CNA Vocabulary

A comprehensive vocabulary list crucial for understanding healthcare concepts and terminology essential in medical and care settings.

Abandonment

Leaving a patient after care has been initiated and before the patient has been transferred to someone with equal or greater medical training.

Abdominal Thrusts

A method of attempting to remove an object from the airway of someone who is choking.

Abductor Wedge

Is designed to separate the legs of a patient, often used after hip surgery.

Abnormal Vital Signs

Any reading outside of designated ranges such as Heart Rate 60-100, Blood Pressure 120/80, Temperature 98.6°F (37°C), Respiratory rate 12-20 breaths/minute, Pulse Ox >95%.

Abuse

Purposeful mistreatment that causes physical, mental, emotional, or financial pain or injury to a person.

Accidents

An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

Daily personal care tasks, such as bathing, dressing, and eating.

Admitting resident

The process of admitting a patient/resident to a nursing facility. Includes orienting patient to room, introducing yourself, explaining the daily schedule and routing.

Advance directives

Legal documents that allow people to decide what kind of medical care they wish to have if they are unable to make those decisions themselves.

Affected side

a weakened side from a stroke or injury; also called the "weaker" or "involved" side.

Aging process

the natural occurrences in the body that produce the changes associated with growing old

Agitation

A state of anxiety or nervous excitement.

AIDS (Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

a disease in which there is a severe loss of the body's cellular immunity, greatly lowering the resistance to infection and malignancy; sexually transmitted.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD)

A progressive, degenerative, and incurable disease that causes memory loss, cognitive impairment, and behavioral changes.

Ambulation

The act of moving or walking, with or without an assistive device.

Angina

Chest pain, pressure, or discomfort.

Anti-Embolic Stockings

Compression stocking to reduce venous blood clot.

Antibiotics

A substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of other microorganisms, especially bacteria.

Aphasia

Unable to understand or produce speech

Expressive aphasia

Cant produce speech

Receptive aphasia

Cant understand speech

Apnea

Temporary absence or voluntary cessation of breathing.

Arthritis

A general term referring to inflammation of the joints.

Aspiration

the inhalation of food, fluid, or foreign material into the lungs

Assistive device

Special equipment that helps a person who is ill or disabled to perform Activities of Daily Living.

Bacteria

single-celled (simple) microorganisms

Bath Water Temperature

approximately 105-115 degrees is the optimal water temperature for bathing. Not less than 100 degrees.

Bed Cradle

a frame placed over the body of a patient in bed for application of heat or cold or for protecting injured parts from coming into contact with the bed clothes. Cradles vary in size according to their intended purpose and can be used over the entire body or over one or more of the limbs.

Bedrails

a rail along the side of a bed; considered a restraint

Biohazard

medical waste that could cause infection; needles, scalpel blades, blood, body parts

Bladder training

is a behavioral modification treatment technique for urinary incontinence that Involves placing a patient on a toileting schedule.

Blood pressure

Pressure exerted by the blood upon the walls of the blood vessels, especially arteries, usually measured by means of a sphygmomanometer and expressed in millimeters of mercury.

What is a normal blood pressure?

120/80 mmHg

Body alignment

The proper positioning of the body when laying in bed; shoulder to hip to ankle alignment

Body mechanics

The way the parts of the body work together when a person moves.

CC's in an ounce

There are 30 cc's (mL) in 1 ounce of fluid.

Clear liquid diet

a diet that consists of foods that are liquid at room temperature and leave little residue in the intestine. Ex: Water, Sprite, Ginger Ale, all beverages without any residue, broth, Jell-O

Clergy

A body of officials who perform religious services, such as pastors, priests, Imams, ministers or rabbis.

Cognitive impairment

Loss of ability to think logically; concentration and memory are affected.

Coma

State of unconsciousness.

Communicable

Transmissible by direct or indirect contact

Conduct

behavior

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

A condition in which the heart muscle is damaged and fails to pump effectively.

Constipation

The inability to eliminate stool or infrequent, difficult elimination of hard, dry stool.

Contracture

The permanent and painful shortening of a muscle, tendon, or ligament that can restrict movement

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

a chronic, progressive, and incurable lung disease that causes difficulty breathing

CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)

Medical procedures used when a person's heart or lungs have stopped working.

CVA (Cerebrovascular Accident)

Stroke; damage to the brain due to disrupted blood flow.

Delegation

Transferring responsibility to a person for a specific task

Dermatitis

Inflammation of the skin.

Dementia

A serious, progressive loss of mental abilities such as thinking, reasoning, and communicating.

Disinfection

To destroy or significantly reduce the concentration of pathogenic agents.

Diabetes

A condition in which the pancreas does not produce insulin or does not produce enough insulin; causes problems with circulation and can damage vital organs

Dialysis

A process that cleans the body of wastes that the kidneys cannot remove due to kidney failure

Disinfection

to destroy, inactivate, or significantly reduce the concentration of pathogenic agents (as bacteria, viruses, and fungi) especially on hard surfaces and in water: to treat (something) with a disinfectant (as chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, or sodium hypochlorite) Other Words from disinfect.

DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)

An order that tells medical professionals not to perform CPR in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest.

Draw/Lift Sheet

An extra sheet placed on top of the bottom sheet; used for moving residents

Dysphagia

difficulty swallowing

Dyspnea

difficulty breathing

Dysuria

difficult or painful urination

Edema

puffy swelling of tissue from the accumulation of fluid.

Elastic stockings

A type of hosiery that applies gradient pressure to the legs to prevent excessive blood accumulation in the lower extremities.

Elderly

a person that is 65 years or older.

End of Life

Cessation of all body functions; the state of dying.

Emesis

Vomiting.

Emotional abuse

a pattern of behavior that attacks the emotional development and sense of worth of an individual

Epilepsy

a disorder that causes recurring seizures

Fecal impaction

a mass of dry, hard stool that remains packed in the rectum and cannot be expelled

Flatus

Flatulence or gases expelled from rectum.

Foot drop

weakness of muscles in the feet and ankles that causes difficulty with the ability to flex the ankles and walk normally

Fracture Pan

small bedpan used for patients with fractures in pelvis or other are limiting movement; put handle towards feet of bed

Free from disease

aseptic or not having any disease

Gastric feedings

feeding provided through a tube directly into the stomach

Gastrostomy tube

The surgical placement of a feeding tube from the exterior of the body directly into the stomach.

Gerontology

study of the aging process

Grief Stages

denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance

Hemiplegia

paralysis of one side of the body

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; Defines who can look at and receive info about a persons health status and care

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)

A virus that attacks and destroys the human immune system and gradually disables it; eventually causing AIDS

Hospice

Care for people who have approximately six months or less to live; care is available until the person dies

Hyperglycemia

high blood sugar

Hypoglycemia

Low blood sugar.

Incontinence

inability to control bladder and/or bowels

Indwelling catheter

one that remains inside the body for a prolonged time; keep above bladder

Infection

The state resulting from pathogens invading the body and multiplying.

Insulin

A hormone produced by the pancreas or taken as a medication by many diabetics

Isolation

To separate from others.

Lift/draw sheet

a small, flat sheet that is placed over the middle of the bottom sheet, covering the area of the bed from above the person's shoulders to below his or her buttocks

Living Will

written legal document called a medical advance directive. It describes the medical care you want in certain situations. Some medical treatments can prolong your life, even when recovery is not possible.

Log roll

the method used to turn a patient with a spinal injury, in which the patient is moved to the side in one motion

Maslow

Humanist psychologist who developed a pyramid representing hierarchy of human needs.

Mobilization

The act of making something movable.

Medical asepsis

refers to practices such as handwashing that reduce, remove, and control the spread of microorganisms

Microorganism

A living thing or organism that is so small that it is only visible under a microscope

Neglect

Failure to provide necessary care or services, resulting in physical, mental, or emotional harm to a person

Non-contagious disease (noncommunicable disease)

A disease not capable of being spread from one person to another

NPO (Nothing by Mouth)

Medical instruction to withhold oral food and fluids.

Objective data

information collected using the senses of sight, hearing, smell and touch or measured with equipment such as a blood pressure cuff.

OBRA

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act; Federal gov. makes sure you meet requirements

Obsessive Compulsive

A mental health disorder characterized by repetitive actions that seem impossible to stop.