Nursing practice

A client's weight measured every day at the same time, on the same scale, in similar clothing.

Calming a person who is upset, angry or agitated, mainly by talking, so the situation does not grow into violence.

The end of life: the irreversible stopping of circulation and breathing, or of every function of the whole brain.

A noisy, gurgling or rattling sound with breathing in the last hours or days of life.

A short team discussion at the end of an operation, before the patient leaves the room, that confirms what was done and records problems and lessons.

The person who makes a decision; in health care, the person who decides about a client's care.

A nursing diagnosis used when the heart does not pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.

Making false statements about a person that harm their good name.

The person or organization being sued in a civil case, or the person accused of a crime in a criminal case.

An unconscious mental process that protects a person from anxiety or painful feelings.

A lack or loss of something that should be there, such as a body function or an amount of fluid.

To hand a specific nursing task to another trained person while the nurse stays responsible for the client.

The person who accepts a task handed over by a nurse who delegates it.

Refusing to accept or believe a painful fact or situation, often without being aware of doing so.

A health professional who prevents, finds and treats problems of the teeth, gums and mouth.

A system of ethics that judges an act by duty and fixed moral rules rather than by its results.

Testimony given under oath before a trial, recorded by a court reporter, in which the lawyers on each side may question the witness.

A period of life, such as infancy or adolescence, with its own typical abilities, needs and tasks.

The naming of a disease or problem after the facts about a person have been gathered and studied.

A group of patients with clinically similar conditions and care, each group carrying a set payment to the hospital.

A health professional trained in food and nutrition who assesses a person's nutrition needs and plans their diet.

A hard choice between two or more options, where each one has a real drawback.

Guiding and instructing others, such as staff members, so that work gets done as planned.

A physical, mental or sensory condition that limits some of a person's activities or how they take part in daily life.

A catastrophic event that affects a large population, threatens many lives and much property and overwhelms local resources.

The release of a client from a hospital or care setting; also, fluid that flows out of a body part.

Preparing a client and family to leave a health care facility and continue care safely at the next place.

Teaching that prepares a client and family to manage care at home after leaving the hospital or facility.

Actions taken to keep a specific disease from starting, to find it early, or to limit its harm.

Conduct at work, spoken or not, that harms or intimidates others enough to put the quality of care or the patient's safety at risk.

Serious physical or emotional suffering or strain.

Do not intubate: an order that a breathing tube must not be placed, even if breathing fails.

Doctor of Nursing Practice: the highest practice-focused degree in nursing.

The Joint Commission's official list of abbreviations, symbols and dose forms that must never be used in orders or medication records.

A provider's order that CPR will not be started if the client's heart or breathing stops.

The written or electronic record of a client's care, condition and response.

Abuse by one member of a household or family against another, such as a partner, child or older relative.

Lying on the back; in surgery, another name for the supine position, and in nursing care, on the back with the knees bent and feet flat.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: the American Psychiatric Association's book of criteria for mental health diagnoses.

A legal document in which a person names someone to make decisions for them if they become unable to decide for themselves.