivity.
|
|
crutch gait
|
Gait assumed by a person on crutches by alternately bearing weight on one or both legs and on the crutches.
|
|
energy flow
|
Term used in Therapeutic Touch therapy referring to the symmetrical and rhythmical flow of energy through the body.
|
|
herbal therapy
|
Use of plant species as medicine.
|
|
imagery
|
Visualization techniques that make use of the conscious mind to create mental images to evoke physical changes in the body.
|
|
passive relaxation
|
Process that involves teaching the individual to relax individual muscle groups passively.
|
|
progressive relaxation
|
Exercise that helps to teach the individual how to effectively rest and reduce tension in the body.
|
|
qi
|
Vital energy of the human body.
|
|
stress response
|
Response evoked by stressful situations that people are exposed to in everyday life.
|
|
therapeutic touch
|
Use of the hands to provide comfort to the client; touch can communicate caring and thus help clients relax.
|
|
yin and yang
|
Symbols that represent the opposing yet complementary phenomena that exist in a state of dynamic equilibrium.
|
|
meditation
|
Any activity that limits stimulus input by directing attention to a single unchanging or repetitive stimulus.
|
|
relaxation response
|
The state of generalized decreased cognitive, physiological, and/or behavioral arousal.
|
|
antagonistic muscles
|
Group of muscles that work together to bring about movement at a joint.
|
|
antigravity muscles
|
Muscles involved with joint stabilization. These muscles continually oppose the effect of gravity on the body and permit a person to maintain an upright or sitting posture.
|
|
center of gravity
|
Midpoint or center of the weight of a body or object.
|
|
foot board
|
Board placed perpendicular to the mattress and parallel to and touching the plantar surface of the client's foot to maintain dorsiflexion of the feet.
|
|
proprioception
|
Sensation achieved through stimuli from within the body regarding spatial position and muscular activity.
|
|
synergistic muscles
|
Muscles that contract together to accomplish the same movement.
|
|
air pollution
|
Contamination of the environmental atmosphere with substances known as pollutants, which are not normally found in the air.
|
|
Ambularm
|
Safety device that alerts health care personnel that a client is attempting to get up. Provides an alternative to restraints.
|
|
aura
|
Sensation, as of light or warmth, that may precede an attack of migraine or epileptic seizure.
|
|
bioterrorism
|
The use of biological agents to create fear and threat.
|
|
carbon monoxide (CO)
|
Colorless, odorless, poisonous gas produced by the combustion of carbon or organic fuels.
|
|
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
|
Federal agency responsible for the enforcement of federal regulations regarding the manufacture and distribution of food, drugs, and cosmetics to ensure protection against the sale of impure or dangerous substances.
|
|
food poisoning
|
Toxic processes resulting from the ingestion of a food contaminated by toxic substances or by bacteria containing toxins.
|
|
immunization
|
Process by which resistance to an infectious disease is produced or augmented. Immunity is acquired after the oral administration or injection of an antigen, which causes production of an antibody within the body.
|
|
individuation
|
Process whereby an individual looks to gain an understanding of the self as distinct yet also in relationship with others.
|
|
land pollution
|
Contamination of soil by improper disposal of radioactive or bioactive waste products.
|
|
noise pollution
|
Noise level in an environment at the level that it becomes uncomfortable to the inhabitants.
|
|
poison
|
Any substance that impairs health or destroys life when ingested, inhaled, or absorbed by the body in relatively small amounts.
|
|
pollutant
|
Harmful chemical or waste material discharged into the water or atmosphere.
|
|
relative humidity
|
Amount of moisture in the air as compared with the maximum amount that the air could contain at the same temperature.
|
|
restraint
|
Device to aid in the immobilization of a client or a client's extremity.
|
|
seizure
|
Brief, temporary malfunctions of nerve cells in the brain may result in seizure activity. A generalized tonic-clonic seizure is characterized by loss of consciousness, tonicity (rigidity), and clonicity (jerking).
|
|
seizure precautions
|
Measures that protect the client from injury during a seizure.
|
|
status epilepticus
|
Medical emergency whereby a person has continual seizures without interruption.
|
|
water pollution
|
Contamination of lakes, rivers, and streams by industrial pollutants.
|
|
bed check
|
Alarm system that indicates when a client has exited their bed; the alarm sounds when the pressure is relieved from the Sensormat in their bed.
|
|
acne
|
Inflammatory papulopustular skin eruption, usually occurring on the face, neck, shoulders, and upper back.
|
|
apocrine gland
|
One of the large, deep exocrine glands located in the axillary, anal, genital, and mammary areas of the body; secretes sweat that has a strong odor.
|
|
buccal glands
|
Found in the mucosa lining of cheeks and mouth, they secrete saliva to maintain the hygiene and comfort of oral tissues.
|
|
complete bed bath
|
Bath given to clients who are totally dependent and require total hygiene care.
|
|
cuticle
|
Fold of skin that hides the root of the nail.
|
|
dermis
|
Layer of skin just below the epidermis that contains blood and lymphatic vessels, nerves and nerve endings, glands, and hair follicles.
|
|
eccrine
|
Two types of sweat glands; eccrine glands are present throughout the dermal layer of the skin and promote cooling by evaporation of their secretions.
|
|
edentulous
|
Toothless.
|
|
effleurage
|
Long, slow, gliding strokes of massage.
|
|
enucleation
|
Removal of an eyeball as a result of tumor growth, severe infection, or eye trauma.
|
|
epidermis
|
Superficial avascular layers of the skin made up of an outer, dead, cornified portion of cells and a deeper, living, cellular portion.
|
|
gingivitis
|
Inflammatory condition in which the gums are red, swollen, and bleeding.
|
|
halitosis
|
Offensive breath resulting from poor oral hygiene, dental or oral infection, ingestion of certain foods, or systemic disease.
|
|
lunula
|
Whitish area at the base of the nail bed.
|
|
mastication
|
Chewing, tearing, or grinding food with the teeth while it becomes mixed with saliva.
|
|
neuropathy
|
Abnormal condition characterized by inflammation and degeneration of peripheral nerves that alter sensory or motor function.
|
|
ophthalmologist
|
Medical doctor whose practice is limited to diseases, conditions, and trauma to the eyes. An ophthalmologist also prescribes corrective lenses for clients whose visual acuity is impaired.
|
|
optometrist
|
Medical doctor whose practice is limited to primary eye care.
|
|
partial bed bath
|
Bath in which body parts that might cause the client discomfort if left unbathed (i.e., face, hands, axillary areas, back, and perineum) are washed while the client remains in bed.
|
|
perineal care
|
Cleansing procedure prescribed for the genital and anal areas as part of the daily bath or after various obstetrical and gynecological procedures.
|
|
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
|
Infectious diseases transmitted to any part of the body through contact with body fluids during sexual activities.
|
|
afterload
|
Resistance to ventricular ejection.
|
|
aldosterone
|
Substance released by the adrenal cortex in response to increased plasma potassium levels or as a part of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone mechanism to counteract hypovolemia.
|
|
angina pectoris
|
Episodic chest pain caused most often by myocardial anoxia as a result of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. Pain radiates down the inner aspect of the left arm and is often accompanied by feeling of suffocation and impending death.
|
|
bronchoscopy
|
Visual examination of the tracheal and bronchial tree using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope.
|
|
cardiac index (CI)
|
Adequacy of the cardiac output of an individual.
|
|
cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
|
Process of actively assisting the cardiopulmonary client to achieve and maintain an optimal level of health through controlled physical exercise, nutritional counseling, relaxation and stress management techniques, prescribed medication, oxygen therapy, and adherence to the rehabilitation program.
|
|
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
|
Basic emergency procedures for life support consisting of artificial respiration and manual external cardiac massage.
|
|
chest tube
|
Catheter inserted through the thorax into the chest cavity for removing air or fluid; used after chest or heart surgery or pneumothorax.
|
|
diaphragmatic breathing
|
Respiration in which the abdomen moves out while the diaphragm descends on inspiration.
|
|
dyspnea
|
Shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing that may be caused by certain heart or lung conditions or strenuous exercise.
|
|
electrocardiogram (ECG)
|
Graphic record of the electrical activity of the myocardium.
|
|
electrolyte
|
Element or compound that, when melted or dissolved in water or another solvent, dissociates into ions and is able to carry an electrical current.
|
|
extracellular fluids
|
Portion of body fluids composed of interstitial fluid and blood plasma.
|
|
filtration
|
Process by which water and diffusible substances move together in response to fluid pressure.
|
|
hematemesis
|
Vomiting of blood; indicates upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
|
|
hemoptysis
|
Coughing of blood from the respiratory tract.
|
|
hemothorax
|
Accumulation of blood and fluid in the pleural cavity between the parietal and visceral pleurae.
|
|
humidification
|
Process of adding water to gas.
|
|
hyperventilation
|
Respiratory rate in excess of that required to maintain normal carbon dioxide levels in the body tissues.
|
|
hypoventilation
|
Reduction in the volume of air that enters the lung for gas exchange; oxygen exchange insufficient to meet metabolic demands of the body.
|
|
hypoxia
|
Inadequate cellular oxygenation that may result from a deficiency in the delivery or use of oxygen at the cellular level.
|
|
incentive spirometry
|
Method of encouraging voluntary deep breathing by providing visual feedback to clients of the inspiratory volume they have achieved.
|
|
myocardial infarction
|
Necrosis of a portion of cardiac muscle caused by obstruction in a coronary artery.
|
|
myocardial ischemia
|
Cardiac condition that results when the supply of blood to the myocardium from the coronary arteries is insufficient to meet the oxygen demands of the organ.
|
|
nasal cannula
|
Device for delivering oxygen by way of two small tubes that are inserted into the nares.
|
|
nebulization
|
Process of adding moisture to inspired air by the addition of water droplets.
|
|
normal sinus rhythm (NSR)
|
Wave pattern on an electrocardiogram that indicates normal conduction of an electrical impulse through the myocardium.
|
|
peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR)
|
Maximal flow rate, measured in liters, that can be generated during a forced expiratory maneuver.
|
|
pneumothorax
|
Collection of air or gas in the pleural space.
|
|
postural drainage
|
Use of positioning along with percussion and vibration to drain secretions from specific segments of the lungs and bronchi into the trachea.
|
|
preload
|
Volume of blood in the ventricles at the end of diastole, immediately before ventricular contraction.
|
|
pursed-lip breathing
|
Deep inspiration through the nose and mouth, not using pursed lips, followed by prolonged expiration through pursed lips.
|
|
thoracentesis
|
Surgical perforation of the chest wall and pleural space with a needle for the aspiration of fluid or to obtain a specimen for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
|
|
ventricular fibrillation
|
A life-threatening rhythm in which there is no ventricular filling and no cardiac output. This dysrhythmia requires immediate intervention.
|
|
ventricular tachycardia
|
A life-threatening dysrhythmia because of the decreased cardiac output and the potential to deteriorate into ventricular fibrillation.
|
|
wheezing
|
Adventitious lung sound caused by a severely narrowed bronchus.
|
|
expiration
|
The act of exhalation or emptying the air from the lungs.
|
|
inspiration
|
The act of breathing in, or filling the lungs with air
|
|
active transport
|
Movement of materials across the cell membrane by means of chemical activity that allows the cell to admit larger molecules than would otherwise be possible.
|
|
angiotensin
|
Substance produced by renin that causes some vasoconstriction.
|
|
anion gap
|
Difference between the concentrations of serum cations and anions: determined by measuring the concentrations of sodium cations and chloride and bicarbonate anions.
|
|
anions
|
Negatively charged electrolytes.
|
|
antidiuretic hormone (ADH)
|
Substance stored in the posterior pituitary gland that is released in response to changes in blood osmolarity.
|
|
arterial blood gas
|
The oxygen and carbon dioxide content of arterial blood, measured by various methods to assess the adequacy of ventilation and oxygenation and the acid-base status of the body.
|
|
autologous transfusion
|
Transfusion procedure in which blood is removed from a donor and stored for a time before it is returned to the donor's circulation.
|
|
buffer
|
Substance or group of substances that can absorb or release hydrogen ions to correct an acid-base imbalance.
|
|
climacteric
|
Physiological developmental change that occurs in the male reproductive system between the ages of 45 and 60.
|
|
colloid osmotic pressure
|
Pressure that tends to keep fluid in the intravascular compartment.
|
|
colloids
|
Blood and blood components.
|
|
concentration gradient
|
Difference between two concentrations.
|
|
crystalloids
|
Intravenous (IV) fluid and electrolyte therapy.
|
|
dehydration
|
Excessive loss of water from the body tissues, accompanied by a disturbance of body electrolytes.
|
|
dyssomnias
|
Primary sleep disorders.
|
|
fluid volume deficit (FVD)
|
Alteration characterized by the loss of fluids and electrolytes in an isotonic fashion.
|
|
fluid volume excess (FVE)
|
Alteration characterized by the abnormal retention of fluids and electrolytes in an isotonic fashion.
|
|
hemolysis
|
Breakdown of red blood cells and release of hemoglobin as may result from the administration of hypotonic intravenous solutions that cause progressive swelling and rupture of the erythrocytes.
|
|
homeostasis
|
State of relative constancy in the internal environment of the body, maintained naturally by physiological adaptive mechanisms.
|
|
hydrostatic pressure
|
Pressure exerted by a liquid.
|
|
hypertonic
|
Situation in which one solution has a greater concentration of solute than another solution; therefore the first solution exerts more osmotic pressure.
|
|
hypotonic
|
Situation in which one solution has a smaller concentration of solute than another solution; therefore the first solution exerts less osmotic pressure.
|
|
infertility
|
Man's, woman's, or couple's involuntary inability to conceive.
|
|
infiltration
|
Dislodging an intravenous catheter or needle from a vein into the subcutaneous space.
|
|
infusion pump
|
Device that delivers a measured amount of fluid over a period of time.
|
|
insensible water loss
|
Loss of fluid from the body by evaporation, such as that which normally occurs during respiration.
|
|
interstitial fluid
|
Fluid that fills the spaces between most of the cells of the body and that provides a substantial portion of the liquid environment of the body.
|
|
intracellular fluids
|
Liquids within the cell membrane.
|
|
intravascular fluid
|
Blood plasma.
|
|
ions
|
Atoms or groups of atoms that have acquired an electrical charge through the gain or loss of an electron or electrons.
|
|
isotonic
|
Situation in which two solutions have the same concentration of solute; therefore both solutions exert the same osmotic pressure.
|
|
metabolic acidosis
|
Abnormal condition of high hydrogen ion concentration in the extracellular fluid caused by either a primary increase in hydrogen ions or a decrease in bicarbonate.
|
|
metabolic alkalosis
|
Abnormal condition characterized by the significant loss of acid from the body or by increased levels of bicarbonate.
|
|
milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L)
|
Unit of measurement representing the number of grams of the specific electrolyte dissolved in a liter of plasma.
|
|
oncotic pressure
|
Total influence of a protein on the osmotic activity of plasma water.
|
|
osmolarity
|
Osmotic pressure of a solution expressed in osmols or milliosmols per liter of the solution.
|
|
osmols
|
Quantity of a substance in solution in the form of molecules, ions, or both that has the same osmotic pressure as 1 mole of an ideal nonelectrolyte.
|
|
osmoreceptor
|
Receptor that is sensitive to fluid concentration in the blood plasma and that regulates the secretion of antidiuretic hormone.
|
|
osmosis
|
Movement of a pure solvent through a semipermeable membrane from a solution with a lower solute concentration to one with a higher solute concentration.
|
|
osmotic pressure
|
Drawing power for water, which depends on the number of molecules in the solution.
|
|
outcome
|
Condition to be achieved as a result of health care delivery. Favorable or adverse changes in clients' health states due to prior or concurrent care.
|
|
respiratory acidosis
|
Abnormal condition characterized by increased arterial carbon dioxide concentration, excess carbonic acid, and increased hydrogen ion concentration.
|
|
respiratory alkalosis
|
Abnormal condition characterized by decreased arterial carbon dioxide concentration and decreased hydrogen ion concentration.
|
|
sensible water loss
|
Water loss that occurs though excess perspiration.
|
|
solute
|
Substance dissolved in a solution.
|
|
solvent
|
Any liquid in which another substance can be dissolved.
|
|
transfusion reaction
|
Systemic response by the body to the administration of blood incompatible with that of the recipient.
|
|
vascular access devices
|
Catheters, cannulas, or infusion ports designed for long-term, repeated access to the vascular system.
|
|
venipuncture
|
Technique in which a vein is punctured transcutaneously by a sharp, rigid stylet or by a needle attached to a syringe.
|
|
acidosis
|
An increase of hydrogen ions producing a lower pH.
|
|
alkalosis
|
A decrease of hydrogen ions producing a higher pH.
|
|
atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)
|
hormone secreted from atrial cells of the heart in response to atrial stretching and an increase in circulating blood volume. ANP has been identified as a diuretic that causes sodium loss and inhibits the thirst mechanism
|
|
transcellular fluid
|
Transcellular fluid is fluid separated from other fluids by a cellular barrier and consists of cerebrospinal, pleural, gastrointestinal, intraocular, peritoneal, and synovial fluids (Elgart, 2004). Loss of transcellular fluid can produce fluid and electrolyte disturbance.
|
|
biological clocks
|
Cyclical nature of body functions; functions controlled from within the body as synchronized with environmental factors: same meaning as biorhythm.
|
|
spontaneous pain
|
Pain that is unpredictable and not associated with any activity or event.
|
|
cataplexy
|
Condition characterized by sudden muscular weakness and loss of muscle tone.
|
|
circadian rhythm
|
The 24-hour day-night cycle also known as diurnal; pattern based on repetition of certain physiological phenomena within a 24-hour cycle.
|
|
dorsal rhizotomy
|
Surgical cutting of the dorsal or posterior nerve roots as they enter the spinal cord.
|
|
excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
|
Most common complaint of people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
|
|
hypersomnolence
|
Excessive sleepiness.
|
|
hypnotics
|
Class of drugs that cause insensibility to pain and induce sleep.
|
|
insomnia
|
Condition characterized by chronic inability to sleep or remain asleep through the night.
|
|
narcolepsy
|
Syndrome involving sudden sleep attacks that a person cannot inhibit; uncontrollable desire to sleep may occur several times during a day.
|
|
nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep
|
Occurs during the first four stages of normal sleep.
|
|
polysomnogram
|
Monitoring device that involves placement of electrodes on the scalp, face, chin, and legs to measure brain waves, eye movements, and muscle activity; used to diagnose sleep disorders.
|
|
rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
|
Stage of sleep in which dreaming and rapid eye movements are prominent; important for mental restoration.
|
|
sedative
|
Medication that produces a calming effect by decreasing functional activity, diminishing irritability, and allaying excitement.
|
|
sleep
|
State marked by reduced consciousness, diminished activity of the skeletal muscles, and depressed metabolism.
|
|
sleep apnea
|
Cessation of breathing for a time during sleep.
|
|
sleep deprivation
|
Condition resulting from a decrease in the amount, quality, and consistency of sleep.
|
|
sleep hygiene
|
Poor habits or practices that a client uses that are associated with sleep.
|
|
accountability
|
State of being answerable for one's actions. For example, the professional nurse answers to herself or himself, the client, the profession, the employing institution, and the professional society for the effectiveness of nursing care performed.
|
|
acupressure
|
Therapeutic technique of applying digital pressure in a specified way on designated points on the body to relieve pain, produce anesthesia, or regulate body function.
|
|
acute pain
|
Follows acute injury, disease, or surgical intervention and has a rapid onset; varies in intensity, and lasts for a brief time, usually less than 6 months.
|
|
addiction
|
A primary, chronic, neurobiological disease, with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. It is characterized by behaviors that include one or more of the following: impaired control over drug use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and craving.
|
|
breakthrough pain
|
Pain that extends beyond treated steady chronic pain.
|
|
chronic pain
|
Pain that lasts longer than anticipated (usually over 6 months), may not have an identifiable cause, and may lead to great personal suffering. Chronic pain may be noncancerous (nonmalignant) or cancerous.
|
|
cutaneous stimulation
|
Stimulation of a person's skin to prevent or reduce pain perception. A massage, warm bath, application of liniment, hot and cold therapies, and transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation are some ways to reduce pain perception.
|
|
drug tolerance
|
A state of adaptation in which exposure to a drug induces changes that result in diminution of one or more of the drug's effects over time.
|
|
epidural space
|
Where the epidural analgesia is administered.
|
|
guided imagery
|
Method of pain control in which the client creates a mental image, concentrates on that image, and gradually becomes less aware of pain.
|
|
idiopathic pain
|
Pain in the absence of an identifiable physical or psychological cause or pain perceived as excessive for the extent of organic pathological condition.
|
|
modulation
|
Alteration in the magnitude or any variation in the duration of an electrical current.
|
|
nociceptor
|
Somatic and visceral free nerve endings of thinly myelinated and unmyelinated fibers; these fibers usually react to tissue injury but may also be excited by endogenous chemical substances.
|
|
nutrients
|
Foods that contain elements necessary for body function, including water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
|
|
opioid
|
Pertaining to natural and synthetic chemicals that have opium-like effects although they are not derived from opium.
|
|
pain
|
"An unpleasant, subjective sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage." (International Association for the Study of Pain, 1979)
|
|
pain threshold
|
The point at which a person feels pain.
|
|
pain tolerance
|
The level of pain that a person is willing to put up with.
|
|
patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)
|
Drug delivery system that allows clients to self-administer analgesic medications as desired.
|
|
physical dependence
|
A state of adaptation that is manifested by a drug class specific withdrawal syndrome that can be produced by abrupt cessation, rapid dose reduction, decreasing blood level or the drug, and/or administration of an antagonist.
|
|
placebo
|
Inert substance with no active ingredient.
|
|
prostaglandins
|
Potent hormonelike substances that act in exceedingly low doses on target organs; they can be used to treat asthma and gastric hyperacidity.
|
|
pruritus
|
Symptom of itching.
|
|
pseudoaddiction
|
Patient behaviors (drug seeking) that may occur when pain is undertreated.
|
|
pseudotolerance
|
The need to increase opioid dose for reasons other than opioid tolerance: progression of disease, onset of new disorder, increased physical activity, lack of adherence, change in opioid formulation, drug-drug interaction, drug-food interaction (Wall and Melzack, 1999).
|
|
responsibility
|
Duty associated with a particular role.
|
|
standard of care
|
Minimum level of care accepted to ensure high quality of care to clients. Standards of care define the types of therapies typically administered to clients with defined problems or needs.
|
|
transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
|
Technique in which a battery-powered device blocks pain impulses from reaching the spinal cord by delivering weak electrical pulses directly to the skin's surface.
|
|
transduction
|
Process that begins in the periphery when a pain-producing stimulus sends an impulse across a peripheral nerve fiber.
|
|
transmission
|
Transfer or conveyance of a thing or condition.
|
|
analgesics
|
Medications that provide pain relief
|
|
epidural anesthesia
|
Pain management via the epidural space
|
|
perineural infusion
|
An unsutured catheter from a surgical wound placed near a nerve or groups of nerves connects to a pump containing a local anesthetic
|
|
amino acids
|
Building blocks that construct proteins; the end products of protein digestion.
|
|
anabolism
|
Constructive metabolism characterized by conversion of simple substances into more complex compounds of living matter.
|
|
anorexia
|
Condition in which ill or debilitated clients have poor appetites.
|
|
anorexia nervosa
|
Disease characterized by a prolonged refusal to eat, resulting in emaciation, amenorrhea, emotional disturbance concerning body image, and an abnormal fear of becoming obese.
|
|
body mass index (BMI)
|
Measurement of weight, corrected for height, which serves as an alternative to traditional height-weight relationships.
|
|
bulimia nervosa
|
Insatiable craving for fond, often resulting in episodes of continuous eating that are followed by purging, depression, and self-deprivation.
|
|
carbohydrate
|
Dietary classification of food such as sugars, starches, cellulose, and gum.
|
|
catabolism
|
Complex metabolic process in which energy is liberated for use in work, energy, storage, or heat production by oxidation of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins; carbon dioxide and water, as well as energy, are produced.
|
|
consultations
|
Process in which the help of a specialist is sought to identify ways to handle problems in client management or in the planning and implementation of programs.
|
|
critical pathway
|
Tool used in managed care that incorporates the treatment interventions of caregivers from all disciplines who normally care for a client. Designed for a specific case type, a pathway is used to manage the care of a client throughout a projected length of stay.
|
|
daily values
|
Set of dietary standards for eight nutrients and food categories.
|
|
depression
|
Mood disturbance characterized by feelings of sadness and discouragement resulting from and abnormally proportionate to some personal loss or tragedy.
|
|
dietary reference intakes (DRIs)
|
Format presenting a range of acceptable intake in place of absolute values.
|
|
dysphagia
|
Difficulty swallowing.
|
|
enteral nutrition (EN)
|
Provision of nutrients through the gastrointestinal tract when the client cannot ingest, chew, or swallow food but can digest and absorb nutrients.
|
|
enzymes
|
Proteins produced by living cells that catalyze chemical reactions in organic matter.
|
|
fat-soluble vitamins
|
Organic compounds essential for normal physiological and metabolic functioning; classified on the basis of their fat solubility.
|
|
fatty acids
|
Nutrients composed of chains of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms with an acid group on one end of the chain and a methyl group at the other.
|
|
gluconeogenesis
|
Formation of glucose or glycogen from substances that are not carbohydrates, such as proteins or lipids.
|
|
glycogenesis
|
Anabolism of glucose into glycogen for storage.
|
|
glycogenolysis
|
Catabolism of glycogen into glucose, carbon dioxide, and water.
|
|
hypervitaminosis
|
Condition caused by excessive intake of a vitamin; less likely to occur with water-soluble vitamins.
|
|
ideal body weight (IBW)
|
Estimate of what a person should weigh.
|
|
Kardex
|
Trade name for card-filing system that allows for quick reference to the particular need of the client for certain aspects of nursing care.
|
|
ketone
|
Organic chemical compound characterized by having in its structure a carbonyl, or keto, group, =CO, attached to two alkyl groups.
|
|
lipid
|
Any of the free fatty acid fractions in the blood.
|
|
lipid emulsions
|
Soybean- or safflower-oil-based solutions that are isotonic and that may be infused with amino acid and dextrose solution through a central or peripheral line.
|
|
macromineral
|
Minerals classified as having a daily requirement of 100 mg or more.
|
|
malabsorption
|
Set of symptoms resulting from disorders in the intestinal absorption of nutrients; characterized by anorexia, weight loss, bloating of the abdomen, and muscle cramps.
|
|
medical nutrition therapy (MNT)
|
Use of specific nutritional therapies to treat an illness, injury, or condition.
|
|
metabolism
|
Aggregate of all chemical processes that take place in living organisms, resulting in growth, generation of energy, elimination of wastes, and other functions concerned with the distribution of nutrients in the blood after digestion.
|
|
minerals
|
Inorganic elements essential to the body because of their role as catalysts in biochemical reactions.
|
|
monosaturated (fatty acids)
|
Fatty acids that have one carbon bond.
|
|
nitrogen balance
|
Relationship between the nitrogen taken into the body, usually as food, and the nitrogen excreted from the body in urine and feces. Most of the body's nitrogen is incorporated into protein.
|
|
nutrient density
|
Proportion of essential nutrients to the number of calories of a specific food.
|
|
parenteral nutrition (PN)
|
Administration of nutrition into the vascular system.
|
|
polyunsaturated (fatty acids)
|
Fatty acids that have two or more carbon double bonds.
|
|
resting energy expenditure (REE)
|
Measurement that accounts for BMR plus energy to digest meals and perform mild activity.
|
|
saccharide
|
Within carbohydrates, a classification of sugars.
|
|
saturated (fatty acids)
|
Fatty acids in which each carbon in the chain has an attached hydrogen atom.
|
|
simple carbohydrates
|
Monosaccharides and disaccharides, found primarily in sugars.
|
|
trace elements
|
Minerals when less than 100 mg is needed daily; microminerals.
|
|
triglycerides
|
Circulate in the blood and are made up of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol.
|
|
unsaturated (fatty acids)
|
Fatty acids in which an unequal number of hydrogen atoms are attached and the carbon atoms attach to each other with a double bond.
|
|
vegetarianism
|
Consumption of a diet consisting predominantly of plant foods.
|
|
vitamins
|
Organic compounds essential in small quantities for normal physiological and metabolic functioning of the body. With few exceptions, vitamins cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained from the diet or dietary supplements.
|
|
water-soluble vitamins
|
Vitamins that cannot be stored in the body and must be provided in the daily food intake, such as vitamin C and B complex.
|
|
anthopometry
|
A measurement system of the size and makeup of the body, including height and weight, BMI and other objective data showing the body's construction.
|
|
dispensable amino acids
|
Amino acids that the body synthesizes
|
|
indispensible amino acids
|
Amino acids that the body cannot synthesize
|
|
kilocalorie (kcal)
|
Measurement of heat that is equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere pressure; used by nutritionists to characterize the energy-producing potential in food
|
|
anuria
|
Cessation of urine production.
|
|
bacteriuria
|
Presence of bacteria in the urine.
|
|
catheterization
|
Introduction of a catheter into a body cavity or organ to inject or remove fluid.
|
|
colitis
|
Inflammatory condition of the large intestine.
|
|
colostomy
|
Surgical formation of an opening of the colon onto the surface of the abdomen through which fecal matter is emptied.
|
|
constipation
|
Condition characterized by difficulty in passing stool or an infrequent passage of hard stool.
|
|
Crohn's disease
|
Disease involving inflammation of the small intestine.
|
|
cystitis
|
Inflammation of the urinary bladder characterized by pain, urgency, and frequency of urination.
|
|
defecation
|
Passage of feces from the digestive tract through the rectum.
|
|
diarrhea
|
Increase in the number of stools and the passage of liquid, unformed feces.
|
|
diuresis
|
Increased formation and excretion of urine.
|
|
dysuria
|
Painful urination resulting from bacterial infection of the bladder and obstructive conditions of the urethra.
|
|
effluent
|
A liquid, solid, or gaseous discharge from the ostomy. Usually composed of fecal material.
|
|
endoscopy
|
Visualization of the interior of body organs and cavities with an endoscope.
|
|
enema
|
Procedure involving introduction of a solution into the rectum for cleansing or therapeutic purposes.
|
|
enterostomal therapist
|
Nurse that is specially trained in the treatment of clients with ostomies.
|
|
erythropoietin
|
Glycoprotein hormone synthesized mainly in the kidneys and released into the bloodstream in response to anoxia.
|
|
flatulence
|
Condition characterized by the accumulation of gas within the lumen of the intestines.
|
|
hematuria
|
Abnormal presence of blood in the urine.
|
|
ileostomy
|
Surgical formation of an opening of the ileum onto the surface of the abdomen through which fecal matter is emptied.
|
|
impaction
|
Presence of large or hard fecal mass in the rectum or colon.
|
|
incontinence
|
Inability to control urination.
|
|
ketonuria
|
Presence in the urine of excessive amounts of ketone bodies (products of fat metabolism), such as occurs in diabetes mellitus.
|
|
lactose intolerance
|
Gastric disorder in which some foods, such as milk and milk products, are difficult or impossible to digest.
|
|
laxative
|
Drug that acts to promote bowel evacuation.
|
|
masticate
|
To chew or tear food with the teeth while it becomes mixed with saliva.
|
|
meatus
|
Opening through any part of the body (e.g., the urethral meatus).
|
|
micturition
|
Urination; act of passing or expelling urine voluntarily through the urethra.
|
|
nephron
|
Structural and functional unit of the kidney that contains a renal glomerulus and tubule.
|
|
nephrostomy
|
Surgical procedure in which an incision is made on the flank of the client so that a catheter can be inserted into the kidney pelvis for the purpose of drainage.
|
|
oliguria
|
Diminished capacity to form and pass urine.
|
|
pelvic floor exercises (Kegel exercises)
|
Exercises that improve the strength of pelvic floor muscles and consist of repetitive contractions of muscle groups.
|
|
polyuria
|
Excretion of an abnormally large volume of urine.
|
|
proteinuria
|
Presence in the urine of abnormally large quantities of protein, usually albumin. Persistent proteinuria is usually a sign of renal disease, renal complications of another disease, hypertension, or heart failure.
|
|
pyelonephritis
|
Infection that spreads in the kidneys and causes flank pain, tenderness, low-grade fever, and chills.
|
|
renal replacement therapies
|
Treatments designed to carry out kidney function. Currently two methods of renal replacement exist: dialysis (peritoneal and hemodialysis) and organ transplantation.
|
|
residual urine
|
Volume of urine remaining in the bladder after a normal voiding; the bladder normally is almost completely empty after micturition.
|
|
specific gravity
|
Measurement of the degree of concentration of a liquid.
|
|
uremic syndrome
|
Symptoms characterized by the presence of urinary constituents in the blood and altered regulatory functions causing marked fluid and electrolyte abnormalities, nausea, vomiting, headache, coma, or convulsions.
|
|
urinalysis
|
Routine laboratory testing on a voided urine specimen.
|
|
urinary diversion
|
Surgically created diversion of the ureter to the abdominal wall for the drainage of urine after removal of a diseased bladder.
|
|
urinary frequency
|
Symptom involving increased voiding.
|
|
urinary incontinence
|
Inability to control urination.
|
|
urinary retention
|
Retention of urine in the bladder; condition frequently caused by a temporary loss of muscle function.
|
|
urosepsis
|
Condition caused by bacteria in the urine that may lead to the spread of organisms into the bloodstream or kidneys.
|
|
Valsalva maneuver
|
Any forced expiratory effort against a closed airway, as when an individual holds the breath and tightens the muscles in a concerted, strenuous effort to move a heavy object or to change positions in bed.
|
|
bolus
|
Round mass of chewed food ready to be swallowed.
|
|
bowel training
|
Program of exercises through which the client gains control of bowel reflexes by setting up a daily routine, attempting to defecate at the same time each day, and using measures that promote defecation.
|
|
joint contracture
|
Abnormal and usually permanent condition of a joint, characterized by flexion and fixation and caused by disuse, atrophy, and shortening of muscle fibers.
|
|
quality improvement
|
Monitoring and evaluation of processes and outcomes in health care or any other business to identify opportunities for improvement.
|
|
zygote
|
Fertilized ovum created by the joining of the mother's ovum and father's sperm.
|
|
cathartics
|
Used to soften the stool and promote peristalsis.
|
|
Clostridium difficile
|
Infection that causes diarrhea and is acquired one of two ways, either by receiving antibiotics or procedures that normal bowel flora and cause on overgrowth of C. difficile or by contamination from health care worker's hands or direct contact with the environmental surfaces contaminated with C. difficile.
|
|
flatulence
|
Accumulation of gas in the bowel, causing the bowel wall to stretch and distend.
|
|
laxatives
|
Used to soften the stool and promote peristalsis; milder than a cathartic
|
|
segmentation
|
The small and large intestine are built of individually innervated and muscled sections called segments that work in concert to provide peristaltic movement.
|
|
anthropometric measurements
|
Measures of height, weight, and skinfold thickness to evaluate muscle atrophy.
|
|
body alignment
|
The individual's center of gravity is stable, and body strain is minimized.
|
|
concentric tension
|
Increased muscle contraction resulting in muscle shortening with movement resulting.
|
|
disuse osteoporosis
|
A decline is bone density that is associated with impaired mobility or immobilization of an extremity because of fracture, paralysis, or bone or joint inflammation.
|
|
eccentric tension
|
Tension that helps control the speed and direction of movement.
|
|
embolus
|
A foreign object, a quantity of air or gas, a bit of tissue or tumor, or a piece of thrombus that circulates in the bloodstream until it becomes lodged in a vessel.
|
|
flat bones
|
Bones providing for structural contours of the skeleton.
|
|
footdrop
|
Abnormal neuromuscular condition of the lower leg and foot characterized by an inability to dorsiflex or evert the foot.
|
|
fracture
|
Breakage of bone caused by violence to the body; disruption of bone tissue continuity.
|
|
gait belt
|
Leather belt that encircles the waist and has handles attached for the nurse to hold.
|
|
hypostatic pneumonia
|
Inflammation of the lung from stasis or pooling of secretion.
|
|
irregular bones
|
Bones of the vertebral column and some bones of the skull.
|
|
leverage
|
Inducing or compelling force.
|
|
long bones
|
Bones that contribute to the height of a person, to the length of an extremity such as the arm, or to the length of a portion of an extremity such as the hand.
|
|
muscle atrophy
|
Loss of muscle tissue.
|
|
negative nitrogen balance
|
Condition occurring when the body excretes more nitrogen than it takes in.
|
|
pathological fractures
|
Fractures resulting from weakened bone tissue; frequently caused by osteoporosis or neoplasms.
|
|
short bones
|
Bone clusters that when combined with ligaments and cartilage permit movement of the extremities.
|
|
suture
|
Surgical stitch applied to repair an incision or wound.
|
|
synostotic joint
|
Joint type that occurs when bones are jointed by bones. No movement is associated with this type of joint, and the bony tissue that forms between the bones provides strength and stability.
|
|
thrombus
|
Accumulation of platelets, fibrin, clotting factors, and the cellular elements of the blood attached to the interior wall of a vein or artery, sometimes occluding the lumen of the vessel.
|
|
trapeze bar
|
Metal triangular-shaped bar that can be suspended over a client's bed from an overhanging frame; permits clients to move up and down in bed while in traction or some other encumbrance.
|
|
trochanter roll
|
Rolled towel support placed against the hips and upper leg to prevent external rotation of the legs.
|
|
unossified
|
Not hardened, soft.
|
|
urinary stasis
|
Filling of the renal pelvis before urine enters the ureters.
|
|
logroll
|
Rolling a client with a neck or spine injury as a unit so that the head and the hips all roll as a single unit.
|
|
abnormal reactive hyperemia
|
Hyperemia over a pressure site lasting longer than 1 hour after the removal of pressure; surrounding skin does not blanch.
|
|
abrasion
|
Scraping or rubbing away of epidermis; may result in localized bleeding and later weeping of serous fluid.
|
|
blanching
|
Whitening of the skin from pressure, vasoconstriction, or hypotension.
|
|
collagen
|
Substance that combines to form the white, glistening, inelastic fibers of tendons, ligaments, and fasciae.
|
|
darkly pigmented skin
|
Obvious color of intact dark skin that remains unchanged (does not blanch) when pressure is applied over a bony prominence, irrespective of the client's race or ethnicity.
|
|
debridement
|
Removal of dead tissue from a wound.
|
|
drainage evacuators
|
Convenient portable units that connect to tubular drains lying within a wound bed and exert a safe, constant, low-pressure vacuum to remove and collect drainage.
|
|
epithelialization
|
Stage of wound healing that is characterized by growth of epithelial tissue.
|
|
eschar
|
Scab or dry crust that results from excoriation of the skin.
|
|
evisceration
|
Protrusion of visceral organs through a surgical wound.
|
|
fibrin
|
Protein product formed from the action of thrombin on fibrinogen in the clotting process.
|
|
fistula
|
Abnormal passage from an internal organ to the body surface or between two internal organs.
|
|
hematoma
|
Collection of blood trapped in the tissues of the skin or an organ.
|
|
hemorrhage
|
External or internal loss of a large amount of blood in a short period of time.
|
|
hemostasis
|
Termination of bleeding by mechanical or chemical means or by the coagulation process of the body.
|
|
induration
|
Hardening of a tissue, particularly skin, because of edema or inflammation.
|
|
kinesthesia
|
Perception of position of body parts, weight, and movement.
|
|
laceration
|
Torn, jagged wound.
|
|
normal reactive hyperemia
|
Hyperemia over a pressure site that lasts 1 hour or less after the removal of pressure; surrounding skin does blanch.
|
|
puncture
|
Wound made by piercing the skin.
|
|
secondary intention
|
Wound closure in which the edges are separated, granulation tissue develops to fill the gap, and finally epithelium grows in over the granulation, producing a larger scar than results with healing by primary intention.
|
|
serosanguineous
|
Containing both serum and blood.
|
|
shearing force
|
Friction exerted when a person is moved or repositioned in bed by being pulled or allowed to slide down in bed.
|
|
slough
|
Shedding off of dead tissue cells.
|
|
tissue ischemia
|
Point at which tissues receive insufficient oxygen and perfusion.
|
|
wound
|
Disruption of normal anatomical structure and function that results from pathological processes beginning internally or externally to the involved organ(s).
|
|
wound contraction
|
Process that involves movement of the dermis and epidermis on each side of the wound.
|
|
approximated
|
Wound edges are closed
|
|
sutures
|
Wound closing similar to sewing
|
|
Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN)
|
Organization formed in 1956 to gain knowledge of surgical principles and explore surgical methods to improve nursing care of surgical patients.
|
|
auditory
|
Related to or experienced through the sense of hearing.
|
|
case management
|
Model of care; the case manager advises nursing staff on specific nursing care issues, coordinates the referral of clients to services provided by other disciplines, ensures that client education has been implemented, and monitors the client's progress through discharge.
|
|
circulating nurse
|
Assistant to the scrub nurse and surgeon whose role is to provide necessary supplies, dispose of soiled instruments and supplies, and keep an accurate count of instruments, needles, and sponges used.
|
|
conductive hearing loss
|
Form of hearing loss in which sound is inadequately conducted through the external or middle ear to the sensorineural apparatus of the inner ear.
|
|
conscious sedation
|
Administration of central nervous system depressant drugs and/or analgesics to supplement topical, local, or regional anesthesia during surgical or diagnostic procedures.
|
|
convalescence
|
Period of recovery after an illness, injury, or surgery.
|
|
dermatome
|
Area on the surface of a body innervated by afferent fibers from one spinal root.
|
|
expressive aphasia
|
Inability to name common objects or to express simple ideas in words or writing.
|
|
general anesthesia
|
Intravenous or inhaled medications that cause the client to lose all sensation and consciousness.
|
|
gustatory
|
Pertaining to the sense of taste.
|
|
hyperesthesia
|
Extreme sensitivity of one of the body's sense organs, such as the pain or touch receptors in the skin.
|
|
incident reports
|
Tools used in risk management to report an accident or a deviation from policies or prescribed orders involving clients, employees, or visitors.
|
|
kinesthetic
|
A sense that enables a person to be aware of the position and movement of body parts without seeing them.
|
|
latex sensitivity
|
An allergy to latex and products containing latex.
|
|
moribund
|
Near death or in the process of dying.
|
|
nosocomial infection
|
Infection acquired during hospitalization or during a stay in a health care facility.
|
|
perioperative nursing
|
Refers to the role of the operating room nurse during the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of surgery.
|
|
pharmacokinetics
|
Study of how drugs enter the body, reach their site of action, are metabolized, and exit from the body.
|
|
polypharmacy
|
Use of a number of different drugs by a patient who may have one or several health problems.
|
|
postanesthesia recovery score (PARS)
|
Score that measures various criteria, including oxygen saturation, level of consciousness, circulation, activity, and respiration.
|
|
postanesthesia recovery score for ambulatory patients (PARSAP)
|
Score that includes five more areas of assessment than the PARS; includes the condition of the dressing, the intensity and location of pain, the ability to stand and ambulate, tolerance of oral fluids and/or food, and the ability to urinate spontaneously.
|
|
preoperative teaching
|
Ensured by knowledge pertaining to adult learning principles, coupled with the client's unique needs.
|
|
proprioceptive
|
The ability to respond to stimuli originating from within the body regarding spatial position or movement.
|
|
receptive aphasia
|
Abnormal neurological condition in which language function is defective because of an injury to certain areas of the cerebral cortex; specifically, language is not understood.
|
|
refractive error
|
Defect in the ability of the lens of the eye to focus light, such as occurs in nearsightedness and farsightedness.
|
|
scrub nurse
|
Registered nurse or operating room technician who assists surgeons during operations.
|
|
sensory deficit
|
Defect in the function of one or more of the senses, resulting in visual, auditory, or olfactory impairments.
|
|
sensory deprivation
|
State in which stimulation to one or more of the senses is lacking, resulting in impaired sensory perception.
|
|
sensory overload
|
Condition in which the central nervous system receives much more auditory, visual, or other environmental stimuli per time frame than it can process effectively.
|
|
stereognosis
|
Ability to recognize objects by the sense of touch.
|
|
strabismus
|
Abnormal ocular condition in which the eyes are crossed.
|
|
tactile
|
Relating to the sense of touch.
|
|
delusion
|
False or pathologic belief
|
|
illusion
|
a distortion of a sensory perception
|
|
ambulatory surgery
|
Scheduled outpatient procedures provided for clients who do not remain overnight in a hospital.
|
|
bariatrics
|
Field of medicine that focuses on the treatment and control of obesity and diseases associated with obesity.
|
|
cholecystectomy
|
Surgical removal of the gallbladder.
|
|
Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN)
|
National association for professional surgical nurses
|
|
primary intention
|
Primary union of the edges of a wound that progresses to complete scar formation without granulation.
|
|
activities of daily living (ADLs)
|
Activities usually performed in the course of a normal day in the client's life, such as eating, dressing, bathing, brushing the teeth, and grooming.
|
|
Nurse Practice Acts
|
Statutes enacted by the legislature of any state that delineate the legal scope of the practice of nursing within the geographical boundaries of the jurisdiction.
|
|
environment
|
Physical circumstances in which a person works or lives; can increase the likelihood that certain illnesses will occur (e.g. some kinds of cancer and other diseases are more likely to develop when industrial workers are exposed to certain chemicals or when people live near toxic waste disposal sites).
|
|
sterilization
|
Rendering a person unable to produce children; accomplished by surgical, chemical, or other means.
|
|
pulse deficit
|
Condition that exists when the radial pulse is less than the ventricular rate as auscultated at the apex or seen on an electrocardiogram; indicates a lack of peripheral perfusion for some of the heart contractions.
|
|
instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)
|
Activities that are required for an individual to be independent in society beyond eating, grooming, transferring, and toileting; these activities include writing a check, buying groceries, and preparing food.
|
|
autonomy
|
Ability or tendency to function independently.
|
|
perception
|
Person's mental image or concept of elements in the environment, including information gained through the senses.
|
|
hypothermia
|
Abnormal lowering of body temperature below 95° F (35° C), usually caused by prolonged exposure to cold.
|
|
stroke volume
|
Amount of blood ejected by the ventricle during a ventricular contraction.
|
|
ventilation
|
Respiratory process by which gases are moved into and out of the lungs.
|
|
alopecia
|
Partial or complete loss of hair; baldness.
|
|
cardiac output
|
Volume of blood expelled by the ventricles of the heart; equal to the amount of blood ejected at each beat (the stroke output) multiplied by the number of beats in the period of time used in the computation.
|
|
caries
|
Abnormal condition of a tooth, characterized by decay.
|
|
cerumen
|
A yellow, waxy substance produced by sweat glands in the external ear canal. This is normal.
|
|
local anesthesia
|
Loss of sensation at the desired site of action.
|
|
pathogen
|
Any microorganism capable of producing disease.
|
|
cyanosis
|
Bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes caused by deoxygenated hemoglobin in the blood or a structural defect in hemoglobin.
|
|
orthopnea
|
Abnormal respiratory symptom in which a person must sit or stand to breathe deeply or comfortably.
|
|
phlebitis
|
Inflammation of a vein.
|
|
basal metabolic rate (BMR)
|
Amount of energy used in a unit of time by a fasting, resting subject to maintain vital functions.
|
|
solution
|
Mixture of one or more substances dissolved in another substance. The molecules of each of the substances disperse homogeneously and do not change chemically. A solution may be a liquid, gas, or solid.
|
|
excoriation
|
Injury to the skin's surface caused by abrasion.
|
|
hemorrhoid
|
Permanent dilation and engorgement of a vein within the lining of the rectum.
|
|
polyps
|
Small tumorlike growths that projects from a mucous membrane surface.
|
|
relaxation
|
Relief from work or stress that leaves one feeling relaxed or less tense.
|
|
biofeedback
|
Behavioral therapy that involves giving individuals information about physiological responses (such as blood pressure or tension) and ways to exercise voluntary control over those responses.
|
|
orthostatic hypotension
|
Drop in systolic blood pressure of 15 mm Hg or more when a person rises from a recumbent position to a sitting or standing position.
|
|
informed consent
|
Process of obtaining permission from a client to perform a specific test or procedure after describing all risks, side effects, and benefits.
|
|
osteoporosis
|
Disorder characterized by abnormal rarefaction of bone, occurring most frequently in postmenopausal women, in sedentary or immobilized individuals, and in clients on long-term steroid therapy.
|
|
aphasia
|
Neurological disorder influencing the production and understanding of language.
|
|
diffusion
|
Movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.
|
|
hypovolemia
|
Decreased circulatory blood volume resulting from extracellular fluid losses.
|
|
malignant hyperthermia
|
Autosomal dominant trait characterized by often fatal hyperthermia in affected people exposed to certain anesthetic agents.
|
|
exudates
|
Fluid, cells, or other substances that have been slowly discharged from cells or blood vessels through small pores or breaks in cell membranes.
|
|
granulation tissue
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Soft, pink, fleshy projections of tissue that form during the healing process in a wound that is not healing by primary intention.
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purulent
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Producing or containing pus.
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sanguineous
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Fluid containing red blood cells.
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serous
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A clear (like plasma) fluid that forms an exudate at the site of an inflammation.
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body mechanics
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Coordinated efforts of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems to maintain proper balance, posture, and body alignment.
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activity tolerance
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Type and amount of exercise or work that a person is able to perform.
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cartilage
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Nonvascular, supporting connective tissue located mainly in the joints and in the thorax, trachea, larynx, nose, and ear.
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cartilaginous joint
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Slightly moveable, highly elastic cartilage that unites bony surfaces.
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exercise
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Performance of any physical activity for the purpose of conditioning the body, improving health, maintaining fitness, or as a therapeutic measure.
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fibrous joint
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Tough layer of fibrous connective tissue that binds bones firmly together.
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gait
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Manner or style of walking, including rhythm, cadence, and speed.
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hemiparesis
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Muscular weakness of one half of the body.
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hemiplegia
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Paralysis of one side of the body.
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immobility
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Inability to move about freely; caused by any condition in which movement is impaired or therapeutically restricted.
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isometric contraction
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Increased muscle tension without muscle shortening.
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isotonic contraction
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Increased muscle tension resulting in muscle contraction and muscle shortening.
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joint
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Connection between bones; classified according to structure and degree of mobility.
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ligament
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White, shiny, flexible band of fibrous tissues binding joints together and connecting various bones and cartilage.
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mobility
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Person's ability to move about freely.
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muscle tone
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Normal state of balanced muscle tension.
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posture
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Position of the body in relation to the surrounding space.
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range of motion (ROM)
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Range of movement of a joint, from maximum extension to maximum flexion, as measured in degrees of a circle.
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synovial joints
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True and freely moveable joints in which contiguous bony surfaces are covered by articular cartilage and are connected by ligaments lined with a synovial membrane.
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tendons
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White, glistening, strong, flexible, and inelastic fibrous bands of tissue that connect muscle to bone.
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renin
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Proteolytic enzyme produced by and stored in the juxtaglomerular apparatus that surrounds each arteriole as it enters a glomerulus. The enzyme affects the blood pressure by catalyzing the change of angiotensinogen to angiotensin, a strong repressor.
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cations
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Positively charged electrolytes.
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rest
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Feeling of mental relaxation and freedom from anxiety; physical calm.
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chest physiotherapy (CPT)
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Group of therapies used to mobilize pulmonary secretions.
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nocturia
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Urination at night; can be a symptom of renal disease or may occur in persons who drink excessive amounts of fluids before bedtime.
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fiber
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Nutrient that contains cellulose, pectin, hemicellulose, and lignin; sources are mainly fruits and vegetables.
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chyme
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Viscous, semifluid contents of the stomach present during digestion of a meal that eventually pass into the intestines.
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neurotransmitter
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Chemical that transfers an electrical impulse from the nerve fiber to the muscle fiber.
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stoma
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Artificially created opening between a body cavity and the body's surface (e.g., a colostomy) formed from a portion of the colon pulled through the abdominal wall.
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bed rest
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Placement of the client in bed for therapeutic reasons for a prescribed period.
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regional anesthesia
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Loss of sensation in an area of the body supplied by sensory nerve pathways.
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pressure ulcer
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Inflammation, sore, or ulcer in the skin over a bony prominence.
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olfactory
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Pertaining to the sense of smell.
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otolaryngologist
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Medical doctor whose practice is limited to diseases, conditions, and trauma to the ears.
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ototoxic
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Having a harmful effect on the eighth cranial (auditory) nerve or the organs of hearing and balance.
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dehiscence
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Separation of a wound's edges that reveals underlying tissues.
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dysrhythmia
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Heartbeat that deviates from the normal pattern.
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edema
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Abnormal accumulation of fluid in interstitial spaces of tissues.
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peristalsis
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Coordinated, rhythmic, serial contractions of smooth muscle that force food through the digestive tract.
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paralytic ileus
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Usually temporary paralysis of intestinal wall that may occur after abdominal surgery or peritoneal injury and that causes cessation of peristalsis; leads to abdominal distention and symptoms of obstruction.
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friction
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Effect of rubbing or the resistance that a moving body meets from the surface on which it moves; a force that occurs in a direction to oppose movement.
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atelectasis
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Collapse of alveoli, preventing the normal respiratory exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
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defining characteristics
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Cluster of signs and symptoms that are observed in the client and that imply a specific nursing diagnosis.
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