Haryana BSEH Secondary NSQF Healthcare key terms

The organised network of services, facilities and workers that provides health care to a population, ranging from village-level primary care to district hospitals and specialist referral centres.

A first-contact health facility, usually serving a defined rural population, offering basic curative care, maternal and child services, immunisation and referral to higher levels.

The process of directing a patient to a higher-level or more specialised facility when the condition needs skills, equipment or expertise not available at the current level of care.

The standard reference stance in which a person stands upright, faces forward, arms hang at the sides with palms facing forward, and feet are together and flat.

An imaginary flat surface used to describe body sections: sagittal divides left and right, coronal divides front and back, and transverse divides upper and lower portions.

Situated nearer to the point where a limb attaches to the trunk, or nearer to the origin of a structure; the opposite of distal.

The body's ability to keep internal conditions such as temperature, fluid balance, blood glucose and pH within narrow limits despite changes in the surroundings.

A control mechanism in which the body senses a change and responds in the opposite direction to bring the value back towards its normal set point.

One complete sequence of heart filling and emptying, from the start of one heartbeat to the start of the next, producing the pulse felt at arteries.

A tiny air sac at the end of the bronchial tree where oxygen passes into the blood and carbon dioxide passes out, surrounded by a thin capillary network.

The microscopic functional unit of the kidney that filters blood plasma and adjusts water and salt reabsorption to form urine.

An infection a patient acquires while receiving care in a health facility, which was not present or incubating at the time of admission.

Routine infection-control measures applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis, including hand hygiene, gloves, gowns, masks, safe sharps handling and safe waste disposal.

Cleaning hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based rub at the correct moments, such as before patient contact and after body-fluid exposure, to break the chain of infection.

Barrier items such as gloves, gown, apron, mask, eye protection and footwear worn to protect the worker and the patient from contact with infectious material.

Any waste generated during diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of humans or animals that may be infectious, sharps-contaminated, chemical or otherwise hazardous and needs segregated disposal.

Sorting waste at the point of generation into containers identified by colour and label, so each category follows its own safe collection, treatment and disposal route.

A puncture-resistant, leak-proof, labelled box used to collect used needles, blades and broken glass so that staff and waste handlers are not injured.

An accidental piercing of the skin by a used needle or other sharp, which requires immediate washing, reporting and assessment for post-exposure prophylaxis.

Short-course medication or vaccination started after a possible exposure to a pathogen, such as HIV or hepatitis B, to reduce the chance of infection taking hold.

Localised damage to skin and underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, caused by prolonged pressure or pressure combined with shear and friction.

Planned repositioning, skin inspection, cleanliness, support surfaces and nutrition aimed at preventing pressure injuries in people who are immobile or bed-bound.

A scored risk assessment covering sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition and friction/shear, used to identify patients who need extra pressure-injury prevention.

Planned movement of each joint through its normal arc, done actively by the patient or passively by the carer, to keep joints mobile and muscles from stiffening.

A record of all fluid a patient drinks or receives and all fluid lost through urine, vomit, drainage or stool, used to judge hydration and kidney function.

The state in which fluid taken in equals fluid lost, so that the body's water and electrolyte levels stay within the range needed for normal cell function.

The core measurements of body function: temperature, pulse, respiration rate, blood pressure and, where relevant, oxygen saturation, recorded to detect change early.

The rhythmic expansion of an artery felt with the fingertips each time the heart contracts, counted for rate, rhythm, volume and regularity.

The force exerted by circulating blood against artery walls, recorded as systolic pressure over diastolic pressure in millimetres of mercury.

The number of complete breaths taken in one minute, usually counted by watching chest rise and fall without telling the patient, since awareness alters breathing.

The percentage of haemoglobin in arterial blood that is carrying oxygen, commonly estimated with a pulse oximeter clipped to the finger.

Rapid sorting of patients by how urgent their condition is, so that limited staff and resources go first to those who will deteriorate or die without immediate help.

Chest compressions, with rescue breaths if trained and willing, delivered to a person who is unresponsive and not breathing normally, to keep blood and oxygen moving.

A portable device that analyses heart rhythm and delivers a controlled shock to a person in cardiac arrest, with voice prompts guiding the rescuer.

Blockage of the airway by a foreign object, which may be mild with effective cough or severe with silent inability to breathe, needing back blows and abdominal thrusts.

A daily food pattern supplying energy and all essential nutrients in the right proportions, built mainly from cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruit, milk and limited fat and sugar.

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, used as a simple screen to classify underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity in adults.

A condition in which haemoglobin or red cell count is below normal, causing tiredness, pallor and breathlessness, often from iron deficiency in this population.

Persistently raised arterial blood pressure above the accepted threshold, often without symptoms, which increases the risk of stroke, heart and kidney disease.

The system of Greek and Latin prefixes, roots and suffixes used to build precise clinical words, allowing staff to describe body parts, conditions and procedures accurately.

A structured progress note recording Subjective complaints, Objective findings, Assessment or interpretation, and Plan, giving a consistent order for clinical information.

The duty to keep a patient's personal and health information private, sharing it only with those who need it for care and with the patient's permission.

A patient's voluntary agreement to a test or treatment after receiving understandable information about its purpose, benefits, risks and alternatives, given without pressure.

The set of tasks and decisions a health worker is trained, authorised and permitted to perform, beyond which the patient must be handed to a more qualified colleague.

Adjusting the work environment, equipment and body mechanics to fit the worker, reducing strain and injury during tasks such as lifting, transferring and standing for long periods.

Using correct posture, assistive equipment and teamwork to move or lift a patient, protecting both the patient from falls and the worker from back injury.

Supervised learning that happens in a real workplace, where a trainee performs tasks under guidance and is assessed against workplace standards and safety rules.