Karnataka II PUC Health Care - Vocational (KSEAB) key terms

A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, as defined by the World Health Organization in 1948.

The first point of contact between the community and the health system in rural India, staffed by a medical officer and supporting staff, covering about 20,000 to 30,000 people.

The most peripheral health facility in the Indian public health system, serving roughly 3,000 to 5,000 people and staffed mainly by an ANM and a male health worker.

An organised arrangement in which a patient is sent from a lower-level facility to a higher-level one for services that cannot be provided locally, with information flowing back after care.

Specialised, highly technical care such as cardiac surgery, neurosurgery or intensive care, usually delivered at district hospitals, medical colleges and super-specialty institutions.

Curative services for conditions that cannot be handled at the first-contact level, typically provided by specialists at district hospitals and community health centres.

The standard reference posture in which a person stands erect, faces forward, arms hang at the sides with palms facing forward, and feet are flat and slightly apart.

An imaginary flat surface used to describe body sections, such as the sagittal, coronal (frontal) and transverse (horizontal) planes used in imaging and dissection.

Situated closer to the point of attachment of a limb or to the centre of the body; the elbow is proximal to the wrist.

Situated farther from the point of attachment of a limb or from the centre of the body; the fingers are distal to the wrist.

Toward the head or upper part of the body; the heart is superior to the diaphragm. In radiology the same relationship may be called cranial or cephalad.

Toward the feet or lower part of the body; the stomach is inferior to the lungs. The term caudal is sometimes used for the same direction.

The body's tendency to keep internal conditions such as temperature, pH, blood glucose and fluid volume within narrow limits through feedback mechanisms.

The core measurements of body function: temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure and, in many settings, oxygen saturation and pain score.

A non-invasive method of estimating arterial oxygen saturation by passing red and infrared light through a translucent body part such as a fingertip.

The process of quickly sorting patients by the urgency of their condition so that limited staff and resources are directed first to those who need them most.

The period immediately after a serious injury or sudden illness during which prompt assessment and treatment most improve the chance of survival and recovery.

Immediate, temporary care given to an injured or suddenly ill person before professional medical help arrives, aimed at preserving life and preventing worsening.

A sequence of chest compressions and rescue breaths used to maintain circulation and breathing in a person who is unresponsive and not breathing normally.

A safe side-lying posture for an unconscious but breathing person that keeps the airway open and lets fluids drain from the mouth.

Practices that reduce the number and spread of microorganisms, such as hand hygiene, clean gloves and disinfection of surfaces; also called clean technique.

Practices that keep an area completely free of all microorganisms, including spores, using sterile gloves, gowns, drapes and sterilised instruments; also called sterile technique.

Cleaning the hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based rub at the correct moments, the single most effective measure for preventing health-care-associated infection.

Minimum infection-control measures applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis, including hand hygiene, gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection and safe sharps handling.

Barrier items worn by health workers to prevent exposure to infectious agents, such as gloves, gowns, masks, goggles, face shields and, in some settings, respirators.

An infection acquired by a patient during a hospital stay that was not present or incubating at the time of admission; also called a health-care-associated infection.

A process that destroys or removes all forms of microbial life, including bacterial spores, from an object or surface, usually by autoclaving, dry heat or chemical means.

The use of chemical or physical agents to reduce or eliminate most pathogenic microorganisms on inanimate objects, though not necessarily bacterial spores.

Any waste generated during diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of humans or animals, including used sharps, soiled dressings, blood bags and discarded medicines.

The biomedical waste stream for human anatomical waste, soiled dressings, expired medicines, and discarded blood and body fluids, requiring incineration or deep burial.

The biomedical waste stream for contaminated recyclable items such as tubing, catheters, intravenous sets and gloves, which are disinfected and sent for recycling.

A puncture-resistant, leak-proof box with a lid and biohazard label used to collect used needles, blades and broken glass so that handlers are not injured.

Accidental piercing of the skin by a used needle or other sharp, carrying risk of bloodborne infection and requiring immediate washing, reporting and post-exposure assessment.

A diet supplying all nutrients in the proportions needed for health, built mainly from cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, milk and moderate amounts of fat and sugar.

A nutrient required by the body in large amounts and used for energy or structure: carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

A vitamin or mineral needed by the body in small quantities for normal growth, metabolism and immunity, such as iron, iodine, vitamin A and vitamin C.

Weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres, used to screen adults as underweight, normal, overweight or obese.

The process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health, through health education, supportive environments and public policy, as set out in the Ottawa Charter.

The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states in populations, and the application of that knowledge to control health problems.

The number of new cases of a disease arising in a defined population during a specified period, divided by the population at risk.

The total number of existing cases of a disease in a defined population at a given point in time or over a period, expressed as a proportion.

Indirect protection of unvaccinated individuals that arises when a sufficiently large proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease.

The regular health supervision of a pregnant woman, including check-ups, weight and blood pressure monitoring, iron-folic acid supplements and tetanus immunisation.

Feeding an infant only breast milk, with no water, formula or other foods, for the first six months of life, followed by complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding.

The thick yellowish first milk produced in the days after delivery, rich in antibodies and protein, and the ideal first food for a newborn.

The timed plan of vaccines given from birth onward, such as BCG, hepatitis B, oral polio, pentavalent and measles-rubella doses under India's universal immunisation programme.

A female health worker at the sub-centre level trained to provide maternal and child health services, immunisation, family planning advice and basic nursing care.

The branch of science that studies drugs, including their sources, actions on the body, uses, side effects and how the body handles them.

The study of what the body does to a drug over time, described through absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion.

A condition or circumstance in which a particular drug or procedure should not be used because it is likely to cause harm.

An unwanted or harmful effect that occurs after a drug is given at normal doses, ranging from mild rash to life-threatening anaphylaxis.

A ratio comparing the dose of a drug that produces toxic effects with the dose that produces the desired effect; a narrow index requires close monitoring.

An injection given into the top layer of the skin, usually on the inner forearm, using a fine needle at a shallow angle; used for tuberculin and some allergy tests.

An injection delivered into muscle tissue, commonly at the deltoid, ventrogluteal or vastus lateralis site, for faster absorption than subcutaneous routes.

An infection-control approach that treats all blood and certain body fluids as potentially infectious, so protective barriers are used with every patient.

A pressure vessel that sterilises equipment using saturated steam under pressure, usually at 121 degrees Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes.

The concentration of glucose in blood after at least eight hours without food, used to screen for and diagnose diabetes mellitus.

The iron-containing protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen; its concentration is measured to detect anaemia, especially in women and children.

The standardised obtaining, labelling and transport of blood, urine, stool or swabs for laboratory testing, with correct containers and patient identification.

A control mechanism in which the body's response reduces the original stimulus, helping to hold a variable such as temperature or blood sugar near its set point.