Dictionary

Procedures and skills

The procedures nurses assist with and the skills they perform themselves.

Barlow maneuverA newborn hip exam in which the examiner brings the bent hip inward and presses gently back to feel whether it slips out of its socket.

baselineA starting measurement or the client's usual state, used to compare later findings against.

basic life supportThe first emergency care for someone whose heart or breathing has stopped or is failing: CPR, AED use and relief of choking.

bed restAn order that the client stays in bed, with any allowed activity spelled out by the provider.

biofeedbackA technique in which a person uses readings from sensors to learn to control body functions such as muscle tension or heart rate.

biopsyTaking a small sample of tissue from the body so it can be looked at under a microscope.

BiPAPBilevel positive airway pressure: breathing support through a mask that gives one pressure on breathing in and a lower one on breathing out.

bladder scanA quick bedside ultrasound that measures how much urine is in the bladder.

blood pressureThe force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, written as systolic over diastolic in mm Hg.

blood productAny part of donated blood prepared for transfusion, such as red cells, plasma or platelets.

blood transfusionGiving blood, or a part of blood, from a donor into a person's vein.

BMTBone marrow transplant: replacing damaged or destroyed bone marrow with healthy blood-forming stem cells.

body languageMessages sent without words, through posture, gestures, facial expression, eye contact and movement.

body mechanicsUsing the body in a safe, efficient way when lifting, moving and carrying, to prevent injury.

body temperatureThe degree of heat of the body, measured with a thermometer as one of the vital signs.

bolusA single amount of a drug or fluid given all at once or over a short time.

bowel resectionSurgery to remove a section of the small or large intestine.

bowel soundA gurgling or clicking sound made by gas and fluid moving through the intestines, heard with a stethoscope.

brachytherapyRadiation treatment in which a radioactive source is placed inside the body, in or right next to a tumor.

Braden ScaleA scoring tool that rates a client's risk of developing a pressure injury.

breathing exerciseA practiced way of breathing used to expand the lungs, move air better or relax.

bronchoscopyA procedure in which a thin, lighted tube with a camera is passed through the nose or mouth to look inside the airways.