The Client Environment, Bed Making, and Medical Terminology

Vocabulary flashcards covering principles of client environment, bed making procedures, medical asepsis, body mechanics, bed positioning, and basic medical terminology.

Medical Asepsis

Also referred to as clean technique, it involves procedures used to reduce and prevent the spread of microorganisms.

Surgical Asepsis

Also referred to as sterile technique, it involves practices used to eliminate all microorganisms from an area or object.

Occupied Bed

A bed that is made while the patient remains in it.

Open Bed

An unoccupied bed made with top linens folded back to allow easy entry for a patient.

Closed Bed

A bed prepared after terminal cleaning following patient discharge, with top sheets pulled up to the headboard, kept ready for a new admission.

Surgical Bed

A modified open bed left in a high position with top linen folded to one side to facilitate transferring a patient arriving from surgery or on a stretcher.

Body Mechanics

The coordinated effort of the musculoskeletal system, focusing on body alignment, balance, and coordination during movement.

Fowler's Position

A bed position where the head of the bed is raised to an angle of $45^\frac{1}{2}$ or more ($45^\text{degrees}$) in a semi-sitting posture.

Semi-Fowler's Position

A bed position where the head of the bed is raised approximately $30^\text{degrees}$, promoting lung expansion and reducing regurgitation or aspiration during gastric feedings.

Trendelenburg's Position

A bed position where the entire bed frame is tilted with the head of the bed down, used for postural drainage and facilitating venous return.

Reverse Trendelenburg's Position

A bed position where the entire bed frame is tilted with the foot of the bed down, used to promote gastric emptying and prevent esophageal reflux.

Flat Position

A bed position where the entire bed frame is horizontally parallel with the floor, used for patients with vertebral injuries, in cervical traction, or hypotensive.

Horizontal Toe Pleat

A $5\text{ to }10\text{ cm}$ fold made across the top sheet about $15\text{ cm}$ from the bottom of the mattress to reduce pressure on heels and provide foot room.

Drawsheet

A specialized bed linen placed over the bottom sheet with its center fold along the middle of the bed lengthwise, used to assist with moving and positioning patients.

Hyper-

A medical prefix meaning above normal (e.g., hypertension).

Hypo-

A medical prefix meaning below normal (e.g., hypoglycemia).

Brady-

A medical prefix meaning slow (e.g., bradycardia).

Tachy-

A medical prefix meaning fast (e.g., tachycardia).

-pnea

A medical suffix referring to breathing (e.g., apnea).

Dys-

A medical prefix meaning difficult, painful, or abnormal.

-itis

A medical suffix signifying inflammation (e.g., appendicitis).

-oma

A medical suffix signifying a tumor or mass (e.g., hematoma).

-osis

A medical suffix signifying a condition or abnormal state (e.g., cyanosis).

-pathy

A medical suffix signifying disease (e.g., neuropathy).

-ectomy

A medical suffix signifying surgical removal (e.g., appendectomy).

Military Time

A $24$\text{-hour} timekeeping system ($0000$ to $2359$) without colons or AM/PM designations, used in healthcare documentation to eliminate timing errors.