Savannah AI NURSING GUIDE

Nursing

A highly specialized field that combines scientific knowledge and the art of caring; nurses provide care independently and collaboratively with the health care team.

Nursing as an art and science

Nursing uses scientific facts and skills while also requiring compassion, dignity, intuition, and caring.

Professional nursing scope of practice

Defines what the nurse does, the nurse's responsibilities, where and when care is performed, and why and how care is achieved.

American Nurses Association (ANA) definition of nursing

Protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities; prevention of illness and injury; alleviation of suffering; and advocacy for individuals, families, communities, and populations.

Code of Ethics for Nurses

A guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession.

Theory

A group of concepts that describes a pattern of reality and can be tested, changed, or used to guide research.

Concept

An abstract impression organized into symbols of reality that describes objects, properties, events, or relationships.

Conceptual framework/model

A group of concepts that follow an understandable pattern.

Deductive reasoning

Reasoning that begins with general ideas and considers specific actions or ideas.

Inductive reasoning

Reasoning that builds from specific ideas or actions toward conclusions about general ideas.

General systems theory

A theory for universal application that breaks whole systems into parts to understand how the parts work together.

Adaptation theory

Focuses on adjustment of living matter to other living things and the environment.

Developmental theory

Describes orderly and predictable growth and development from conception to death.

Four common nursing theory concepts

Person, environment, health, and nursing.

Most important concept of nursing theory

The person.

Person in nursing theory

The patient or human recipient of nursing care.

Environment in nursing theory

The surroundings and conditions affecting the person.

Health in nursing theory

A central concept describing the person's health status and well-being.

Nursing in nursing theory

The professional actions and care provided to support the person and health.

Functional Health Patterns

Gordon's framework used to organize assessment information about a person's health patterns.

Animism

Early belief that good spirits brought health while evil spirits brought sickness and death.

Ancient Greek nursing

Temples became centers of medical care; nurses cared for people at home and in the community and practiced as nurse-midwives.

Early Christian nursing

Nursing developed a more formal role; deaconesses visited the sick and nursing gained purpose, direction, and leadership.

16th-century nursing

Nursing shifted away from a primarily religious orientation toward warfare, exploration, and expansion of knowledge; nurses had poor reputations, low pay, and unfavorable working conditions.

Hospital nursing schools

Schools developed to provide hospitals with more easily controlled and less expensive staff; female nurses were often under hospital administrators and physicians.

World War II nursing

Large numbers of women worked outside the home; medicine and technology expanded and broadened nursing roles.

1950s nursing development

Nursing broadened across settings, education was upgraded, a specific body of nursing knowledge developed, research increased, and health promotion became more recognized.

Florence Nightingale

Founder of modern nursing; differentiated nursing from medicine, established nursing education, improved hospital management, emphasized nutrition and continuing education, and kept accurate records that contributed to nursing research.

Florence Nightingale nursing philosophy

Nursing is separate from medicine and includes attention to both health and illness, patient needs, nutrition, environment, education, and accurate records.

Clara Barton

Cared for Union soldiers during the Civil War, supervised Army nurses and hospitals, and established the American Red Cross in the United States in 1882.

Dorothea Dix

Superintendent of Female Nurses of the Army during the Civil War; recruited and equipped army nurses and advocated for reform in treatment of people with mental illness.

Mildred Montag

Established the Associate Degree in Nursing in 1958.

Lillian Wald

Founded public health nursing by establishing a neighborhood nursing service for sick poor residents of New York City's Lower East Side.

Nursing professionalism

Professional nursing requires evolving knowledge, scientific skills, caring, independent and interprofessional practice, collaboration, supervision, and research.

Nurse roles

Nurses may provide care, collaborate with the health team, act as preceptors or supervisors, advocate, educate, coordinate care, and participate in research.

Associate Degree Nurse education

Typically a two-year program offered by community or junior colleges that prepares nurses for practice in settings such as hospitals, long-term care, home health, and community care.

Associate Degree Nurse entry competencies

Provider of care, manager of care, and member of the discipline of nursing.

Practical/vocational nursing education

Basic nursing education preparing practical or vocational nurses for their defined scope of practice.

Registered nursing education

Education preparing nurses for registered nursing practice through pathways such as diploma, associate degree, or baccalaureate programs.

Graduate nursing education

Advanced nursing education beyond basic registered nursing preparation.

Continuing education

Ongoing education used to maintain and develop nursing knowledge and skills.

In-service education

Education provided within a health care organization to support staff knowledge, skills, and workplace practice.

Healthy People 2030 goal

Promote high-quality longer lives free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death; achieve health equity; create healthy environments; and promote quality of life and healthy behaviors across the lifespan.

Community-based health care

Care provided to people living within a defined geographic area.

Community-based nurse

A nurse who provides health promotion, manages acute or chronic illness, promotes self-care, and helps maintain continuity of care.

Qualities of a community-based nurse

Knowledgeable and skilled, independent in decision-making, and accountable.

Care transition

The continuous process in which a patient's care shifts from one setting or level of care to another.

Care coordination

A process that links patients with community resources, improves information exchange, and reduces fragmentation and duplication of services.

Nurse navigator

A clinically trained nurse who identifies and removes barriers to treatment and serves as a central point of contact for patient care.

Patient navigator

A nurse, social worker, or lay person who focuses on the support aspects of care.

Vulnerable populations

Groups including people with disabilities or multiple chronic conditions, mental illness or substance use, cultural/racial/ethnic minorities, people experiencing poverty, people who are unhoused, and undocumented immigrants.

Ambulatory care

Health care in which the patient receives services without remaining overnight.

Hospital admission

Preparing the room, admitting the patient to the unit, and completing medication reconciliation.

Medication reconciliation

The admission process of reviewing medications to ensure the medication list is accurate.

Admission information

May include patient name, address, date of birth, gender, marital status, admitting physician, nearest relative, occupation/employer, financial status, religious preference, admission date/time, diagnosis, and identification number.

Discharge planning

A coordinated process that assesses needs, sets goals, teaches the patient and family, provides referrals, and evaluates effectiveness of the plan.

Formal discharge planning/referral indicators

Examples include lack of treatment knowledge, social isolation, new chronic disease, major surgery, prolonged recovery, emotional or mental instability, complex home care, financial difficulty, lack of referral resources, or terminal illness.

Leaving AMA

A patient is legally free to leave against medical advice; the patient is informed of risks, signs a release witnessed by another person, and the form becomes part of the medical record.

Telehealth

Use of electronic information and telecommunications technology to provide health care remotely.

Home health care services

May include high-technology services, skilled professional/paraprofessional care, custodial services, hospice, home medical services, and community support.

Hospice

A form of care included among home health/community services that focuses on people with terminal illness.

Ethics

Professional principles and standards used to guide moral nursing decisions and relationships.

Autonomy

Respecting the client's right to make health care decisions, including the right to refuse care.

Beneficence

The obligation to benefit the client, minimize harm, and sometimes provide care beyond the minimum required.

Nonmaleficence

The obligation to do no harm and consider whether potential benefits outweigh risks.

Justice

Providing treatment, care, and resources impartially, fairly, and equitably.

Veracity

The obligation to provide truthful and accurate information.

Fidelity

The obligation to demonstrate loyalty, keep promises, and uphold commitments.

Privacy

Protection of a client's personal space and personal information from unnecessary intrusion.

Confidentiality

Protecting client information from unauthorized disclosure.

Patient rights

Rights that nurses must respect and protect, including participation in care decisions, privacy, safety, and access to health information.

Informed consent

A voluntary agreement to care made after the required information has been disclosed and understood by a competent person.

Four elements of informed consent

Disclosure, comprehension, competence, and voluntariness.

Nurse Practice Act

State law and regulation establishing definitions, rules, and regulations that guide licensed nursing practice and promote quality and safety.

Law

A standard or rule of conduct established and enforced by government to protect the rights of the public.

Negligence

Failure to act as a reasonably prudent person would under similar circumstances.

Malpractice

Professional negligence by a person acting in a professional role.

Four elements of liability

Duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages.

Common malpractice claims

Failure to follow standards of care, use equipment responsibly, assess and monitor, communicate, document, advocate, or follow the chain of command.

HIPAA patient rights

Patients may see/copy records, request updates or corrections, receive certain disclosure information, request restrictions, and choose how health information is received.

Incident report

A factual record used to document an incident for risk management; it is not part of the patient's medical record unless facility policy specifies otherwise.

Incident report contents

Names of involved persons and witnesses, factual account, date/time/place, relevant characteristics, equipment/resources used, other important variables, and physician examination documentation when applicable.

Risk management

Programs and practices designed to identify and reduce risks, prevent injury, and reduce liability.

Quality assurance

A program used to evaluate and improve the quality and safety of care.

Just culture

A safety approach that focuses on learning and improving systems while distinguishing human error from reckless behavior.

Sentinel event

A patient safety event that signals serious harm or risk and requires investigation and response.

Never event

A serious, preventable adverse event that should not occur in health care.

Standards of care

Expected level of nursing practice used as a benchmark for safe and competent care.

Licensure

Legal authorization from a state to practice nursing.

Reasons a nursing license may be suspended or revoked

Examples include drug/alcohol abuse, fraud, deceptive practice, criminal acts, prior disciplinary action, negligence, and certain physical or mental impairments.

Legal safeguards for nurses

Maintain competence, respect legal practice boundaries, follow policies, evaluate assignments, keep knowledge current, respect patient rights, document carefully, and work within organizational policies.

Good Samaritan laws

Laws that may provide legal protection to people who provide emergency assistance in appropriate circumstances.

Whistle-blowing

Reporting unsafe, illegal, or unethical practices through appropriate channels.

OSHA nursing relevance

Workplace safety regulations affecting areas such as electrical equipment, isolation techniques, radiation, and chemicals.

Professional liability insurance

Insurance that may protect a nurse financially against certain professional liability claims.

Nursing organizations

Organizations that support nursing practice, education, professional development, advocacy, standards, and the profession.

ANA

American Nurses Association.

NLN

National League for Nursing.

NSNA

National Student Nurses' Association.

ICN

International Council of Nurses.