Drug Administration & Clinical Judgment Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms on drug-delivery routes, clinical judgment frameworks, ethical obligations, and bias awareness presented in the nursing lecture notes.

Transdermal Medication

A drug formulation delivered through the skin via a patch, with absorption potentially affected by skin integrity, circulation, or temperature.

Absorption (Pharmacology)

The process by which a drug enters the bloodstream from its site of administration.

Patient-Centered Practice

Nursing approach that prioritizes the patient’s values, needs, and preferences in all care decisions.

Drug-Seeking Patient

An individual who presents with the primary intent of obtaining controlled substances rather than treatment of a genuine medical condition.

Clinical Judgment

The nurse’s interpretation and decision-making process regarding a patient’s needs and the actions to take.

Reflection-in-Action

Real-time thinking and adjustment a nurse performs while an event is occurring.

Reflection-on-Action

Deliberate thinking after an event to evaluate performance and outcomes for future improvement.

Tanner’s Clinical Judgment Model

A four-step framework (Noticing, Interpreting, Responding, Reflecting) describing how nurses think in practice.

Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric

Assessment tool based on Tanner’s model used to evaluate students’ clinical judgment skills in simulation or practice.

Competing Obligations

Simultaneous duties a nurse holds toward patient, self, team, and community that may conflict and require prioritization.

ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses

Authoritative guide outlining ethical obligations, including the principle that health is a universal right.

Universal Right to Health

Ethical assertion that every person deserves timely access to essential health services, including emergency care.

Triage

The process of prioritizing patients based on urgency of need to ensure timely treatment in emergency settings.

Personal & Professional Values

Core beliefs that guide a nurse’s behavior; self-awareness of these values is essential for ethical practice.

Unconscious Bias

Implicit attitudes or stereotypes that affect understanding, actions, and decisions without conscious awareness.

Interprofessional Partnerships

Collaborative relationships among healthcare professionals founded on mutual respect and effective communication.

Policy & Procedure

Formal organizational guidelines that standardize actions, reporting, and follow-up in specific clinical situations.

Assumption

An unverified belief accepted as true without evidence; can impair objective clinical judgment.

Stereotype

Oversimplified, fixed idea about a group that may lead to biased care when applied to individual patients.

Oral Route

Drug administration method in which the patient swallows medication.

Enteral Route

Delivery of medication directly into the gastrointestinal tract via tube (e.g., NG or PEG tube).

Sublingual Administration

Placement of medication under the tongue for rapid absorption.

Buccal Administration

Placement of medication against the mucous membrane of the cheek for absorption.

Intravenous (IV) Injection

Introduction of medication directly into a vein for immediate systemic effect.

Intra-arterial Injection

Administration of medication directly into an artery.

Intracardial Injection

Injection of medication into the heart muscle or chambers.

Intraperitoneal Injection

Delivery of medication into the peritoneal cavity.

Intraspinal Injection

Administration of medication into the spinal canal (e.g., epidural or intrathecal).

Intraosseous Injection

Injection of medication into bone marrow when IV access is unavailable.

Topical Route

Application of medication onto skin or mucous membranes for local or systemic effect.

Vaginal Administration

Placement of medication inside the vagina for local or systemic therapy.

Rectal Administration

Insertion of medication into the rectum, useful when oral route is contraindicated.

Inunction

Method of administering a drug by rubbing it into the skin.