Nursing Care: Cultural, Infection Control, Communication, and Vital Signs

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering ethnic/cultural nursing, asepsis and infection control, therapeutic communication, and vital signs assessment based on lecture materials.

The ways in which people live and express themselves.

Culture

Physical differences that group and cultures consider socially significant; it is not the same as ethnicity or culture.

Race

A culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that has less political or economic power compared to another group, regardless of population size.

Minority

Categorization of a group of people by a distinctive trait.

Ethnicity

Providing nursing care within the context of the client’s culture, including cultural assessments and planning care within the client’s belief system.

Transcultural Nursing

A formal structured system of beliefs, values, rituals, and practices of a person or group based on the teachings of a god or other spiritual leader.

Religion

The relationship of the spirit to a person and their environment.

Spirituality

Microorganisms that cause infection to humans.

Pathogens

Microorganisms that form colonies on and in the human body, performing needed functions and protecting against harmful pathogens.

Normal flora

Any infection that develops greater than $48\,hours$ after hospital admission, previously called nosocomial infections.

HAIs (Healthcare Associated Infections)

The six essential elements for infection spread: Infectious agent, Reservoir, Portal of exit, Mode of transmission, Portal of entry, and Susceptible host.

Chain of Infection Links

The body's first line of defense against infection, which includes intact skin, mucous membranes, and the gastrointestinal tract.

Primary Defenses

Practices performed to prevent the spread of infection, such as hand hygiene, maintaining a clean environment, and using standard precautions.

Asepsis

Precautions performed regardless of admission reason or illness status, including hand hygiene and wearing gloves when touching bodily fluids.

Standard Precautions

A return message in the communication process that indicates the message has been received, processed, and comprehended.

Feedback

The study of personal space, categorized into Intimate ($physical\,contact$ to $18\,in$), Casual-personal ($18\,in$ to $4\,ft$), Social-consultative ($4$ to $12\,ft$), and Public ($12\,ft$ if possible).

Proxemics

Focusing attention on what the speaker is saying and not saying by interpreting tone, word choice, and nonverbal language.

Active Listening

Standing up for oneself without violating the basic rights of others, showing respect while expressing feelings honestly and directly.

Assertive Communication

The inability to speak or understand language.

Aphasia

A communication tool consisting of Introduction, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, and Readback.

ISBARR

Warmth at a deeper site within the body, which is more significant and has a narrower range ($97.0^{\circ}F$ to $99.5^{\circ}F$) than shell temperature.

Core Temperature

A term derived from the Greek word for fire, used to describe a higher than normal body temperature.

Pyrexia

A dangerously high temperature above $105.8^{\circ}F$ that can result in neurological damage or death.

Hyperthermia

A pulse rate greater than $100\,bpm$.

Tachycardia

The difference between the apical pulse rate and the radial pulse rate.

Pulse Deficit

A respiratory rate that is faster than the normal range of $12-20\,breaths\,per\,minute$.

Tachypnea

The pressure within the arterial system when the heart contracts; it is the top number in a blood pressure reading.

Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP)

Also called postural hypotension, it is a drop in blood pressure associated with changing positions, common in dehydrated patients or those on diuretics.

Orthostatic Hypotension

The measured level of oxygen bound to hemoglobin in the blood, with a normal range of $92-100\%^{}$.

SpO2 (Oxygen Saturation)

A behavioral and observational pain assessment tool used for children aged $2\,months$ to $7\,years$, measuring Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability.

FLACC Scale