key terms
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- abbreviation
- shortened term of a word or phrase
- abduction
- moving a body part away from the midline of the body
- abrasion
- partial-thickness wound caused by the scraping away or rubbing of the skin
- abuse
- intentional mistreatment or harm of another person
- accountable
- being responsible for ones actions and the actions of others who perform delegated tasks;answering questions about, and explaining ones actions and the actions of others
- acetone
- substance that appears in urine from the rapid breakdown of fat for energy;ketone body or ketone
- active physical restraints
- a restraint attached to the persons body and to a fixed(immovable) object;restricts movement or body access
- activities of daily living
- the activities usually done during a normal day in a persons life
- acute illness
- a sudden illness from which a person is expected to recover
- acute pain
- pain that is felt suddenly from injury, disease, trauma, or surgery
- adduction
- moving a body part toward the midline of the body
- admission
- offical entry of a person into an agency
- adolescence
- the time between puberty and adulthood;a time of rapid growth and physical and social maturity
- advance directive
- a document stating a persons wishes about health care when that person cannot make their own decisions
- affect
- feelings and emotions
- allergy
- a sensitivity to a substance that causes the body to react with signs and symptoms
- alopecia
- hair loss
- ambulation
- the act of walking
- am care
- routine care before breakfast;early morning care
- amputation
- the removal of all or part of an extremity
- anaphylaxis
- a life threatening sensitivity to an antigen
- anesthesia
- the loss of feeling or sensation produced by a drug
- anorexia
- loss of appetite
- anterior
- at or toward the front of the body or body part;ventral
- anxiety
- a vague, uneasy feeling in response to stress
- aphasia
- inability(a)to speak(phasia)
- apical-radial pulse
- taking the apical and radial pulses at the same time
- apnea
- the lack or absence(a)of breathing(pnea)
- arterial ulcer
- an open wound on the lower leg and feet caused by poor arterial blood flow
- artery
- a blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart
- arthritis
- joints(arthr) inflammation(itis)
- arthroplasty
- the surgical replacement(plasty) of a joint(arthro)
- asepsis
- being free of disease producing microbes
- aspiration
- breathing fluid or an object into the lungs
- assault
- intentionally attempting or threatening to touching a persons body without the persons consent
- assessment
- collecting information about the person
- assisted living facility
- provides housing, personal care, support services, health care, and social activities in a homelike setting
- atrophy
- the decreas in a size or wasting away of tissue
- base of support
- the area on which an object rests
- battery
- touching a persons body without their consent
- bedsore
- pressure ulcer, pressure sore, or decubitus ulcer
- benign tumor
- tumor that grows slowly and within a local area
- biohazardous waste
- items contaminated with blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions;bio means life and hazardous means dangerous or harmful
- Biot's respirations
- rapid and deep respirations followed by 10 to 30 seconds of apnea
- bisexual
- person who is attracted to both sexes
- blood pressure
- amount of forse exerted against the walls of an artery by the blood
- body alignment
- the way the head, trunk, arms, and legs are aligned with one another;posture
- body language
- messages sent through facial expressions, gestures, posture, hand and body movements, gait, eye contact, and appearance
- body mechanics
- using the body in an efficient and careful way
- body temperature
- amount of heat in the body that is a balance between the amount of the heat produced and the amount lost by the body
- bradycardia
- slow(brady) heart rate(cardia);less than 60 beats per minute
- bradypnea
- slow(brady)breathing(pnea);respirations are fewer than 12 per minute
- braille
- writing system that uses raised dots for each letter of the alphabet;the first 10 letters also represent 0-9
- calorie
- the amount of energy produced when the body burns food
- cancer
- malignant tumor
- capillary
- tiny blood vessel;food, oxygen, and other substances pass from the capillaries to the cells
- cardiac arrest
- heart and breathing stop suddenly and without warning
- carrier
- human or animal that is a reservoir for microbes but does not have signs and symptoms of infection
- case management
-
nursing care pattern
case manager(RN) coordinates a persons care from admission through discharge and into the home setting - catheter
- tube used to drain or inject fluid through a body opening
- catheterization
- process of inserting a catheter
- cell
- basic unit of body structure
- cerumen
- earwax
- chart
- medical record
- cheyne-stokes respirations
- respirations gradually increase in rate and depth and then become shallow and slow; breathing may stop(apnea) for 10 to 20 seconds
- chronis illness
- ongoing illness, slow or gradual in onset, for which there is no known cure;the illness can be controlled and complications prevented
- chronic pain
- pain lasting longer than 6 months;it's constant or occurs off and on
- chronic wound
- a wound that does not heal easily
- circadian rhythm
- daily rhythm based on a 24-hour cycle;the day-night cycle or body rhythm
- circulatory
- an open wound on the lower legs and feet caused by decreased blood flow through the arteries or veins;vascular ulcer
- circumcision
- surgical removal of foreskin from the penis
- civil law
- laws concerned with relationships between people
- clean-contaminated wound
- occurs from the surgical entry of the reproductive, urinary, respiratory, or gastrointestinal system
- clean technique
- medical asepsis
- clean wound
- wound that is not infected;microbes have not entered the wound
- closed fracture
- the bone is broken but the skin is intact;simple fracture
- closed wound
- tissues are injured but the skin is not broken
- colostomy
- surgically created opening(stomy)between the colon(colo) and abdominal wall
- coma
- state of being unaware of one's surroundings and being unable to react or respond to people, places, or things
- combining vowel
- vowel added between two roots or between a root and a suffix to make pronunciation easier
- comfort
- a state of well-being;person has no physical or emotional pain and is calm and at peace
- communicable disease
- disease caused by pathogens that spread easily;contagious disease
- communication
- exchange of information-message sent is received and interpreted by the intended person
- compound fracture
- open fracture
- compress
- soft pad applied over a body area
- compulsion
- repeating an act over and over again
- confidentiality
- trusting others with personal and private information
- conflict
- clash between opposing interests or ideas
- conscious
- awareness of the environment and experiences;person knows what is happening and can control thoughts and behaviors
- constipation
- passage of a hard dry stool
- constrict
- to narrow
- contagious disease
- communicable disease
- contaminated wound
- wound with a high risk of infection
- contamination
- process of becoming unclean
- contracture
- lack of joint mobility caused by abnormal shortening of the muscles
- contusion
- closed wound caused by a blow to the body;bruise
- convulsion
- seizure
- courtesy
- polite, considerate, or helpful comment or act
- crime
- an act that violates a criminal law
- criminal law
- laws concerned with offenses against the public and society in general
- culture
- characteristics of a group of people-language, values, beliefs, habits, likes, dislikes, customs-passed down from one generation to the next
- cyanosis
- bluish skin color
- Daily Reference Values
- maximum daily intake values for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, and dietary fiber
- daily value
- how a serving fits into the daily diet;expressed in a % based on a daily diet of 2000 calories
- dandruff
- excessive amount of dry, white flakes from the scalp
- deafness
- hearing loss in which it is impossible for the person to understand speech through hearing alone
- decubitus ulcer
- pressure ulcer;pressure sore, or bedsore
- defamation
- injuring a persons name and reputation by making false statements to a third person
- defecation
- process of excreting feces from the rectum through the anus;bowel movement
- defense mechanism
- unconscious reaction that blocks unpleasant or threatening feelings
- dehiscence
- seperation of wound layers
- dehydration
- excessive loss of water from tissues;decrease in the amount of water in body tissues
- delegate
- authorize another person to perform a task
- delirium
- state of temporary but acute mental confusion
- delusion
- false belief
- delusion of grandeur
- exaggerated belief about one's importance, wealth, power, or talents
- delusion of persecution
- false belief that one is being mistreated, abused, or harrassed
- dementia
- loss of cognitive and social function caused by changes in the brain
- development
- changes in mental, emotional, and social functions
- developmental disability
- disability occuring before 22 years of age
- developmental task
- skill that must be completed during a stage of development
- diarrhea
- frequent passage of liquid stools
- diastole
- period of heart muscle relaxation;period when the heart is at rest
- diastolic pressure
- pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest
- digestion
- process of physically and chemically breaking down food so it can be absorbed for use by the cells
- dilate
- expand or open wider
- diplegia
- similar body parts are affected on both sides of the body
- dirty wound
- infected wound
- disability
- lost, absent, or impaired physical, or mental function
- disaster
- sudden catastrophic event in which many people are injured and killed and property is destroyed
- discharge
- official departure of a person from an agency
- discomfort
- pain
- disinfection
- process of destroying pathogens
- distal
- part farthest from the center or from the point of attachment
- distraction
- change the persons center of attention
- dorsal
- at or toward the back of the body or body part;posterior
- dorsal recumbent position
- back-lying or supine position;supine position with the legs together;horizontal recumbent position
- dorsiflexion
- bending the toes and foot up at the ankle
- douche
- introduction of a fluid into the vagina and the immediate return of the fluid
- drawsheet
- small sheet placed over the middle of the bottom sheet;helps keep the mattress and bottom linens clean and dry;cotton drawsheet
- dysphagia
- difficulty(dys) swallowing(phagia)
- dyspnea
- difficult, labored, or painful(dys)breathing(pnea)
- dysuria
- painful or difficult(dys) urination(uria)
- early morning care
- AM care
- edema
- swelling of body tissues with water
- ego
- part of the personality dealing with reality;deals with thoughts, feelings, good sense, and problem solving
- ejaculation
- release of semen
- elective surgery
- surgery done by choice to improve the persons life or well-being
- electrical shock
- electrical current passes through the body
- embolus
- blood clot(thrombus)that travels through the vascular system until it lodges in a distant blood vessel
- emergency surgery
- surgery done immediately to save life or function
- emotional illness
- mental illness, mental disorder, psychiatric disorder
- enema
- introduction of fluid into the rectum and lower colon
- enteral nutrition
- giving nutrients through the gastrointestinal tract(enteral)
- enuresis
- urinary incontinence in bed at night
- epidermal stripping
- removing the epidermis(outer layer of skin)as tape is removed from the skin
- episiotomy
- incision(otomy) into the perineum
- erectile dysfunction
- impotence