Nursing Assistance in Acute Care

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the core curriculum areas of nursing assistance in acute care: reporting and record-keeping, clinical information and data collection, clinical human needs, and delivery of care and support.

Acute Care Environment

A healthcare setting where nursing assistance is delivered, characterized by specific roles, responsibilities, and limitations across healthcare team members operating under the supervision of registered nurses.

Types of Reports

The three reporting formats utilized in acute care record-keeping: verbal, written, and electronic.

Practices for Reporting to a Registered Nurse

Workplace reporting procedures regarding changes in client condition, difficulties encountered in clinical data collection, carrying out work instructions, and providing client support and assistance.

Record-Keeping Standards

Workplace policy and procedural requirements in acute care focusing on accuracy in reporting and record-keeping and reporting within appropriate timeframes.

Protocols for Collecting Clinical Information and Data

Standard steps requiring staff to explain why information is being sought, obtain client consent prior to collection, and identify client preferences for inclusion in the nursing care plan.

Clinical Vital Signs and Measurements

Procedures for taking and recording blood glucose levels, blood pressure, pulse oximetry, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and temperature.

Clinical Specimen Collection

Workplace procedures and practices for collecting urine, sputum, and faecal specimens in acute care environments.

Clinical Observation Practices

Procedures for measuring and recording weight, recognising changes in consciousness, and recording fluid and food intake and output.

Range of Human Needs

The multi-dimensional client needs in acute care, classified as cognitive, cultural, educational, nutritional, physical, psychological, safety and security, social, spiritual, and sexual.

Personal Care Needs (Activities of Daily Living)

Daily living activities requiring assistance in acute care environments, including dressing and undressing, eating and drinking, eye and nail care, grooming and hair, oral health, showering, toileting, and washing.

Support, Assistance, and Technical Care

Distinct levels of care delivery reflecting healthcare worker boundaries, delegated scopes of practice, and differing degrees of client intervention.

Legal and Ethical Considerations in Acute Care

Core service delivery principles governed by workplace protocols to maintain client confidentiality, privacy, and dignity.

Client Communication and Consent

Workplace protocols for explaining the purpose of any procedure, checking client understanding, and obtaining valid client consent before proceeding with care.

Nursing Care Plan

A foundational document detailing client care purpose, development, implementation, required information, incorporation of client preferences, typical content, and variations in format.

Skin Integrity Management

Programs and care plan processes focused on maintaining intact skin, identifying causes of skin loss, and managing subsequent clinical implications for the client.

Continence Care

Client personal care programs and management strategies addressing elimination needs, including the proper use of continence aids.

Technical Care Skills

Specific acute care procedural competencies including application of anti-thrombosis stockings, assistance with breathing devices, catheter care, and shallow wound care.

Mobility Equipment and Prostheses

Aids and equipment used in delivering personal care to support client mobility, alongside knowledge required to correctly apply prostheses encountered in acute care.