Pediatric Nursing – Key Vocabulary

This set of flashcards summarizes essential pediatric nursing vocabulary across development, health promotion, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and integumentary topics discussed in the lecture notes.

School-age child

Child between 6 and 12 years of age

Deciduous teeth

Primary (baby) teeth that are later lost and replaced by permanent teeth

Puberty

Developmental stage when sexual maturation begins; may start during late school-age years

Gross-motor skills

Large-muscle movements such as running or jumping

Fine-motor skills

Small-muscle movements used for writing, buttoning, or drawing

Bullying

Repeated aggressive behavior intended to harm or intimidate another child

Self-esteem

Overall sense of personal worth or value

Body image

Perception and feelings about one’s physical appearance

Sexual orientation

Enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction, typically forms between ages 10-17

Discipline (pediatrics)

Positive guidance strategies that promote accountability and healthy behavior

Nocturnal enuresis

Involuntary bed-wetting during sleep after bladder control is expected

Encopresis

Soiling of underwear with stool, often related to chronic constipation

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to severe trauma

Learning disability (LD)

Neurologically based difficulty acquiring or using academic skills

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Neurodevelopmental disorder marked by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity

Obesity (childhood)

Body mass index ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex

Food insecurity

Limited or uncertain access to adequate, nutritious food

Physical activity recommendation

At least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise daily for children

Sleep recommendation (6-12 yrs)

9-12 hours of sleep per night

Substance use disorder risk

Early aggressive behavior, parental use, and unsafe environments increase likelihood of child substance use

Nursing process

Assessment, Diagnosis/Analysis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation

Vomiting

Forceful expulsion of stomach contents through the mouth

Diarrhea

Increased frequency and liquidity of stool; may be acute or chronic

Constipation

Infrequent or difficult passage of hard stool

Isotonic dehydration

Equal loss of water and electrolytes; most common type in children

Hypotonic dehydration

Greater electrolyte than water loss; sodium < 130 mEq/L

Hypertonic dehydration

Greater water than electrolyte loss; sodium > 150 mEq/L

Failure to thrive (FTT)

Inadequate growth resulting from insufficient caloric intake or utilization

Cleft lip

Congenital split of the upper lip due to failure of tissue fusion

Cleft palate

Opening in the roof of the mouth from incomplete fusion of palatal plates

Appendicitis

Inflammation of the vermiform appendix

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER)

Retrograde flow of gastric contents into the esophagus

Pyloric stenosis

Hypertrophy of the pyloric muscle causing gastric outlet obstruction in infants

Intussusception

Telescoping of one part of the intestine into another, causing obstruction

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Functional GI disorder with abdominal pain and altered bowel habits

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Chronic intestinal inflammation—Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis

Celiac disease

Autoimmune intolerance to gluten leading to villous atrophy in small intestine

Hernia

Protrusion of an organ through an abnormal opening

Eating disorder

Abnormal eating behaviors affecting physical and psychosocial health (e.g., anorexia, bulimia)

Urinary tract infection (UTI)

Microbial invasion of bladder, urethra, or kidneys

Pyelonephritis

Infection of the renal pelvis and kidney parenchyma

Glomerulonephritis

Immune-mediated inflammation of glomeruli causing hematuria and proteinuria

Nephrotic syndrome

Glomerular disorder with massive proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, and edema

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR)

Retrograde flow of urine from bladder into ureters/kidneys

Hydronephrosis

Dilation of renal pelvis and calyces due to urinary obstruction

Acute kidney injury (AKI)

Abrupt decline in renal function causing azotemia and oliguria

Chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Progressive, irreversible loss of kidney function > 3 months

Wilms tumor

Nephroblastoma; malignant renal tumor in children

Germ cell tumor (GCT)

Neoplasm arising from reproductive cells (e.g., testicular or ovarian)

Contusion

Soft-tissue injury (bruise) without skin break

Dislocation

Separation of two bones at a joint

Sprain

Ligament stretch or tear around a joint

Strain

Injury to muscle or tendon from overstretching

Overuse injury

Microtrauma from repetitive stress without adequate rest

Greenstick fracture

Incomplete fracture where bone bends and splinters

Buckle (torus) fracture

Compression injury causing bulge in cortex without break

Compartment syndrome

Increased pressure within closed fascial space impairing perfusion

Osteomyelitis

Infection and inflammation of bone and bone marrow

Torticollis

Persistent head tilt due to tight sternocleidomastoid muscle

Scoliosis

Lateral curvature of the spine > 10°

Kyphosis

Excessive thoracic forward curvature (hunchback)

Lordosis

Exaggerated lumbar inward curvature (swayback)

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH)

Abnormal acetabulum results in femoral head instability

Pavlik harness

Soft brace maintaining hip flexion and abduction to treat DDH in infants

Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head in children

Clubfoot (talipes equinovarus)

Congenital deformity where foot is plantar-flexed and inverted

Ponseti method

Serial casting technique to correct clubfoot

Osteogenesis imperfecta

Genetic connective-tissue disorder causing brittle bones

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)

Chronic autoimmune joint inflammation in children

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

Multisystem autoimmune disease producing antibodies against self-tissues

Osteosarcoma

Primary malignant bone tumor, usually in metaphysis of long bones

Ewing sarcoma

Malignant bone tumor arising in marrow of long bones and pelvis

Rhabdomyosarcoma

Cancer of skeletal muscle origin

Amputation (pediatric)

Surgical or traumatic removal of limb or part of limb

Cerebral palsy

Non-progressive motor impairment from brain injury before age 2

Hypotonia

Decreased muscle tone resulting in floppiness

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)

Genetic motor neuron disease causing progressive muscle weakness

Muscular dystrophy

Group of genetic disorders with progressive muscle degeneration

Contact dermatitis

Inflammatory skin reaction to irritant or allergen exposure

Poison ivy dermatitis

Urushiol-induced allergic contact dermatitis from Toxicodendron plants

Diaper dermatitis

Inflammation of skin in diaper area due to moisture and irritants

Seborrheic dermatitis

Self-limited inflammatory scaling on scalp (cradle cap) and other areas

Atopic dermatitis (eczema)

Chronic, itchy inflammatory skin disease with relapsing course

Psoriasis

Autoimmune skin disorder causing erythematous plaques with silvery scales

Acne vulgaris

Inflammatory pilosebaceous disorder producing comedones and pustules

Cellulitis

Bacterial infection of dermis and subcutaneous tissue

Thermal injury (burn)

Tissue damage from heat, classified by depth and TBSA affected

Lund-Browder chart

Age-adjusted tool to estimate burn surface area in children

Urushiol

Allergenic oil in poison ivy, oak, and sumac

Systemic steroid

Oral or IV corticosteroid (e.g., prednisone) used to reduce severe inflammation

Epinephrine autoinjector

Device delivering IM epinephrine for anaphylaxis treatment

TDaP vaccine

Tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis immunization; tetanus protection critical after bites

Isotretinoin

Oral retinoid for severe cystic acne; teratogenic, requires iPLEDGE program

PRICE method

Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation—acute soft-tissue injury care

POLICE method

Protection, Optimal Loading, Ice, Compression, Elevation—updated injury protocol

Complicated fracture

Break causing soft-tissue or vascular injury

Comminuted fracture

Bone shattered into three or more fragments

Traction

Pulling force to align bones and reduce muscle spasm

External fixation

Stabilization of fractured bone using pins and an external frame

Neurovascular assessment

Evaluation of circulation, movement, and sensation distal to an injury