Fundamentals of Nursing - Communication, Organizations, Theorists, and Vital Signs

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering communication elements, nursing organizations, historical theorists, thermoregulation principles, and age-specific vital signs based on the lecture transcript.

Stimulus

Any factor that can impact or cause a reaction in a patient, resulting in a change in action, thoughts, feelings, or emotions, such as breaking eye contact while relaying information.

Sender

The source of the message who starts the process of communication; for example, a patient in discomfort communicating their problem to a nurse.

Message

A communication directly from the source that is clearly spoken or written, such as a charting note, speech, gesture, interview, or a patient describing symptoms.

Channel

The way a message is sent to a patient, categorized as auditory, visual, or kinesthetic; for example, using a blinking system for non-verbal patients.

Receiver

The person who decodes and translates received information to provide an appropriate response, such as a nurse gathering information from a motor accident victim before administering pain medication.

Feedback

The process where a message is confirmed, reiterated, and evaluated after being received from the sender.

Closed feedback loop

A communication technique of repeating instructions back to the sender to acknowledge receipt and understanding, such as repeating a supervisor's instruction to take vital signs.

NCSBN (National Council of State Boards of Nursing)

A non-profit organization that regulates nursing policies and state licensure exams for all 50 states and develops the NCLEX.

NCLEX

The licensure exam that every nursing graduate must pass to become a registered nurse.

ANA (American Nurses Association)

An association that sets standards for registered nurses, teaches ethics, and works to expand the nursing profession and improve health.

NSNA (National Student Nurses Association)

A group that supports nursing students in building professionalism and preparing for careers in patient care.

Florence Nightingale

A battlefield nurse in the Crimean War who established wellness and disease prevention by connecting poor sanitation to patient well-being.

Clara Barton

An American Civil War nurse known as the "Angel of the Battlefield" who founded the American Red Cross.

Abraham Maslow

An American Psychologist who created a hierarchy of needs to explain which human needs are most important, helping nurses assess patient needs.

Conduction

The transfer of heat to another object during direct contact, such as body heat melting ice in a drink.

Convection

The dissemination of heat by motion between areas of unequal density, such as a fan blowing cool air across a warm surface.

Evaporation

The conversion of a liquid to a vapor, such as water boiling in a pot.

Radiation

The diffusion or dissemination of heat by electromagnetic waves, such as sun or UV light exposure.

Hypothermia Risk Factors

Factors including prolonged exposure to cold air or water, old age, exhaustion, the perioperative period, being a newborn, or chronic conditions like malnutrition.

Hypothermia Signs and Symptoms

Manifestations such as shivering, clumsiness, confusion, fatigue, trouble speaking, increased urination, and weakened/irregular respirations and pulse as blood pressure lowers.

Hyperthermia Risk Factors

Factors including hot environments without ventilation, high humidity, salt depletion, low water intake, obesity, and certain medications like antihistamines or antipsychotics.

Hyperthermia Signs and Symptoms

Manifestations including rapid heart rate, headache, dizziness, thirst, fatigue, dry/hot skin, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and seizures in infants or delirium in older adults.

Infant Temperature Range

$96.0\,{}^\circ\text{F} - 99.7\,{}^\circ\text{F}$ ($35.6\,{}^\circ\text{C} - 37.6\,{}^\circ\text{C}$)

Adult Temperature Range

$96.4\,{}^\circ\text{F} - 99.5\,{}^\circ\text{F}$ ($35.8\,{}^\circ\text{C} - 37.5\,{}^\circ\text{C}$)

Newborn Pulse Rate

$$95 - 170\,\text{bpm}$$

Adult Pulse Rate

$$60 - 100\,\text{bpm}$$

Newborn Respiration Rate

$$30 - 60\,\text{Breaths/min}$$

Adult Respiration Rate

$$12 - 20\,\text{Breaths/min}$$

Adult Blood Pressure

$$120/80\,\text{mmHG}$$

Elderly Blood Pressure (Women vs. Men)

Expected levels of $139/68\,\text{mmHG}$ for women and $133/69\,\text{mmHG}$ for men.