Afghanistan Nursing Exit Exam key terms

Medical asepsis covers practices that reduce the number and spread of organisms, such as hand hygiene and clean technique. Surgical asepsis, or sterile technique, keeps objects and areas free of all microorganisms during invasive procedures.

Infection-control practices applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis, including hand hygiene, gloves, and eye protection when body fluids may splash. They assume all blood and body fluids are potentially infectious.

Barrier items such as gloves, gowns, masks, and eye shields worn to prevent contact with blood, body fluids, and airborne or droplet particles. Selection depends on the task and the anticipated exposure risk.

Extra precautions used in addition to standard precautions for patients with known or suspected pathogens, grouped as contact, droplet, and airborne. Each type specifies the room, barrier protection, and transport rules required.

Measurements of temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and often oxygen saturation that reflect core body functions. Trends over time matter more than any single reading when judging a patient's condition.

Recording all fluids a patient takes in and puts out over a set period, usually 24 hours. Comparing totals helps detect dehydration, fluid overload, and impaired kidney or heart function.

Classification of localized skin and tissue damage over bony prominences from prolonged pressure, from stage 1 through stage 4, plus unstageable and deep tissue injury. Staging guides prevention and wound treatment plans.

A scored risk assessment for pressure injuries based on sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and friction or shear. Lower total scores indicate higher risk and prompt more aggressive prevention.

A numeric score calculated from routine vital signs to flag patients whose condition is deteriorating. Rising scores trigger escalating clinical review and are used to activate rapid response teams.

A group of clinicians who can be summoned to the bedside when a patient shows signs of deterioration outside the intensive care unit. The goal is to intervene before cardiac arrest or respiratory failure occurs.

The emergency call announcing a cardiac or respiratory arrest and mobilizing the resuscitation team. Staff respond by starting CPR, bringing the crash cart, and assigning clear roles during the resuscitation.

The ordered response to cardiac arrest: check safety and responsiveness, call for help, open the airway, give rescue breaths, and begin chest compressions at an adequate rate and depth with minimal interruption.

A portable device that analyzes a cardiac rhythm and delivers a shock for shockable rhythms such as ventricular fibrillation. It prompts the rescuer through each step and is used as soon as it arrives.

Sorting patients by urgency so that limited resources go first to those who will benefit most. Categories are usually assigned by a validated scale and are reassessed as conditions change.

A rapid sorting method used when casualties outnumber available rescuers, prioritizing immediate life-saving intervention and the greatest good for the most people. It differs from everyday emergency department triage priorities.

Planning and rehearsal that equip a facility and community to respond to large-scale emergencies, covering supplies, communication, evacuation, surge capacity, and staff roles. Plans are tested through drills and revised after each event.

A health system's ability to expand staff, beds, supplies, and services quickly to meet a sudden rise in demand. It is built through contingency plans, stockpiles, and agreements with partner facilities.

The linked steps required for infection to spread: infectious agent, reservoir, exit portal, mode of transmission, entry portal, and susceptible host. Breaking any one link prevents transmission.

Indirect protection of unvaccinated people that arises when a large share of a population is immune, limiting how far an outbreak can spread. The threshold needed varies by how contagious the disease is.

The system of refrigerated storage and transport that keeps vaccines within their required temperature range from manufacture to administration. Breaks in the chain can make vaccines ineffective and waste stock.

The recommended ages and intervals at which each vaccine dose should be given. Following it ensures timely protection and allows catch-up doses for children who fall behind.

The core checks before giving any drug: right patient, right medication, right dose, right route, and right time. Many facilities add documentation and reason as additional checks to reduce errors.

A drug that carries a heightened risk of serious harm when used in error, such as insulin, heparin, opioids, and concentrated electrolytes. Extra safeguards include independent double-checks and standardized labeling.

A verification in which a second qualified clinician separately calculates and confirms a dose or setting without being influenced by the first person's result. It is reserved for high-risk medications and infusions.

The relationship between a drug's toxic dose and its effective dose; a narrow index means the two are close together. Drugs with a narrow index need close monitoring of levels and effects.

Measuring blood levels of selected drugs to keep concentrations within a target range that is effective yet safe. It is used for drugs with unpredictable kinetics or narrow margins, such as some antibiotics and anticonvulsants.

An unintended and harmful response to a medicine given at a normal dose. It ranges from mild rash to organ damage and must be documented and reported through the pharmacovigilance system.

A structured comparison of all medicines a patient is taking with new prescriptions at transitions of care. It aims to catch omissions, duplications, and interactions before harm occurs.

A patient's voluntary agreement to a procedure after receiving and understanding information about its purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives. It must be obtained by a qualified clinician and documented properly.

The ethical principle that patients have the right to make their own health care decisions, including refusing treatment, based on their values. It underpins informed consent and advance care planning.

A legal document stating a person's wishes for future medical care, or naming someone to decide if the person cannot speak for themselves. It guides care near the end of life and in sudden incapacity.

A physician's written order, made with patient or family agreement, that CPR should not be attempted if the heart or breathing stops. It does not limit comfort care or other treatments.

The duty to keep patient information private and share it only with those who need it for care. Breaches can be legal and ethical violations and erode trust in the health system.

Negligence is failure to provide the care a reasonable professional would give; malpractice is professional negligence in a health care context. Both require a duty, a breach, causation, and resulting harm.

The tasks and decisions a nurse is legally and professionally permitted to perform at a given level of training. Working outside it can endanger patients and create legal liability.

Assigning a task to another team member while remaining accountable for the overall nursing care. The nurse must match the task to the person's competence and follow the rules of the setting.

An internal record of an unexpected event or near miss, such as a fall or medication error, used to improve safety. It is not placed in the patient's chart and does not replace documentation of the event itself.

Purposeful use of verbal and nonverbal techniques, such as open questions, reflection, and silence, to build trust and help patients express feelings. It avoids judgment and false reassurance.

Fully attending to a patient's words, tone, and body language and confirming understanding before responding. It is a core skill for building rapport and gathering accurate information.

Maintaining a professional, non-exploitative relationship with patients by defining acceptable behavior and limits. It protects both patient and nurse and prevents blurred roles or dependency.