Egypt Nursing Licensure Exam key terms

The set of practices that keep pathogens away from a patient or a sterile field. Medical asepsis reduces organism transfer through hand hygiene and clean technique, while surgical asepsis keeps objects completely free of microorganisms.

Infection control measures applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis. They include hand hygiene, gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection when splash is likely, safe sharps handling, and safe waste disposal.

An infection a patient acquires during care in a health facility that was not present or incubating on admission. Urinary catheter use, ventilator support, surgical wounds, and bloodstream lines are common sources.

Accidental penetration of skin by a used needle or sharp. Immediate steps are washing the site with soap and water, reporting at once, and post-exposure assessment for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV prophylaxis.

Short-course medication or vaccination given after occupational or other exposure to reduce the chance of infection. HIV prophylaxis should start as soon as possible, ideally within hours, and hepatitis B immunoglobulin plus vaccine is used for non-immune staff.

Barrier items worn to block contact with blood, body fluids, and airborne particles. Gloves, gown, mask, goggles or face shield, and respirator are selected by the task and by whether transmission is contact, droplet, or airborne.

Isolation measures for pathogens spread by tiny dried particles that travel far on air currents, such as tuberculosis, measles, and varicella. They require a negative-pressure room and a fit-tested N95 or equivalent respirator before entry.

Measured indicators of body function: temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and often oxygen saturation and pain. Nurses record them to detect deterioration, guide treatment, and establish a baseline on admission.

A noninvasive method of estimating arterial oxygen saturation by passing light through a fingertip or earlobe. Readings fall falsely with poor perfusion, cold skin, nail polish, or motion, so the probe site and waveform must be checked.

A fall in blood pressure when a person moves from lying to sitting or standing, usually defined as a drop of at least 20 mmHg systolic or 10 mmHg diastolic. It causes dizziness and falls, especially after bed rest or with dehydration.

Actions that reduce a patient's risk of falling, such as bed in low position, brakes locked, call bell within reach, nonslip footwear, adequate lighting, and assisted toileting. Patients on sedatives or with orthostatic hypotension need closer supervision.

Localized damage to skin and underlying tissue over a bony prominence from sustained pressure, often with shear or friction. Staging describes depth from nonblanchable redness to full-thickness loss, and prevention centers on repositioning and pressure relief.

A scored risk assessment for pressure injury using six items: sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and friction or shear. Lower total scores mean higher risk and trigger a documented prevention plan.

Recording of all fluids a patient takes in and puts out over a set period, usually 24 hours. Accurate measurement detects dehydration, fluid overload, and renal problems, and includes intravenous fluids, urine, vomit, and drainage.

Excess body fluid causing weight gain, swelling, raised jugular venous pressure, breathlessness, and crackles in the lungs. It is common with heart failure or rapid intravenous infusion and is treated with diuretics, fluid restriction, and upright positioning.

Insertion of a tube through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine. It is done with sterile technique, and the balloon is inflated only after urine flows, because the most common serious risk is catheter-associated urinary infection.

A five-step framework for nursing care: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. It is cyclic and individualized, and each phase produces documented information that guides the next.

A clinical judgment about a patient's actual or potential health problem that nurses are licensed to treat independently. It is written as a problem statement with a related factor and defining characteristics, unlike a medical diagnosis.

A written, individualized plan of goals and nursing interventions derived from assessment and diagnosis. It is updated as the patient's condition changes and guides handover and continuity of care.

A patient's voluntary agreement to a procedure after receiving and understanding information about its nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives. The nurse verifies understanding and witnesses the signature but does not obtain consent for the physician.

The right of a competent patient to make decisions about their own care, including refusing treatment. Nurses respect it by giving information, supporting choice, and not overriding a capable patient's decision.

A written statement made while a person is capable, setting out future treatment wishes or naming a substitute decision-maker. It guides care when the patient can no longer speak for themselves.

A physician's order, made with patient or family agreement, that cardiopulmonary resuscitation should not be attempted if breathing or circulation stops. It does not cancel other comfort care or treatment.

The duty to protect patient health information from disclosure to people who do not need it for care. It covers records, conversations, and screens, and breaches can lead to disciplinary action or legal liability.

The tasks and decisions a nurse is legally permitted to perform at a given level of licensure. Working outside it exposes the nurse to discipline, and delegated tasks must stay within the delegate's training and the law.

Transferring a specific task to another worker who has the training to do it, while the nurse keeps accountability for the decision and outcome. Assessment, teaching, and judgment are not delegated to unlicensed staff.

Failure to give the care a reasonably prudent nurse would give in similar circumstances, resulting in harm. Proving it requires duty, breach, causation, and damages, and documentation is central to the defense.

Safety checks before giving any drug: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time, and right documentation. Many services add right reason and right to refuse, and two identifiers are used to confirm the patient.

A drug that carries a heightened risk of serious harm when used wrongly, such as insulin, heparin, opioids, and concentrated electrolytes. Independent double checks, standardized concentrations, and clear labeling are required safeguards.

Any preventable event that causes or could cause inappropriate medication use or patient harm. Reporting through the facility system is nonpunitive and is used to find system failures rather than to blame individuals.

A severe, rapidly progressing allergic reaction with airway swelling, bronchospasm, falling blood pressure, and rash. First-line treatment is intramuscular epinephrine given immediately, followed by oxygen, fluids, and airway support.

Abnormally low oxygen content in arterial blood, shown by low oxygen saturation or low arterial oxygen pressure. Signs include restlessness, confusion, cyanosis, and rising respiratory effort, and treatment depends on the cause.

Sorting patients by the urgency of their condition so that limited resources go first to those who will benefit most. Categories range from immediate life threat to minor problems, and reassessment is repeated as conditions change.

The rapid first assessment of a critically ill or injured patient, following airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure. Life-threatening problems found at each step are treated before moving on.

A pregnancy disorder after 20 weeks marked by new hypertension plus proteinuria or organ dysfunction such as headache, visual change, or raised liver enzymes. It can progress to seizures and requires close monitoring and often delivery.

New-onset seizures or coma in a pregnant patient with preeclampsia that are not explained by another cause. Management includes magnesium sulfate, blood pressure control, airway protection, and planning delivery.

Harmful accumulation of magnesium given to prevent or treat eclamptic seizures. Early signs are loss of deep tendon reflexes, then respiratory depression and cardiac arrest; monitoring reflexes, respirations, and urine output and having calcium gluconate ready are essential.

Heavy bleeding after birth, commonly defined as more than 500 mL after vaginal birth or 1000 mL after cesarean, or any bleeding causing instability. Uterine atony is the leading cause, and management includes uterine massage and uterotonics.

A rapid newborn assessment at one and five minutes after birth scoring heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex response, and color from 0 to 2 each. It describes condition and response to resuscitation, not long-term outcome.

Keeping a newborn warm because infants lose heat quickly and cannot shiver effectively. Cold stress raises oxygen use and can cause hypoglycemia, so drying, skin-to-skin contact, hats, and warm resuscitation surfaces are used.

Yellowing of a newborn's skin and eyes from raised bilirubin. It is common in the first week, but early onset, rapid rise, or high levels risk brain damage and need phototherapy and close monitoring.

Purposeful use of words and behavior to build trust and help a patient express feelings, using open questions, reflection, silence, and clarification. It avoids false reassurance, arguing, and giving advice.

Structured questioning to identify suicidal thoughts, plans, means, intent, and protective factors. High risk with a specific plan or access to means requires immediate safety measures, close observation, and referral.

Physical or chemical limitation of a patient's movement used only when less restrictive measures fail and there is immediate danger. It requires a physician's order, time limits, frequent monitoring, and release of the restraint at intervals.

A bacterial infection spread by airborne droplets, most often affecting the lungs. Diagnosis uses sputum testing and chest imaging, treatment is a multi-drug course taken consistently, and directly observed therapy supports adherence.

Indirect protection of a population when enough people are immune that chains of transmission break and unvaccinated individuals are less likely to be exposed. The proportion needed varies by how contagious the disease is.

The system that keeps vaccines within their required temperature range from manufacture to injection. Breaks in it reduce potency, so temperature logs, proper refrigerators, and correct handling of suspect vials are essential.

A syndrome in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs, causing breathlessness, fatigue, swelling, and fluid retention. Nursing care includes daily weight, fluid balance, medication teaching, and early detection of decompensation.