Gerontological Nursing Certification Examination flashcards
GERO-BC · Build recall with a focused review session.
33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Comprehensive geriatric assessment
- A multidimensional, interdisciplinary evaluation of medical, functional, cognitive, psychological, and social status that produces an individualized care plan for older adults.
- Frailty phenotype
- Fried criteria: unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, low grip strength, slow gait, and low activity; three or more criteria indicate frailty.
- Atypical disease presentation
- Older adults may present with delirium, falls, incontinence, or functional decline rather than classic symptoms such as fever or chest pain.
- Primary prevention
- Interventions that prevent disease before it occurs, such as vaccination, tobacco cessation, and physical activity promotion.
- Secondary prevention
- Early detection and treatment of disease before symptoms appear, such as cancer screening and bone density testing.
- Bone density screening
- DXA screening is recommended for women aged 65 and older and for younger postmenopausal women at increased fracture risk.
- Multimorbidity care principle
- In patients with multiple chronic conditions, prioritize goals of care and functional status over strict single-disease guideline targets.
- Individualized glycemic target
- In frail older adults with diabetes, a less stringent HbA1c target (e.g., 8.0-8.5%) reduces hypoglycemia risk and treatment burden.
- Orthostatic hypotension assessment
- Blood pressure measured supine and after standing; a drop of 20 mmHg systolic or 10 mmHg diastolic defines orthostatic hypotension.
- Polypharmacy definition
- Use of five or more medications, associated with increased risk of adverse drug events, falls, and hospitalization in older adults.
- Prescribing cascade
- When an adverse drug effect is treated with another medication instead of adjusting or stopping the offending drug.
- Anticholinergic burden
- Cumulative effect of anticholinergic drugs (e.g., diphenhydramine, oxybutynin) linked to confusion, urinary retention, and falls.
- Start low, go slow
- Initiate medications at reduced doses in older adults and titrate gradually based on response, tolerance, and renal function.
- Deprescribing
- A planned, supervised process of reducing or stopping medications when harms outweigh benefits, with monitoring for withdrawal or symptom return.
- ADLs versus IADLs
- ADLs are basic self-care tasks (bathing, dressing, toileting); IADLs are complex tasks such as finances, medications, and transportation.
- Timed Up and Go test
- A mobility test measuring time to rise, walk 3 meters, and return; 12 seconds or more suggests increased fall risk.
- Gait speed threshold
- A gait speed below 0.8 m/s indicates increased vulnerability and predicts adverse outcomes in older adults.
- Multifactorial fall assessment
- Evaluation of medications, vision, orthostatic blood pressure, gait and balance, footwear, and home hazards after a fall.
- Delirium definition
- Acute, fluctuating disturbance of attention and awareness, often triggered by illness, medications, or environment; a medical emergency.
- Confusion Assessment Method
- A tool diagnosing delirium by acute onset with fluctuation plus inattention, and either disorganized thinking or altered consciousness.
- Dementia definition
- Chronic, progressive cognitive decline affecting daily function; Alzheimer disease is the most common cause in older adults.
- Late-life depression risk
- Depression in older adults, especially men, is associated with elevated suicide risk; direct screening for suicidal ideation is required.
- Hospice eligibility
- Hospice requires a prognosis of six months or less if the disease follows its usual course, plus a focus on comfort.
- Palliative care definition
- Interdisciplinary care focused on symptom relief and quality of life for serious illness, appropriate at any stage alongside curative treatment.
- Terminal secretions management
- Anticholinergics and repositioning manage noisy breathing near death; it is generally not distressing to the patient.
- POLST or MOLST
- A portable medical order translating a patient's treatment preferences into actionable orders across care settings.
- Medication reconciliation
- A structured comparison of a patient's medication list at every transition to identify and resolve discrepancies and prevent adverse events.
- Teach-back method
- Asking patients or caregivers to restate discharge instructions in their own words to confirm understanding.
- SBAR handoff
- A communication framework: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, used to standardize interdisciplinary handoffs.
- Decision-making capacity
- A task-specific clinical determination requiring understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and expression of a choice; distinct from legal competence.
- Informed consent elements
- Disclosure of risks, benefits, and alternatives, plus the patient's voluntary agreement and capacity to decide.
- Elder mistreatment types
- Physical, emotional, sexual, and financial abuse, neglect, and self-neglect; most jurisdictions mandate clinician reporting.
- Autonomy principle
- The ethical principle that the older adult's own values and preferences guide care decisions, even when they differ from clinician recommendations.