Dictionary

Procedures and skills

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

Naegele ruleA way to estimate a due date: take the first day of the last normal period, count back 3 months and add 7 days.

nail bedThe skin underneath a fingernail or toenail.

nasal cannulaA thin plastic tube with two short prongs that sit in the nostrils to give oxygen.

nasogastric decompressionRemoving air and fluid from the stomach through a nasogastric tube attached to suction.

nasogastric tubeA thin, flexible tube passed through the nose and down the esophagus into the stomach.

nebulizerA machine that turns liquid drug into a fine mist that a person breathes in through a mouthpiece or mask.

needleA thin, hollow, pointed metal tube used to inject drugs or fluids into the body or to draw fluid out.

needlelessWorking without a needle, such as an IV connector that a syringe or tubing attaches to directly.

needlestickAn injury in which a needle that may have been used on someone pierces the skin.

negative pressurePressure that is lower than the pressure around it, so air or fluid is drawn in.

neurovascularHaving to do with both the nerves and the blood vessels of a body part.

neurovascular checkAn assessment of blood flow, feeling and movement in a limb below an injury, cast, splint or surgery.

newborn screeningTesting of every newborn for serious hidden conditions, using a few drops of blood from the heel plus hearing and heart checks.

noninvasiveDone without breaking the skin or putting instruments into the body.

NPONothing by mouth: an order that a client must not eat or drink anything.

nursing assessmentA nurse's organized collection of information about a client's health, needs and responses, the first step of the nursing process.