Assimilation
The process by which people of diverse backgrounds slowly give up their original cultural language and identity and melt into another, usually larger, group
Bias
Prejudice; thinking negatively of others without any or significant justification; generally a combination of stereotyped beliefs and negative attitudes
Biculturalism
Being able to negotiate two or more different cultures competently, individual and mainstream
Cultural
Of or relating to culture
Cultures
All of the socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thoughts by particular classes, communities, or populations
Discrimination
Actions involved in the unequal or prejudicial treatment of people because they belong to a certain category, group, or race. May also include disability, ethnicity, and sexual orientation
Diverse
Differing from one another; made up of distinct characteristics, qualities, or elements
Diversity
Fact or quality of being diverse, different (all of the ways in which human beings are both similar and different)
Ethnic
Designating any of the basic groups or divisions of humankind or of a heterogeneous population, as distinguished by customs, characteristics, language, and common history; national origin
Ethnicity
Ethnic affiliation or classification
Ethnocentrism
Tendency toward viewing the norms and values of the individual’s own culture as absolute and using them as a standard against which all other cultures are measured
Gender
Chromosomal designation of female or male being
Homophobia
Irrational fear of and hostility toward homosexuality
LGBTQ+
An acronym used to describe individuals who identify as other than heterosexual, i.e. lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, queer and/or questioning, intersex, and asexual and/or ally, plus others
Mental and Physical Abilities
Capacity to perform cognitive and psychomotor tasks
Race
Population that differs from others in the relative frequency of some gene or genes; any of the different varieties of humankind, distinguished by type of hair, color of eyes and skin, stature, bodily proportions, or other characteristics
Racism
Belief in racial superiority, leading to discrimination and prejudice toward races considered inferior
Religion
Belief in a divine or superhuman power or powers, to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe
Communication
The ability to convey and receive information. Knowing the norm within a culture will facilitate understanding and lessen miscommunication. Miscommunication is a frequent problem among different cultures
Space
Distance extending in all directions. Proximity to personal boundaries and comfort level—eye contact, distance, and touch practices—vary among cultures. Failure to understand and respect different cultural practices, including space, may cause miscommunication and lessen regard for healthcare providers.
Time
Period of duration; indefinite, unlimited duration in which things are considered as happening (e.g., past, present, future). Cultures have different time orientations—for example, England and China seem to be oriented in the past, valuing tradition and doing things as they have always been done; people from these countries may be hesitant to try new medical procedures or treatments. Present-oriented cultures (e.g., Latin American, Native American, Middle Eastern) may neglect preventive care measures because they focus on the here and now. Healthcare providers must work with these cultures in an attempt to get these individuals to understand that medicine is focused on both prevention and treatment and that everyone can live a healthy and long life
Environmental Control
Ability of people to control nature. Differences in health practices and definitions of health and illness are evident in the different cultures. These variations need to be understood so that the appropriate actions can be undertaken to preserve the health of individuals and provide adequate treatment while preserving cultural concepts
Biologic Variation
Ethnical or racially related differences in body structure, skin color, hair texture, and other physical characteristics; the term also addresses genetic variations, susceptibility to certain diseases, nutritional preferences and differences, and psychological characteristics, among others. Healthcare providers must understand how these biologic variations affect the health of individuals within the different ethnic cultures, and they must secure diagnosis and provide treatment based on some of these variations
Social Organizations
Patterns of behaviors related to cultures learned through the process of enculturation. Healthcare providers must recognize these differences and accept them. Providers need to know that in some cultures great value is placed on the decisions made by the elders. In others, the expectations and roles of children are strictly defined
Advance Directive
Legal document prepared by a living, competent adult to provide guidance to the health care team if the individual should become unable to make decisions regarding their medical care; may also be called a living will or durable power of attorney for health care. Sometimes a durable power of attorney is given to another person because a person simply does not want to make any of these decisions themself
Communication
Exchange of information, thoughts, or messages; includes interpersonal rapport; also includes the accurate conveyance of information, clear self-expression, and transmission of information and ideas to others. Medical charting and documentation are forms of communication between health care professionals
Emotional Intelligence
Ability to evaluate, perceive, and control emotions
Gerontology
Pertaining to the study of older adults
Inpatient
someone who has been admitted to the hospital for diagnostic studies or treatment
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Model of human needs developed by Abraham Maslow, original Hierarchy identifies two types of needs: deficiency and growth needs were further divided into seven levels, four at the deficiency needs level (physiologic, safety, belongingness and love, and esteem) and three in the upper growth needs level (need to know and understand, aesthetic, and self-actualization); the current Hierarchy reflects five levels, two at the base reflecting the basic needs, two in the middle section reflecting psychological needs and the top which reflects self-fulfillment needs
Nonverbal Communication
Exchange of information, thoughts, or messages using methods other than the actual words of speech—for example, tone of voice, speed of speech, facial expressions, and position of the speaker’s extremities and torso (body language)
Outpatient
Patient who comes to a health care facility for diagnosis or treatment but does not usually occupy a bed overnight
Palpation
Application of light pressure with the fingers
Paralanguage
Music of language; cadence and rhythm of speech
Patient Assessment
Objective evaluation and determination of the status of a patient
Patient Autonomy
Ability and right of patients to make independent decisions regarding their medical care
Verbal Communication
Messages sent using spoken words; the exchange of information or thoughts; can be dramatically shaped by vocabulary, clarity, tone, pitch of voice, and even the organization of sentences
Chief Complaint
Primary medical problem as defined by the patient; important because it focuses the clinical history toward the single most important issue
Chronology
Time element of the history, usually including the onset, duration, frequency, and course of the symptoms
Clinical History
Information available regarding a patient’s condition; traditionally comprises data on localization, quality, quantity, chronology, setting, aggravating or alleviating factors, and associated manifestations
Leading Questions
Undesirable method of questioning; provides information that may direct answers toward a suggested symptom or complaint
Localization
Determination of a precise area, usually through gentle palpation or careful wording of questions
Objective
Perceptible to the external senses
Quality
Description of the character of the symptoms—for example, the color, quantity, and consistency of blood or other body substances; size or number of lumps or lesions; frequency of urination or coughing; or character of pain
Subjective
Pertaining to or perceived only by the affected individual; not perceptible to the senses
Base of Support
Foundation on which a body rests or stands; when people stand, their feet and the space between the feet define the base of support
Biomechanics
A component of physics, the laws of Newtonian mechanics, applied to living bodies at rest and in motion
Center of Gravity
Hypothetical point around which all mass appears to be concentrated
Commonly Attached Medical Equipment
Items clipped, fastened, or affixed to patients’ bodies to deliver substances, such as oxygen, medications, hydration, or nutrition, or drain away substances, such as postsurgical fluids or urine. Care must be taken when moving or positioning patients with these attachments. Neither the patient nor the clinician should get injured during this activity. The equipment should also survive intact without damage or functional impairment
Ergonomics
The study of a person’s efficiency in the working environment
Mobility Muscles
Muscles that are found in the four extremities and designed for movement; examples include the biceps femoris, biceps brachii, and gastrocnemius. These muscles have long white tendons and are also called white muscles
Orthostatic Hypotension
A sudden drop in blood pressure in the brain when a person stands up quickly from a sitting or supine position, causing the oxygen in the brain to drop and the person to become dizzy and prone to falling
Stability Muscles
Muscles that support the torso and are designed to provide postural stability; examples include the latissimus dorsi, abdominal group, and erector spinae. These muscles tend to have thick red muscle bellies and are also called red muscles
Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorder (WRMSD)
Injury or disorder of the muscles, verves, tendons, joints, cartilage, and spinal discs in which work environment and performance contribute significantly and/or the condition is made worse or persists longer due to work conditions
Ambulatory
able to walk
Anterioposterior
Direction of x-ray beam from front to back
Artifacts
Substances or structures not naturally present but of which an authentic image appears on an image
Axial Projection
Any projection not at right angles to the long axis of an anatomic structure
Empathy
Recognition of and entering into the feelings of another person
Flexion
Act of bending or condition of being bent
Geriatric
Pertaining to the treatment of the aged
Immobilization
Act of rendering immovable
Neonates
Newborn infants
Pediatric
Pertaining to the branch of medicine that treats children
Plantar Surface
Sole of the foot
Rapport
Relation of harmony and accord between two persons
Restraint
Hindrance of an action (movement)
Trauma
Wound or injury
Apnea
Cessation of spontaneous ventilation
Atelectasis
Absence of gas from part or the whole of the lungs as a result of failure of expansion or reabsorption of gas from the alveoli
Auscultation
Listening to sounds of the body, typically through the use of a stethoscope
Body Temperature
Measurement of the degree of heat of the deep tissues of the human body
Bradycardia
Slowness of the heartbeat as evidenced by slowing of the pulse rate to less than 60 beats per minute (BPM)
Bradypnea
Abnormal slowness of breathing
Diaphoresis
Profuse sweating
Diastolic
Pertaining to dilation, or a period of relaxation of the heart, especially of the ventricles
Dyspnea
Difficult or labored breathing
Febrile
Pertaining to or characterized by fever
Homeostasis
Constancy in the internal environment of the body, naturally maintained by adaptive responses that promote healthy survival
Hypertension
Persistently high arterial blood pressure
Hyperthermia
Abnormally high body temperature, especially that induced for therapeutic purposes
Hypoxemia
Decreased oxygen tension (concentration) in the blood
Hypoxia
Reduction of oxygen supply to the tissue
Intubation
Insertion of a tubular device into a canal, hollow organ, or cavity
Orthopnea
Difficulty breathing except when sitting up or standing erect
Pleural Effusion
Increased amounts of fluid within the pleural cavity, usually the result of inflammation
Pneumothorax
Presence of air or gas in the pleural cavity
Pulse Oximeter
Photoelectric device used for determining the oxygen saturation of the blood
Respiration
Action of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide during breathing
Sphygmomanometer
Instrument for measuring blood pressure
Systolic
Pertaining to tightening, or a period of contraction of the heart (myocardium), especially that of the ventricles
Tachycardia
Rapidity of the heart action, usually defined as a heart rate greater than 100 BPM
Tachypnea
A rapid rate of breathing
Tidal Volume
Volume of air inhaled and exhaled during one respiratory cycle
Ventilation
Mechanical movement of air into and out of the lungs
Hypotension
Abnormally low blood pressure; seen in shock but not necessarily indicative of shock
Hypothermia
Low body temperature