NUR 2313 - Basic Health Assessment

A comprehensive set of flashcards for NUR 2313 - Basic Health Assessment, covering key terms, definitions, and vital concepts in health assessment.

Focused Assessment

A targeted evaluation of a patient's specific health concerns.

NUR 2313 – BASIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT

A course focused on fundamental health assessment techniques.

BASIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT

Fundamental principles and methods of assessing patient health.

Head

The upper part of the body that contains the brain, eyes, and mouth.

Eyes

Organs of vision that are essential for sight.

PERRLA

Pupils Equal, Round, Reactive to Light and Accommodation.

Sclera

The white outer coat of the eyeball that can indicate liver failure when jaundiced.

Drainage

The process of removing fluids or waste from a wound or cavity.

Nares

The openings of the nostrils in the nose.

Symmetry

The quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other.

Mouth

The opening in the face used for eating, speaking, and breathing.

Petechiae

Small red or purple spots caused by bleeding under the skin.

Thrombocytopenia

A condition characterized by low platelet count in the blood.

Alertness

The state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings.

GCS

Glasgow Coma Scale, a scoring system to assess level of consciousness.

Head Conditions

Various medical conditions affecting the head.

Head Pain

Any discomfort felt in the head area.

Headache

Pain in the head that can vary in intensity.

Pain in head or face

Discomfort or pain localized to the head or facial regions.

Mild pain

A low level of pain that is often manageable.

Tension Headache

A type of headache characterized by a feeling of pressure or tightness.

Pain that feels like squeezing

A sensation often associated with Tension Headaches.

Mild to moderate pain

Pain that is not extreme, but noticeable.

Slow onset

The gradual appearance of symptoms over time.

Migraine

A headache of severe intensity often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light.

Head pain without warning

Throbbing head pain that occurs unexpectedly.

Moderate to severe pain

Pain that is intense enough to interfere with daily activities.

Nausea

An uneasy sensation in the stomach that often leads to vomiting.

Blurred vision

A lack of sharpness of vision.

Mood changes

Alterations in emotional state.

Fatigue

A state of extreme tiredness.

Light sensitivity

Increased discomfort in response to light.

Can be unilateral

Symptoms that occur on one side only.

Skin

The outer covering of the body that protects against injury and infection.

Color

The observable hue of the skin.

Temperature

The degree of heat maintained by the body.

Moisture

The presence of liquid, often indicating hydration levels.

Dryness

A lack of moisture in the skin.

Sweating

The production of fluid from sweat glands.

Turgor

The degree of elasticity of the skin, indicating hydration status.

Tenting

A sign of hydration status where the skin remains elevated after being pinched.

Wounds

Injuries that break the skin or other body tissues.

Measure length, width and depth

To assess the dimensions of a wound in centimeters.

Location of wound

The specific area on the body where a wound is found.

Skin Layers

The different levels of tissue that make up the skin.

Epidermis

The outermost layer of skin.

Outer Layer

The visible surface of the skin that protects against the environment.

Continually lost and replacing

Describes the ongoing cycle of skin shedding and regeneration.

Dermis

The layer beneath the epidermis that contains connective tissue.

Contains hair follicles, nerves and capillaries

Components found in the dermis that support skin functions.

Hypodermis

The deeper layer of skin that contains fat and connective tissue.

Subcutaneous / Fatty Tissue

Tissue beneath the skin that provides insulation and cushioning.

Muscle

Tissue that produces movement by contracting.

Wound Grading

A system for classifying the severity of wounds.

Stage 1

Wounds with intact skin showing non-blanching redness.

Intact skin with non-blanching redness

A sign indicating potential skin damage.

Stage 2

Partial thickness loss of skin including the epidermis.

Partial-Thickness loss of skin

Injury affecting only the upper layers of skin.

Not into the fat or deep tissue

Description of a wound that does not reach deeper structures.

Stage 3

Full thickness loss of skin including subcutaneous tissue.

Full Thickness loss of skin

Wounds that penetrate through the skin layers.

Fat may be valuable

Subcutaneous fat may be visible in deeper wounds.

Slough / eschar may be visible

Necrotic tissue that may appear in advanced wounds.

Stage 4

Full thickness skin loss with exposure of underlying fascia.

Full thickness – Fascia exposed

A severe wound where underlying structures are visible.

May have tunneling

Wound characteristic where sinuses or channels are present.

Deep Tissue Injury

Injury presenting as a deep red or purple coloration.

Intact or non intact skin, deep red, maroon, blood filled blister

Description of a deep tissue injury.

Unstageable

A wound condition that cannot be categorized due to slough or eschar.

Full Thickness but cannot be graded because it is obscured by slough or eschar

A severe wound obscured by necrotic tissue.

Skin conditions

Various disorders affecting the skin.

Contusion

A bruise caused by blunt force trauma.

Bruise

An area of discolored skin resulting from blood leakage.

Mongolian Spot

A flat, blue-gray birthmark often seen in newborns.

Benign, flat, congenital birthmark with wavy borders and irregular shape

Characteristics of a Mongolian spot.

Bluish-purple in color

Description of the typical coloration of a bruise.

Found on the lumbosacral area, buttocks, sides and shoulders

Common areas where Mongolian spots appear.

Café au Lait Spot

Flat, pigmented skin lesions often present at birth.

Flattened areas of darken skin found anywhere on the body

Characteristic appearance of Café au Lait Spots.

Size increases as child grows

A typical feature of Café au Lait Spots over time.

Harlequin Color change

A transient coloration change in newborns.

Transient in 10% of newborns, aka unilateral erythema of the newborn

Description of the Harlequin Color change.

Well demarcated color change

Sharp borders between areas of color change in skin.

Half body has erythema and the other half pallor

A typical presentation of Harlequin Color change.

Cause unknown, but thought to be caused by temporary loss of capillary tone

Hypothesized mechanism behind Harlequin Color change.

Acrochordons

Benign skin growths also known as skin tags.

Skin-Tags

Small, benign outgrowths of skin.

Harmless and painless

Characteristic of most skin tags.

Found on neck, upper chest, underarms and eyelids

Common locations for skin tags.

May be irritated from rubbing, can pull

Skin tags can become problematic if they are rubbed.

Typically not removed until bothersome

Skin tags are usually left alone until they cause discomfort.

Skin Cancer

Abnormal growth of skin cells that can be malignant.

ABCDEF

A mnemonic to assess moles for skin cancer risk.

Asymmetry

An uneven shape that can indicate malignancy.

Non-uniform shape

Abnormal mole shape that raises suspicion for skin cancer.

Border

Outlines of a mole that should be well defined.

Not well defined

Mole edges that are irregular can suggest cancer.

More than one color

Moles displaying multiple colors could indicate risk.

benign moles are typically one color

Normal moles should have a consistent color.

Diameter

The size of a mole, relevant for assessing risk.