Nurse Unit Vocabulary 2023
Nurse Unit Vocabulary
Activities of daily living (ADL): Daily activities necessary to meet basic human needs, for example, feeding, dressing, and elimination
Acute: Lasting a short period of time but relatively severe (for example, an acute illness)
Ambulate: To walk
Blood pressure: Measurement of the force exerted by the heart against the arterial walls when the heart contracts (beats) and relaxes
Chronic: Lasting a long period of time; reoccurring
Diagnosis: Determination of the nature of a person’s disease
Diastolic pressure: Measurement of blood pressure taken when the heart is at rest
Edema: Swelling; excess amount of fluid in the tissues
Fever: Elevated body temperature, usually above 100 degrees F
Geriatrics: The branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease in older people and the problems specific to aging.
Hypertension: high blood pressure
Hypotension: low blood pressure
Malpractice: Providing improper or unprofessional treatment or care that results in injury to another person
Pediatrics: The branch of medicine dealing with care and treatment of diseases and disorders of children
Pulse: Pressure of the blood felt against the wall of an artery as the heart contracts or beats
Pulse Oximeter: A device that measure the oxygen level in arterial blood
Respiration: The process of taking in Oxygen (inspiration) and expelling Carbon Dioxide (expiration) by way of the lungs and air passages
Sphygmomanometer: Instrument calibrated for measuring blood pressure in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)
Stethoscope: Instrument used for listening to internal body sounds
Systolic pressure: measurement of blood pressure taken when the heart is contracting and forcing blood into the arteries
Temperature: The measurement of the balance between heat lost and heat produced by the body. (97-99 degrees F is normal)
Vital signs: Measurements of the body’s most basic functions that provide information of the body conditions (Temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure)
Nurse Unit Vocabulary 2023
Nurse Unit Vocabulary
Activities of daily living (ADL): Daily activities necessary to meet basic human needs, for example, feeding, dressing, and elimination
Acute: Lasting a short period of time but relatively severe (for example, an acute illness)
Ambulate: To walk
Blood pressure: Measurement of the force exerted by the heart against the arterial walls when the heart contracts (beats) and relaxes
Chronic: Lasting a long period of time; reoccurring
Diagnosis: Determination of the nature of a person’s disease
Diastolic pressure: Measurement of blood pressure taken when the heart is at rest
Edema: Swelling; excess amount of fluid in the tissues
Fever: Elevated body temperature, usually above 100 degrees F
Geriatrics: The branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease in older people and the problems specific to aging.
Hypertension: high blood pressure
Hypotension: low blood pressure
Malpractice: Providing improper or unprofessional treatment or care that results in injury to another person
Pediatrics: The branch of medicine dealing with care and treatment of diseases and disorders of children
Pulse: Pressure of the blood felt against the wall of an artery as the heart contracts or beats
Pulse Oximeter: A device that measure the oxygen level in arterial blood
Respiration: The process of taking in Oxygen (inspiration) and expelling Carbon Dioxide (expiration) by way of the lungs and air passages
Sphygmomanometer: Instrument calibrated for measuring blood pressure in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)
Stethoscope: Instrument used for listening to internal body sounds
Systolic pressure: measurement of blood pressure taken when the heart is contracting and forcing blood into the arteries
Temperature: The measurement of the balance between heat lost and heat produced by the body. (97-99 degrees F is normal)
Vital signs: Measurements of the body’s most basic functions that provide information of the body conditions (Temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure)