Karnataka II PUC Health Care - Vocational (KSEAB) flashcards

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

Primary health centre

First-contact rural health facility in India, one per 30,000 population (20,000 in hilly or tribal areas), staffed by a medical officer and providing basic curative and preventive care.

ASHA worker

Accredited Social Health Activist: a trained female community health volunteer who links households to the public health system, promotes immunisation and escorts pregnant women for delivery.

Referral system

Organised transfer of a patient from a lower-level facility to a higher-level one when the condition exceeds local capacity, with a written note and counter-referral back after treatment.

Anatomical position

Standard reference posture: standing erect, face forward, arms at the sides, palms facing forward and feet together. Directional terms such as medial, lateral, proximal and distal are defined relative to it.

Homeostasis

The body's maintenance of a stable internal environment through feedback mechanisms, such as insulin lowering raised blood glucose or baroreceptors adjusting blood pressure.

Suffix -itis

A word ending meaning inflammation. Thus arthritis is joint inflammation, gastritis is stomach lining inflammation, and hepatitis is liver inflammation, usually with pain, swelling and heat.

Adult CPR ratio

For a single adult rescuer, deliver 30 chest compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths, compressing at least 100 to 120 times per minute to a depth of 5 to 6 cm.

Heimlich manoeuvre

Abdominal thrusts given for severe choking in a conscious adult: stand behind, place a fist above the navel, and give quick inward-upward thrusts, alternating with back blows.

Burn first aid

Cool the burn under running water for about 20 minutes, remove jewellery and clothing near the area, cover with a clean non-adherent dressing, and avoid ice, oil or toothpaste.

Pressure ulcer prevention

Reposition an immobile patient at least every two hours, keep skin clean and dry, use pressure-relieving mattresses, and inspect bony prominences such as the sacrum and heels.

Intake-output chart

A record of all fluid entering the body (oral, IV, tube feeds) and leaving it (urine, vomit, drainage, stools). Normal adult urine output is roughly 1 to 1.5 litres daily.

Fowler's position

A sitting-up position with the head of the bed raised 45 to 60 degrees and knees slightly flexed. It eases breathing, improves lung expansion and is used in breathlessness and after abdominal surgery.

Standard precautions

Infection control measures applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis: hand hygiene, gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection, safe sharps handling and safe waste disposal.

Airborne precautions

Measures for infections spread by tiny droplet nuclei, such as pulmonary tuberculosis, measles and chickenpox: N95 respirator, negative-pressure room and a closed door.

Autoclave sterilisation

Steam sterilisation at 121 degrees Celsius and 15 psi for 15 to 20 minutes. It kills all microorganisms including bacterial spores, unlike disinfection, which does not reliably kill spores.

Yellow biomedical waste bag

The colour-coded bag for human anatomical waste, soiled dressings, expired medicines and cytotoxic or chemical waste. Contents are incinerated or deep-buried, never recycled.

Sharps disposal

Used needles, blades and broken glass go directly into a puncture-proof, translucent white container without recapping or bending, and are sent for secure landfill.

Energy value of fat

Fat provides 9 kilocalories per gram, compared with 4 kcal per gram for carbohydrate and protein. This makes it the most energy-dense macronutrient in the diet.

Kwashiorkor

Protein-energy malnutrition with oedema, a swollen abdomen, moon face and fatty liver, caused by a protein-deficient diet, often after weaning onto starchy foods.

Body mass index

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Indian cut-offs classify under 18.5 as underweight, 18.5 to 22.9 normal, 23 to 24.9 overweight, and 25 or above obese.

Incidence versus prevalence

Incidence counts new cases arising in a population at risk during a period; prevalence counts all existing cases at a point or over a period, reflecting both new and old illness.

Herd immunity

Indirect protection of unvaccinated people that arises when a large enough proportion of the community is immune, interrupting chains of transmission of the infection.

Sensitivity of a test

The proportion of truly diseased people whom a screening test correctly identifies as positive: true positives divided by all diseased. A highly sensitive test produces few false negatives.

Eclampsia

Convulsions occurring in pregnancy or after delivery in a woman with hypertension and proteinuria. Magnesium sulphate is the drug of choice to control and prevent further fits.

Postpartum haemorrhage

Blood loss exceeding 500 mL after vaginal delivery or 1000 mL after caesarean section. Uterine massage, oxytocin and intravenous fluids are first-line measures.

Low birth weight

A birth weight below 2.5 kg, whether due to prematurity or growth restriction. Very low birth weight is below 1.5 kg; kangaroo mother care is used for stable small babies.

Five rights of medication

Before giving any drug, confirm the right patient, right drug, right dose, right route and right time; also document the administration and the reason if a dose is withheld.

Pharmacokinetics

How the body handles a drug: absorption, distribution, metabolism mainly in the liver, and excretion mainly by the kidney. Half-life is the time for plasma concentration to halve.

Insulin storage

Unopened insulin vials are kept at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and never frozen. A vial in use may be kept at room temperature, and an insulin syringe is used for accurate dosing.

Intradermal injection

Injection into the upper skin layers using a fine 26 to 27 gauge needle at a 10 to 15 degree angle, producing a visible wheal, as in tuberculin Mantoux testing.

EDTA blood tube

A lavender or purple vacutainer containing the anticoagulant EDTA, used for haematology tests such as haemoglobin, total white cell count and platelet count.

Ziehl-Neelsen stain

An acid-fast stain used on sputum smears to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Under NTEP, two sputum samples are examined for acid-fast bacilli.