Exam 1 Key Terms

Acute illness

A sudden illness from which a person is expected to recover

basic human needs

Basic elements of life such as food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, education and employment to which all people are entitled by virtue of their human dignity.

chronic illness

irreversible illness that causes permanent physical impairment and requires long-term health care

clinical judgement

an interpretation or conclusion about a patient's needs, concerns, or health problems, and/or the decision to take action (or not), use or modify standard approaches, or improvise new ones as deemed appropriate by the patient's response

critical thinking

the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.

health

a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

health-illness continuum

-Conceptualizes a person's level of health

-Views health as a constantly changing state with high-level wellness and death on opposite sides of a continuum

health promotion

behavior of an individual motivated by a personal desire to increase well-being and health potential

illness

state of being sick

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization

morbidity

condition of suffering from disease

mortality

the state of being subject to death

nursing process

Assessment

Diagnosis

interpret the information collected.

Identify & prioritize the problem through a nursing diagnosis

Planning

set goals to solve the problem

Implementation

reaching these goals through performing the nursing actions

Evaluation

determine the outcome of goals. modify and assess for needed changes

vulnerable population

disadvantaged subsegment of a community requiring utmost care, specific ancillary considerations, and augmented protection in research; includes those living in poverty, women, children, older adults, rural and inner-city residents, new immigrants, the homeless, mentally ill patients, and people with disabilities and special health care needs

wellness

an overall state of well-being or total health

alopecia

hair loss

Bioterrorism

the use of biological agents, such as pathogens, for terrorist purposes

caries

decay or death of bone or teeth

cerumen

ear wax

complete bed bath

bath administered to totally dependent patient in bed

culture of safety

organizational environment where "core values and behaviors resulting from a collective and sustained commitment by organizational leadership, management, and workers emphasize safety over competing goals"

disaster

A sudden catastrophic event in which people are injured and killed and property is destroyed

gingivitis

red, swollen gum margins that bleed easily

glossitis

inflammation of the tongue

halitosis

bad breath

immunization

A process by which resistance to an infectious disease is induced or augmented.

medical aspepsis

practices used to remove or destroy pathogens and to prevent their spread from 1 person or place to another person or place; clean technique

nuclear terrorism

intentional dispersal of radioactive materials into the environment for the purpose of causing injury and death

pathogen

An organism that causes disease

partial bed bath

bath in which only certain body parts are bathed or in which the health care provider bathes those parts of the body that the patient is unable to bathe

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Protective equipment that blocks exposure to a pathogen or a hazardous material.

poison

a substance that causes illness, injury or death if taken into the body or produced within the body.

poison control center

a 24-hour hot line that provides emergency medical advice on treating poisoning victims

QSEN

Quality and Safety Education for Nurses

restraint

act of stopping or holding back

safety event report

documentation describing any injury or potential for injury suffered by a patient in a health care agency

sensory deprivation

the absence of normal levels of sensory stimulation

sensory overload

condition resulting from excessive sensory input to which the brain is unable to meaningfully respond

sentinel event

an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof

standard precautions

A strict form of infection control that is based on the assumption that all blood and other body fluids are infectious.

surgical asepsis

techniques used to destroy all pathogenic organisms, also called sterile technique

xerostomia

dry mouth

acquired immunity

Immunity that is present only after exposure and is highly specific.

aerobic

Process that requires oxygen

anaerobic

Process that does not require oxygen

antibody

a blood protein produced in response to and counteracting a specific antigen

antimicrobial

able to destroy or suppress the growth of pathogens and other micro-organisms

antigen

a toxin or other foreign substance that induces an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies.

colonization

presence of an organism residing in an individual's body but with no clinical signs of infection

endemic example

(adj.) native or confined to a particular region or people; characteristic of or prevalent in a field

endogenous

produced from within; due to internal causes

epidemic

A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.

exogenous

Produced outside the body

exudate

fluid, such as pus, that leaks out of an infected wound

Heathcare Associated Infections (HAI)

Contracted in the hospital

host

An organism on which a parasite lives.

humoral response

The branch of acquired immunity that involves the activation of B cells and that leads to the production of antibodies, which defend against bacteria and viruses in body fluids.

iatrogenic

produced by a physician (the unexpected results from a treatment prescribed by a physician)

immune response

The body's defensive reaction to invasion by bacteria, viral agents, or other foreign substances.

vaccine

A harmless variant or derivative of a pathogen that stimulates a host's immune system to mount defenses against the pathogen

immunocompromised

having an impaired immune system

inflamatory response

a tissue reaction to injury depends on the level of injury inflicted. The size of the area involve and the physical condition of the patient.

isolation

separation from others; aloneness

Leukocytosis

increase in the number of white blood cells

localized infection

an infection that is limited to a specific location in the body and has local symptoms

medical asepsis

practices designed to reduce the number and transfer of pathogens; synonym for clean technique

microorganisms

a microscopic organism, especially a bacterium, virus, or fungus.

multi-drug resistant organisms

bacteria and other microorganisms that have developed resistance to antimicrobial drugs

normal flora

Microorganisms that reside in or on the body without causing disease

pandemic

widespread disease prevalent over a whole country or the world

passive immunity

the short-term immunity that results from the introduction of antibodies from another person or animal.

prophylaxis

prevention of disease

purulent

containing pus

sanguineous

bloody drainage

serous

clear, watery plasma

susceptibility

the state or fact of being likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing

systemic infection

infection spreads to several sites and tissue fluids usually in the bloodstream

virulence

severity of disease

transmission-based precautions

precautions used in addition to standard precautions for patients in hospitals with suspected infection with pathogens that can be transmitted by airborne, droplet, or contact routes

active listening

Empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies. A feature of Rogers' client-centered therapy.

assertiveness

behavior intended to express dominance or confidence

autonomy

(n.) self-government, political control

channels

the visual and auditory means by which a message is transmitted from sender to receiver

communication

exchange of information

CUS

communication tool to assist in effective communication related to patient safety concerns; the acronym CUS stands for I'm Concerned, I'm Uncomfortable, This is unSafe (or This is a Safety issue)

empathy

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

feedback

The receiver's response to a message

horizontal violence

anger and aggressive behavior between nurses or nurse-to-nurse hostility

interpersonal communication

the exchange of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs between two or more people

intrapersonal communication

communication with oneself

message

whatever a speaker communicates to someone else

nonverbal communication

communication using body movements, gestures, and facial expressions rather than speech

perceptual biases

human tendencies that interfere with accurately perceiving and interpreting messages from others

presence

the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing.

organizational communication

process of communication that involves individuals and groups to achieve established goals

receiver

the person who decodes a message