Lecture Notes Flashcards - Nursing Fundamentals (VOCABULARY)

Page 1

• Education – Teach-Back Method
  • Definition: Patient repeats instructions in their own words
  • Purpose: Confirm understanding
  • Action: Nurse reteaches if not understood
  • Clinical relevance: Improves patient safety, reduces readmission risk by ensuring comprehension
• Cardiac Markers
  • Troponin – most specific for heart attack
  • CK-MB – heart muscle injury
  • BNP – heart failure marker
  • Key concepts: elevation indicates myocardial injury or heart failure; serial measurements can track progression or response
• Hemoglobin A1C
  • Measures average blood sugar over 2–3 months
  • Normal: <5.7 ext{ } ext{ extperthousand}
  • Prediabetes: $5.7 ext{ extperthousand} ext{–} 6.4 ext{ extperthousand}$
  • Diabetes: $ext{ extgreater=} 6.5 ext{ extperthousand}$
  • Practical significance: guides diabetes risk stratification and treatment decisions
• Thrombocytopenia
  • Definition: Low platelets
  • Causes: medications, cancer, infections, autoimmune processes
  • Risks: bleeding & bruising; careful monitoring required before procedures
• Outcome Statements
  • Nursing goals for the patient
  • Requirements: specific, measurable, realistic
  • Example: Pain ↓ to 2/10 within 30 minutes after med administration
  • Role in care planning: guides evaluation of intervention effectiveness
• Strategies to Improve Critical Thinking
  • Ask 'why' questions to explore reasoning
  • Compare normal vs abnormal findings
  • Practice NCLEX-style questions
  • Reflect on mistakes to drive learning
  • Use evidence-based practice (EBP) to inform decisions
• Attitudes Important for Critical Thinking
  • Curiosity
  • Fair-mindedness
  • Humility
  • Perseverance
  • Confidence
• Electrolytes – Problems when Out of Normal Range
  • Sodium: Low → confusion, seizures; High → dehydration
  • Potassium: Low → arrhythmias; High → cardiac arrest risk
  • Calcium: Low → tetany; High → kidney stones
  • Magnesium: Low → tremors; High → respiratory depression
• Kidney Function Tests
  • BUN: $7 ext{--}20 ext{ mg/dL}$
  • Creatinine: $0.6 ext{--}1.3 ext{ mg/dL}$
  • Elevation indicates kidney dysfunction
• Lipid Panel
  • Includes: cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides
  • LDL high = increased cardiovascular risk
  • HDL low = increased cardiovascular risk
  • Triglycerides high = pancreatitis risk and heart disease risk

Page 2

• Potassium (K) Foods
  • Examples: bananas, oranges, potatoes, spinach, beans, fish
  • Practical relevance: dietary management of potassium in relation to serum levels
• Stool Studies
  • C. diff test: detects C. difficile infection
  • Occult blood: detects hidden blood (GI bleed, cancer)
• MRI
  • Purpose: imaging of brain, spine, and other organs
  • Restrictions: no metal; may require contrast dye
• CT Scan
  • Purpose: detect tumors, bleeding, fractures
  • Problems: dye allergy, kidney risk
  • Management: check kidney function, hydrate as needed
• Urine Analysis
  • Normal: clear; no protein; no blood
  • Abnormal findings:
  • Protein → possible kidney disease
  • Glucose → possible diabetes
  • Blood → possible infection or stones
  • Bacteria → possible UTI
• CBC (Complete Blood Count)
  • Anemia: low Hgb/Hct
  • Leukopenia: low WBC
  • Leukocytosis: high WBC
  • Platelets: important for clotting
• PET Scan
  • Limitations: expensive; involves radiation; not used in pregnancy
• Included in Labs
  • CMP: electrolytes, liver, kidney function
  • BMP: electrolytes, kidney function
  • CBC: blood cells and platelets
  • Lipid Panel: cholesterol and triglycerides
• Chain of Infection
  1. Agent
  2. Reservoir
  3. Portal of exit
  4. Transmission
  5. Portal of entry
  6. Susceptible host
• Precautions & PPE
  • Contact: gown + gloves
  • Droplet: mask (e.g., flu, meningitis)
  • Airborne: N95, negative-pressure room
• INR & aPTT
  • Coagulation studies used to monitor anticoagulation therapy

Page 3

• INR (International Normalized Ratio)
  • Normal: $0.8 ext{--}1.2$
  • Therapeutic (Warfarin): $2 ext{--}3$
• aPTT (activated Partial Thromboplastin Time)
  • Normal: $30 ext{--}40 ext{ seconds}$
  • Therapeutic (Heparin): $60 ext{--}80 ext{ seconds}$
• Precautions & PPE (repeat emphasis)
  • Contact Precautions: C. diff, MRSA, skin infections → PPE: gown + gloves
  • Airborne Precautions: Measles, TB, Varicella, COVID → PPE: N95 + negative-pressure room
  • Droplet Precautions: Pertussis, Influenza, Meningitis, Pneumonia, Strep → PPE: mask; gown + gloves if secretions present
• Colonization vs Infection
  • Colonization: germs present without symptoms
  • Infection: germs cause symptoms
• Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
  • Example: CAUTI (catheter-associated urinary tract infection)
  • Prevention: aseptic insertion, daily assessment of need, early removal when possible
• Direct vs Indirect Contact
  • Direct: person-to-person transmission
  • Indirect: transmission via contaminated objects
• Lines of Defense
  • First line: skin and mucous membranes
  • Second line: inflammation, fever, WBC response
  • Third line: antibodies and T-cells
• Nursing Evidence & Process
  • Nursing Process: ADPIE (Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation)
  • Evidence hierarchy: meta-analysis > randomized controlled trials (RCTs) > cohort studies > case studies > expert opinion
• QSEN & Evidence-Based Practice
  • Steps: Ask question, Collect evidence, Appraise, Apply, Evaluate
• Medical vs Surgical Asepsis
  • Medical asepsis: reducing microbes
  • Surgical asepsis: sterile technique; eliminating all microbes
• Trending
  • Definition: watching patterns in vitals/labs over time to detect changes
• Stages of Infection
  1. Incubation
  2. Prodromal
  3. Illness
  4. Decline
• Convalescence
  • Stage 5: Recovery and return to normal health

Page 4

• Informed Consent
  • Requirements: patient must understand risks, benefits, and alternatives
  • Voluntary decision; free of coercion
  • Nurse role: witness & verify patient understanding
  • Ethical implications: autonomy, capacity assessment, voluntariness, disclosure
• Clinical Judgment Process
  • Steps: Recognize cues, Analyze, Prioritize, Generate solutions, Take action, Evaluate outcomes
  • Real-world relevance: integrates assessment data, patient values, and evidence to make safe decisions
• Connections to Foundational Principles
  • Patient safety and quality improvement (e.g., teach-back to enhance understanding)
  • Ethical practice (informed consent, autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence)
  • Evidence-based practice (use of EBP steps in QSEN framework)
  • Asepsis and infection control (medical vs surgical asepsis, lines of defense, PPE)
• Practical Applications & Scenarios
  • Preparing a patient for discharge with complex medication regimens (teach-back, clear instructions)
  • Interpreting coagulation studies to adjust anticoagulant dosing
  • Implementing precautions to prevent HAIs in clinical settings
• Formulas & Key Values Summary (for quick review)
  • A1C ranges: ext{Normal} < 5.7 ext{ extpercent}; ext{Prediabetes } 5.7 ext{ extpercent} ext{–} 6.4 ext{ extpercent}; ext{Diabetes }
    geq 6.5 ext{ extpercent}
  • BUN: $7 ext{--}20 ext{ mg/dL}$
  • Creatinine: $0.6 ext{--}1.3 ext{ mg/dL}$
  • INR: Normal $0.8 ext{--}1.2$; Therapeutic $2 ext{--}3$
  • aPTT: Normal $30 ext{--}40 ext{ s}$; Therapeutic $60 ext{--}80 ext{ s}$
  • Normal Vitamin D or lipid numbers are not specified in transcript; general panel references included