CSET Health Science flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Definition of health (WHO)

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This definition broadens health beyond biology to include social and psychological dimensions.

Primary prevention

Measures taken before disease develops to prevent its onset, such as immunization, seat-belt laws, fluoridated water, and smoking prevention education. It reduces incidence rather than detecting existing disease.

Secondary prevention

Early detection and prompt treatment of disease while it is still asymptomatic, such as mammography, colonoscopy, or blood pressure screening. Its goal is to improve prognosis by catching disease early.

Tertiary prevention

Rehabilitation and management after disease has caused damage, aimed at limiting disability and restoring function. Examples include physical therapy after stroke and cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Epidemiologic triad

A model stating that disease results from interaction among an agent, a host, and the environment. Removing or altering any one component can interrupt disease occurrence.

Incidence vs. prevalence

Incidence is the number of new cases in a population over a period; prevalence is all existing cases at a point in time. Incidence measures risk; prevalence measures total disease burden.

Chain of infection links

Six sequential links: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Infection control breaks any link, such as hand hygiene interrupting transmission.

Standard precautions

Infection-control practices applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis: hand hygiene, gloves, gown, mask, eye protection, and safe handling of sharps and contaminated equipment.

Health Belief Model

A behavior-change model holding that action depends on perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy.

Transtheoretical model stages

Five stages of behavior change: precontemplation (no intention), contemplation (considering), preparation (planning), action (recent change), and maintenance (sustained change). Relapse can return a person to earlier stages.

Social Cognitive Theory

A model in which behavior is determined by reciprocal interaction of personal factors, behavior, and environment. Self-efficacy and observational learning are central constructs.

Sensitivity

The proportion of people who truly have a condition and test positive: true positives divided by true positives plus false negatives. High sensitivity means few false negatives.

Specificity

The proportion of people without a condition who test negative: true negatives divided by true negatives plus false positives. High specificity means few false positives.

Positive predictive value

The probability that a person with a positive test truly has the condition: true positives divided by all positives. It rises as disease prevalence in the tested population rises.

Active vs. passive immunity

Active immunity follows antigen exposure through vaccination or infection and produces memory cells. Passive immunity is transferred antibody, such as maternal or immunoglobulin, and is temporary.

Wilson–Jungner screening criteria

Criteria for justified screening: the condition is important, has a detectable early stage, an acceptable test exists, and early treatment improves outcome. The test must also be cost-effective.

Social determinants of health

Conditions where people are born, grow, work, live, and age, including income, education, housing, food security, and social support. They strongly shape health outcomes and access to care.

Health disparity vs. inequity

A disparity is any difference in health status between groups; an inequity is a difference judged unfair and avoidable because it stems from social disadvantage.

Epidemiologic transition

The shift in a population from high mortality dominated by infectious disease to lower mortality dominated by chronic, degenerative disease as economic development and sanitation improve.

Cultural competence

The ability to recognize and respect a patient's cultural beliefs, language, and decision-making norms, and to negotiate a care plan consistent with them. It improves communication and adherence.

Premium, deductible, copayment

A premium is the payment for insurance coverage; a deductible is the amount paid before coverage begins; a copayment is a fixed fee per service. Coinsurance is a percentage share of cost.

Medicare vs. Medicaid

Medicare is a federal program for people 65 and older and certain disabled individuals. Medicaid is income-based, jointly funded by federal and state governments, and covers low-income people.

Four ethical principles

Autonomy respects patient choice, beneficence promotes good, nonmaleficence avoids harm, and justice requires fair distribution of benefits and burdens. Veracity adds truthfulness.

Informed consent elements

Valid informed consent requires patient capacity, disclosure of risks, benefits, and alternatives, patient comprehension, and voluntariness. Consent may be withdrawn at any time.

Anatomy vs. physiology

Anatomy studies the structure of body parts; physiology studies how those parts function. Both are organized from cell to tissue to organ to organ system to organism.

Negative feedback

A homeostatic mechanism in which the body's response opposes the initial change, returning a variable toward its set point. Examples include thermoregulation and blood glucose regulation.

Positive feedback

A homeostatic mechanism in which the response amplifies the initial change rather than reversing it. Examples include uterine contractions during childbirth and the blood-clotting cascade.

Adult vital sign ranges

Typical adult values: temperature 36.5–37.5 °C (97.7–99.5 °F), pulse 60–100 beats/min, respirations 12–20/min, blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg.

Body planes

The sagittal plane divides the body into left and right; the frontal (coronal) plane divides anterior and posterior; the transverse plane divides superior and inferior portions.

Directional terms

Proximal means nearer the trunk and distal farther away; medial toward midline and lateral away; superior above and inferior below; anterior front and posterior back.

Body mass index formula

BMI equals weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Categories are normal 18.5–24.9, overweight 25–29.9, and obese 30 and above.

SOAP note format

A documentation structure: Subjective (patient's reported symptoms), Objective (measurable findings), Assessment (clinical interpretation), and Plan (tests, treatment, and follow-up).