Dictionary

Nursing practice

Delegation, prioritization, scope of practice and the working words of the profession.

EDAn abbreviation that most often means emergency department; it can also mean erectile dysfunction.

elder abuseHarm or neglect of an older adult by someone they should be able to trust, such as a family member or caregiver.

electronic health recordA digital version of a client's medical record that the care team can read and update on a computer.

elopementWhen a client who cannot keep themselves safe leaves a care facility without staff knowing.

emergency response planA facility's written plan for what each person does in a disaster or emergency.

EMTALAEmergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act: a 1986 US law requiring emergency departments to screen and stabilize anyone who comes in.

end-of-life careThe care given to a person and their family in the last days, weeks or months of life.

endemicDescribing a disease that is always present at a steady, expected level in a certain area or group.

entrapmentBeing caught or trapped, such as a body part caught in a bed's side rails or a nerve squeezed by nearby tissue.

epidemicA rise in cases of a disease in a community or region well above what is normally expected.

epidemiologyThe study of how often diseases happen in groups of people, who gets them, and why.

ethicalHaving to do with what is morally right, or acting in line with accepted moral principles.

ethical dilemmaA situation in which a person must choose between two or more actions that each have moral reasons for and against them.

ethicsThe study of right and wrong, and the principles that guide good conduct and decisions.

ethics committeeA group in a health care facility that helps staff, clients and families work through difficult moral questions about care.

evaluateTo judge whether care worked by comparing the client's results with the goals that were set.

evaluate outcomesTo compare how the client is actually doing with the expected results, to see whether the care given worked.

evidence-based practiceCare that combines the best research findings with clinical experience and the client's own wishes.

expected findingAn assessment result that is normal, or that is anticipated for the client's age, condition or treatment.

expected outcomeA specific, measurable result the nurse and client aim for, used to judge whether care is working.