NURS 247 Clinical Modules 1–6 Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Modules 1 through 6 of NURS 247, including clinical judgment, fluid and electrolyte balance, cardiovascular pathophysiology, oncology and gastrointestinal alterations, stroke/cerebrovascular disorders, dementia, and pain management principles.

Clinical judgement

The conclusion or decision a nurse reaches about a patient's needs and the appropriate action.

Clinical reasoning

The process of gathering, interpreting, and connecting patient information to understand a clinical problem and then decide what to do.

Clinical thinking

Deliberate, logical, evidence-informed thinking used to evaluate information, question assumptions, and make sound decisions.

Reflective thinking

Reviewing an experience or decision to identify what went well, what could improve, and what was learned.

Dynamic reasoning

Adjusting clinical thinking and decisions as new cues emerge or the patient's condition changes.

Intuitive thinking

Rapid recognition of a possible problem based on experience or familiar patterns, which nurses should validate with assessment and evidence.

Systems thinking

Considering how the patient, healthcare team, environment, equipment, policies, and healthcare processes affect one another.

Solvent

A substance that dissolves another substance, with $H_2O$ acting as the body's principal solvent.

Solute

A substance dissolved in a solvent, such as sodium or glucose.

Electrolytes

Substances that form charged particles in solution and help regulate nerve, muscle, and fluid function.

Ion

An electrically charged atom or molecule.

Diffusion

The movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration.

Osmosis

The movement of $H_2O$ through a selectively permeable membrane toward the side with a higher effective solute concentration.

Filtration

The movement of fluid and dissolved substances across a membrane because of a pressure difference.

Osmolarity

The concentration of dissolved particles per liter of solution.

Intracellular fluid (ICF)

Fluid located inside cells, with potassium being a principal electrolyte.

Extracellular fluid (ECF)

Fluid located outside cells, such as plasma.

Isotonic fluid

Fluid that has a concentration producing little net $H_2O$ movement into or out of a cell under typical conditions.

Hypotonic fluid

Fluid with a lower effective solute concentration than plasma that tends to move $H_2O$ into cells.

Hypertonic fluid

Fluid with a higher effective solute concentration than plasma that tends to move $H_2O$ out of cells.

Cardiac output

The volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute.

Systemic vascular resistance

The resistance to blood flow within the systemic circulation.

Hypertension

Elevated blood pressure resulting from increased vascular resistance, altered kidney regulation, increased circulating volume, and neurohormonal influences.

Atherosclerosis

A condition in which lipids and inflammatory material accumulate in arterial walls, forming plaque that narrows arteries or ruptures to trigger clot formation.

Heart failure

A pathophysiology where the heart cannot pump sufficiently or fill normally without elevated pressures, leading to congestion and/or reduced tissue perfusion.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Reduced arterial blood flow reaching tissue, usually due to atherosclerosis, resulting in claudication or rest pain, cool/shiny skin, diminished pulses, and ulcers on toes or pressure points.

Cellular regulation

The process by which the body controls cell growth, division, differentiation, and death, replacing damaged or old cells while preventing excessive, uncontrolled growth.

Proto-oncogenes

Normal genes that help regulate cell growth and division.

Oncogenes

Activated or overexpressed proto-oncogenes that can promote excessive cell growth.

Tumour suppressor genes

Genes that help control cell division, repair DNA damage, or prevent abnormal cells from growing.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death that removes damaged or unneeded cells.

Metastasis

The spread of cancer cells from their original site to another part of the body via direct extension, lymphatics, bloodstream, or peritoneal seeding.

Carcinogenesis

The multi-step process of normal cells becoming cancerous after disrupted cellular regulation, progressing through initiation, promotion, progression, and invasion/metastasis.

Ostomy

A surgically created opening that allows body waste to exit through an alternative route.

Colostomy

A surgically created opening that originates from the colon.

Ileostomy

A surgically created opening originating from the ileum, the final part of the small intestine.

Stoma

The visible opening of an ostomy located on the abdomen.

Effluent

The stool or intestinal output collected from an ostomy.

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)

A temporary episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia without acute infarction.

Ischemic stroke

A stroke caused by the blockage of a cerebral blood vessel supplying the brain, reducing $O_2$ and glucose delivery.

Hemorrhagic stroke

A stroke that occurs when a cerebral blood vessel ruptures, allowing blood to enter brain tissue or surrounding spaces.

Embolic stroke

A subtype of ischemic stroke where a clot or other material forms elsewhere, travels through the circulation, and occludes a cerebral artery.

BEFAST

An acronym identifying stroke warning signs: Balance loss, Eyes/vision changes, Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and Time to initiate emergency response.

Dysphagia

Difficulty swallowing marked by coughing, choking, wet voice, or risk of pulmonary aspiration.

Dementia

A clinical syndrome characterized by a decline in cognitive abilities affecting memory, judgment, language, attention, orientation, behaviour, and personality.

Alzheimer's disease

A progressive, gradual neurodegenerative disease associated with abnormal amyloid-beta and tau proteins, synaptic dysfunction, and neuronal loss.

Vascular dementia

Cognitive impairment caused by cerebrovascular injury, strokes, multiple infarcts, or small-vessel disease, presenting with deficits in speed, attention, and executive function.

Acute pain

Pain that begins suddenly with injury, surgery, or illness, typically improving once the underlying cause resolves.

Chronic pain

Pain that persists or recurs over an extended period (longer than 3 months) and may continue beyond the expected window of tissue healing.

Nociceptive pain

Pain resulting from the activation of peripheral pain receptors due to actual or potential tissue damage.

Neuropathic pain

Pain caused by a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system, often presenting as burning, tingling, shooting, or electric sensations.

Somatic pain

A form of nociceptive pain arising from structures such as the skin, muscles, bones, joints, and connective tissue.

Visceral pain

Pain arising from internal organs that is typically diffuse or referred to other locations.

Referred pain

Pain perceived at a bodily location distinctly different from its source origin.

Nociplastic pain

Pain arising from altered nociception without clear evidence of actual tissue damage or a somatosensory lesion fully explaining it.

4 Ps of pain management

A comprehensive pain management framework encompassing Physical contributors, Pharmacological interventions, Psychological support, and Physical functioning/rehabilitation.