fundamentals

Flashcard Title: Nursing Process: Assessment & Techniques

Front:
❓ What is included in the assessment phase of the nursing process?

Back:
🔹 Assessment is the systematic collection of data from the patient. It includes:
✅ Normal ranges for vital signs, lab values, and body functions.
✅ Techniques: Inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.
✅ Positions: Supine, prone, Fowler’s, lateral, and trendelenburg, each has a specific purpose depending on the patient’s condition.

🟢 Flashcard Title: IV Fluids and Their Uses

Front:
❓ What are the different types of IV fluids and their uses?

Back:
🔹 IV Fluids:
✅ Crystalloids (e.g., Normal Saline, Lactated Ringer's): Used for hydration, electrolyte replacement, and volume expansion.
✅ Colloids (e.g., Albumin, Dextran): Used for volume expansion in cases of shock or burns.
✅ Blood Products: Used for blood loss or anemia.
✅ Hypertonic Solutions: Used to treat cerebral edema or severe hyponatremia.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Infection Control & PPE

Front:
❓ What is the role of infection control and PPE in nursing practice?

Back:
🔹 Infection Control: Protects both healthcare workers and patients from the spread of pathogens.
🔹 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment):
✅ Gloves: For contact with bodily fluids.
✅ Masks: For airborne or droplet precautions.
✅ Gowns: For procedures involving blood or body fluids.
✅ Eye protection: For procedures that may cause splashing.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Interventions for Abnormal Vital Signs

Front:
❓ What interventions should be taken for abnormal vital signs?

Back:
🔹 High Blood Pressure: Monitor, notify the provider, administer antihypertensive medication as prescribed.
🔹 Low Blood Pressure: Assess for symptoms (e.g., dizziness, fainting), elevate the legs, and administer fluids.
🔹 High/Low Temperature: Administer antipyretics for fever, warm blankets for hypothermia.
🔹 High/Low Respiratory Rate: Provide oxygen, assist with breathing exercises, and notify the healthcare team if necessary.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Charting & Documentation Types

Front:
❓ What are the different types of charting and documentation, and what is their purpose?

Back:
🔹 Types of Documentation:
✅ Narrative: Provides a detailed account of the patient's status and care.
✅ SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan): Used for progress notes and follows a structured format.
✅ PIE (Problem, Intervention, Evaluation): Focuses on problem-solving.
✅ Flow Sheets: Used to track daily patient activities and vitals.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Sleep Cycle & Impact on Physiology

Front:
❓ What is the sleep cycle, and how does it impact the body?

Back:
🔹 Sleep Cycle:
✅ Stage 1: Light sleep, easy to wake.
✅ Stage 2: Deeper sleep, body starts to relax.
✅ Stage 3/4: Deep sleep, restorative.
✅ REM (Rapid Eye Movement): Dreaming, cognitive functions, and memory consolidation.
🔹 Impact on Physiology:
✅ Restores energy and promotes immune function.
✅ Regulates mood, cognitive processes, and emotional stability.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Intake & Output Documentation & Calculation

Front:
❓ How do you document and calculate intake and output (I&O)?

Back:
🔹 Documenting I&O:
✅ Intake: Includes fluids taken by mouth, IV fluids, and tube feedings.
✅ Output: Includes urine, stool, vomit, wound drainage, and sweat.
✅ Calculation: Total input should equal total output within 24 hours (in a healthy patient).
🔹 Normal Ranges: Intake should be about 2,000-3,000 mL/day, and output should match intake.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Front:
❓ What is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and how does it guide nursing care?

Back:
🔹 Maslow's Hierarchy:
✅ Physiological Needs: Basic needs (e.g., food, water, oxygen).
✅ Safety Needs: Protection from harm.
✅ Love and Belonging: Social connections.
✅ Esteem Needs: Self-esteem, respect from others.
✅ Self-Actualization: Achieving one's full potential.
🔹 Nursing Application: Prioritizes the most immediate needs for patient care.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Sentinel Events

Front:
❓ What are sentinel events and how should they be handled?

Back:
🔹 Sentinel Events: Unexpected events that result in serious injury or death (e.g., wrong-site surgery, medication errors).
🔹 Action: Report immediately, conduct an investigation, and develop strategies to prevent recurrence.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Restraints in Nursing

Front:
❓ What are the guidelines for using restraints in nursing?

Back:
🔹 Restraints: Used to ensure patient safety when necessary.
✅ Types: Physical, chemical (medication).
✅ Guidelines: Must be ordered by a physician, reassessed regularly, and used as a last resort.

🟢 Flashcard Title: First Aid, Emergency Care, & Fire Safety

Front:
❓ What are the key components of first aid, emergency care, and fire safety?

Back:
🔹 First Aid:
✅ CPR, wound care, and bleeding control.
✅ Know the emergency response number and basic interventions.
🔹 Fire Safety:
✅ RACE: Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish.
✅ PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep for using a fire extinguisher.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Medication Side Effects

Front:
❓ What are common side effects of medications, and how should they be managed?

Back:
🔹 Common Side Effects:
✅ Antibiotics: Nausea, diarrhea, allergic reactions.
✅ Pain medications (opioids): Sedation, constipation.
✅ Antidepressants: Weight gain, sexual dysfunction, insomnia.
🔹 Management: Monitor for adverse reactions and notify the healthcare provider as needed.

🟢 Flashcard Title: Pain Assessment & Intervention Theories

Front:
❓ What is pain assessment, and what are the intervention theories?

Back:
🔹 Pain Assessment:
✅ PQRST:

• P: Provocation/Palliation

• Q: Quality

• R: Region/Radiation

• S: Severity

• T: Timing
  🔹 Intervention Theories:
  ✅ Gate Control Theory: Pain can be blocked by stimulation of non-painful stimuli.
  ✅ Biopsychosocial Model: Pain is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.