Thermoregulation and Patient Safety Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering core thermoregulation concepts, heat and cold illnesses, safety regulatory agencies, QSEN competencies, and clinical safety precautions.

Fever (Pyrexia)

An elevation in body temperature where the set point in the hypothalamus is altered by the release of prostaglandins and pyrogens due to infection and/or inflammation.

Hyperthermia

An elevated body temperature resulting from exertional or non-exertional causes in which the hypothalamic set point has not changed, and the body attempts to compensate through vasodilation and diaphoresis.

Heat Illness / Heat Cramps

A mild heat-related condition characterized by the loss of electrolytes, muscle cramps, and diaphoresis.

Heat Exhaustion

A moderate heat-related illness characterized by headaches, anxiety, dizziness, profound diaphoresis (sweating), and thirst.

Heat Stroke

A severe, life-threatening condition marked by hot dry skin (anhidrosis), little to no urine output, hypotension, tachycardia, hypermetabolism, rhabdomyolysis, confusion, coma, seizures, and ECG changes.

Anhidrosis

The absence of sweating resulting from fluid depletion in earlier stages of heat-related illness, characteristically seen in heat stroke.

Rhabdomyolysis

The breakdown of muscle tissue that releases myoglobin into the circulation, which can cause kidney damage.

Hypothermia

A subnormal core body temperature caused by environmental exposure or immersion in cold water, triggering compensatory shivering and vasoconstriction.

Frostbite

The freezing of intra- and intercellular fluids of the fingers, hands, toes, feet, and/or nose, resulting in tissue that is hard, cold, pale to blue or necrotic, with poor capillary refill and sensation.

Core Temperature Monitoring (Adults)

The practice of using tympanic thermometers for awake patients and rectal or esophageal probes for comatose patients.

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

An organization focused on workplace safety in environments such as hospitals, overseeing materials safety data sheets (MSDS).

NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)

An organization involved in workplace safety that classifies and regulates categories of hazardous drugs.

The Joint Commission

An accrediting body for acute care hospitals and medical institutions that establishes National Patient Safety Goals and National Performance Goals, requiring practices such as timeouts and two patient identifiers.

QSEN (Quality and Safety Education for Nurses)

An educational initiative providing nursing students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) needed to improve healthcare quality and patient safety.

Patient-Centered Care

A QSEN competency emphasizing respect for patient cultural preferences, values, and needs, treating patients as full partners in their own care.

Teamwork and Collaboration

A QSEN competency that involves communicating and functioning effectively across multiple interdisciplinary fields to improve patient outcomes.

Evidence-Based Practice

A QSEN competency that integrates the best current scientific research with clinical expertise and patient values when making healthcare decisions.

Quality Improvement

A QSEN competency focusing on the use of data and measurable outcomes to monitor, evaluate, and systematically enhance healthcare delivery systems.

Safety (QSEN Competency)

A QSEN competency aimed at minimizing risk of harm to patients by evaluating individual performance and system delivery, including reporting errors and near misses.

Informatics

A QSEN competency involving the use of information, technology, and electronic health records (EHR) to communicate, manage knowledge, and mitigate errors.

Restraints

Time-limited physical or chemical interventions used to prevent interference with critical medical equipment or manage behavioral emergencies; they increase fall risk and are not used to prevent falls.

Standard Precautions

Infection control practices that require handling all body fluids as potentially infectious, performing hand hygiene at key intervals, and holding contaminated linens away from the body.