Nursing Exam Review - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes.

Tachypnoea

Abnormally fast respirations; usually more than 24 respirations per minute.

Apnoea

A complete absence of respirations

Bradycardia

Abnormally slow pulse rate; less than 60 beats per minute.

Bradypnea

Abnormally slow respiratory rate; usually less than 10 respirations per minute.

Tachycardia

An abnormally rapid pulse rate; greater than 100 beats per minute.

Enuresis

Bed-wetting; involuntary passing of urine in children after bladder control is achieved.

Diuresis

The production of large amounts of urine by the kidneys without an increased fluid intake (polyuria).

Hypothermia

A core body temperature below the lower limit of normal.

Hyperthermia

A body temperature above the usual range.

Polydipsia

Excessive thirst.

Hygiene

The science of health and its maintenance.

Pressure ulcers

Reddened areas, sores, or ulcers of the skin occurring over bony prominences.

Health

The presence or absence of disease; State of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.

Illness

A highly personal state in which a person feels unhealthy or ill; may or may not be related to a disease.

Environment

All the conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding and affecting the development of an organism or person.

Nursing

The attributes, characteristics, and actions of a nurse providing care on behalf of, or in conjunction with, a client.

Homeostasis

The tendency of the body to maintain a state of balance or equilibrium while continually changing; a mechanism in which deviators from normal are sensed and counteracted.

Individuality

Each individual is a unique being who is different from every other human being, with different combinations of genetics, life experience, and environmental interactions.

Holism

Keeping the whole person in mind, not as an assembly of parts and processes.

Adherence

Behavior coincides with medical/health advice.

Disease

An alteration in body functions resulting in reduction of capacities or a shortening of the normal life span.

Physiological needs

Food, clothing, shelter, comfort, and self-preservation.

Safety and Security needs

Security for self and possessions, avoidance of risks, harm, and pain. Includes environment.

Love and Belonging Needs

Companionship, acceptance, love and affection, group membership

Self-esteem needs

Responsibility, self-respect, recognition, sense of accomplishment, sense of competence

Self-Actualization Needs

Reaching your potential, independence, creativity, self -expression

Nursing (Henderson)

The assistance of an individual to achieve the 14 basic human needs if they are not competent to do it themselves.

Acne

Inflammation of the skin.

Pruritis

Itching.

Eczema

Atypical dermatitis; inflammation of skin, skin rough – fine white scales, inflamed scaliness more pronounces – itches a lot. Cause unknown.

Sunburn

May cause first- or second-degree burns, skin cancer, premature ageing.

Verrucae (warts)

Growths of group of skin cells, caused by a virus – contagious.

Tinea Pedis (athlete’s foot)

Tissue under foot becomes soft and colourless – causes by fungus. Contagious.

Decubitus ulcer

Areas of necrosis (tissue death) as a result of ischaemia (deficient blood supply).

Inguinal hernia

A protrusion of any part of the internal organs through the structures enclosing them

Condyloma acuminata (genital warts)

Elevation of skin due to infection.

Genital herpes

An inflammatory skin eruption showing small vesicles caused by a herpes virus.

Haemorrhoids

A locally dilated rectal vein.

Halitosis

Bad breath.

Stomatitis

Inflammation of the oral mucosa.

Gingivitis

Inflammation of the gums.

Lanugo

The fine hair on the body of a fetus.

Alopecia

Hair loss, due to chemotherapy / radiation therapy, stress, and chemicals (hair dyes / curling, etc.

Dandruff

Often accompanied by itching and appears as diffuse scaling of the scalp.

Ticks / Lice

Small grey-brown parasites that bite into tissue and suck blood, that can cause diseases.

Scabies

Contagious skin infestation by the itch mite.

Hirsutism

Growth of excessive body hair.

Homeostasis

The relative constancy of the internal processes of the body, such as blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, blood pressure, body temperature, blood glucose, and fluid and electrolyte balance.

Core temperature

Temperature of the deep tissue of the body that remains relatively constant and is controlled by hypothalamic integrator.

Surface temperature

Temperature of the skin, subcutaneous tissue and fat that rises and falls in response to the environment.

Heat balance

Amount of heat produced = the amount of heat lost.

Hyperthermia

Overheating of the body due to factors such as dehydration and exposure to high temperatures.

Hypothermia

Abnormally low core temperature.

Pyrexia

Also referred to as a fever.

Hyperpyrexia

exceptionally high fever.

Pulse

A wave of blood created by contraction of the left ventricle of the heart.

Cardiac output

The volume of blood pumped into the arteries by the heart.

Pulse rate

Number of times the heart beats in one minute.

Pulse rhythm

Intervals between pulse beats is normally equal in length.

Pulse volume

The force with which blood pulsates through a peripheral artery.

Bradycardia

Less than 60 bpm.

Tachycardia

Greater than 100 bpm.

Respiration

Breathing.

Inhalation / Inspiration

Intake of air into lungs.

Exhalation

Breathing out / movement of gasses from the lungs to the atmosphere.

Ventilation

Movement of air in and out of lungs.

Costal (thoracic) breathing

Involves external intercostal muscles, aka. Movement of the chest.

Diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing

Involves contracting and relaxation of the diaphragm, aka. Movement of the chest.

Tachypnea

Quick, shallow breaths.

Bradypnea

Abnormally slow breathing.

Apnea

Cessation of breathing for 20 or more seconds.

Hyperventilation

Overexpansion of the lungs characterized by rapid and deep breaths (Increased rate and depth).

Hypoventilation

Underexpansion of the lungs, characterized by shallow respirations (decreased rate & depth).

Cheyne-Stokes breathing

Alternating periods of deep, rapid breathing followed by shallow breathing and temporary apnea.

Kussmaul’s breathing

Abnormally deep breathing which can be rapid, normal or slow.

Dyspnea

Difficult and laboured breathing during which the patient has a persistent, unsatisfied need for air and feels distressed.

Orthopnea

The ability to breathe only in upright sitting / standing positions.

Stridor

A shrill, harsh sound heard during inhalation.

Stertor

Snoring / sonorous respiration.

Wheeze

Continuous, high pitched musical squeak or whistling sound.

Bubbling

Gurgling sounds heard as air passes through moist secretions in respiratory tract.

Blood pressure

Arterial blood pressure: a measure of the pressure exerted by the blood as it flows through the arteries.

Systolic pressure

Pressure of the blood because of contraction of the ventricles.

Diastolic pressure

Pressure when the ventricles are at rest.

Hypertension

A BP that is persistently above normal.

Primary hypertension

An elevated BP of unknown cause.

Secondary hypertension

An elevated BP of known cause.

Hypotension

A BP that is below normal, that is a systolic reading consistently between 85 and 110 mmHg in an adult whose normal pressure is higher than this.

Orthostatic hypotension

A BP that decreases when the client sits or stands.

Ventilation

Movement of air in and out of the lungs.

Alveolar-capillary gas exchange

Involves diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide between alveoli and pulmonary capillaries.

Nursing Process

A systematic rational method of planning and providing nursing care.

Assessment

The process of collecting, organizing, validating, and recording data (information) about a client’s health status.

Nursing Diagnosis

The nurse’s clinical judgment about individual, family, or community responses to actual and potential health problems/life processes to provide the basis for selecting nursing interventions to achieve outcomes for which the nurse is accountable.

Evaluation

A planned ongoing, purposeful activity in which patients and health care professionals compare expected outcomes to actual outcomes.

Planning

An ongoing process that involves 1 assessing a situation, 2 establishing goals and objectives based on assessment of a situation or future trends, and 3 developing a plan of action that identifies priorities, delineates who is responsible, determines deadlines, and describes how the intended outcome is to be achieved and evaluated.

Implementation

The phase of the nursing process in which the nursing care plan is put into action.

Documenting and Reporting

The process of making an entry on a client record.

Communication

A two-way process involving the sending and receiving of messages.

Subjective data

Apparent only to the person affected and can be described or verified only by that person; e.g., itching, pain, and feeling of worry.