PGIMER Nursing Officer key terms

Practices that keep pathogens away from a patient or a sterile field. Medical asepsis reduces organism transfer through hand hygiene and clean technique; surgical asepsis keeps objects and areas completely free of microorganisms.

A designated work area treated as free of all microorganisms. Only sterile items may touch it, and any contact with unsterile objects, moisture strike-through, or reaching over it contaminates the field and requires replacement.

Infection-control measures applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis. They include hand hygiene, gloves, gown, mask and eye protection based on anticipated exposure to blood, body fluids, secretions, non-intact skin and mucous membranes.

An infection acquired during care in a hospital or other health facility that was not present or incubating at admission. Common sites include urinary catheter, surgical wound, bloodstream and ventilator-associated lung infection.

A pressure steam sterilizer that destroys all microorganisms, including bacterial spores, using saturated steam under pressure at defined temperature and time. Effectiveness is monitored with biological indicators such as Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores.

The measured indicators of body function: temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure and often oxygen saturation and pain. They are recorded as baseline, compared over time, and reported promptly when outside expected ranges.

The difference between the apical heart rate and the radial pulse rate counted simultaneously for a full minute. It occurs in atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias when some beats are too weak to produce a peripheral pulse.

A fall in blood pressure on moving from lying to sitting or standing, commonly defined as a drop of at least 20 mmHg systolic or 10 mmHg diastolic. It causes dizziness and raises fall risk.

Recording all fluids taken in by mouth, tube or vein and all fluids lost through urine, vomit, stool, drainage or insensible loss. Accurate totals guide fluid replacement and reveal retention or dehydration.

The relationship between fluid gained and fluid lost by the body. Positive balance means intake exceeds output and may signal overload; negative balance means output exceeds intake and may signal dehydration or excessive loss.

Passing less than about 400 mL of urine in 24 hours in an adult. It may reflect dehydration, poor kidney perfusion, acute kidney injury or urinary obstruction, and requires prompt assessment and reporting.

Localised damage to skin and underlying tissue caused by sustained pressure, often combined with shear and friction, usually over a bony prominence. Staging depends on depth of tissue loss, and prevention uses repositioning and pressure-relieving surfaces.

A six-item tool scoring sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition and friction or shear to estimate pressure injury risk. Lower total scores indicate higher risk and guide selection of preventive measures.

Deliberately placing and supporting a patient's body to maintain airway, comfort, alignment and tissue perfusion. Regular turning of immobile patients relieves pressure and helps prevent skin breakdown and lung stasis.

Systematic evaluation of pain using the patient's self-report, location, quality, timing, intensity and aggravating factors. Validated scales such as numeric rating or faces scales are chosen to suit the patient's age and ability to communicate.

Administration of medicines by injection or infusion rather than through the digestive tract, including subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous and intradermal routes. Each route has different absorption speed, volume limits and needle requirements.

A safety check before giving any medicine: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route and right time. Many services add right documentation, reason and patient refusal as further safeguards against error.

A harmful or unintended response to a medicine given at normal doses. It ranges from predictable side effects to allergic reactions and organ toxicity, and must be documented and reported.

A severe, rapidly developing systemic allergic reaction with airway swelling, bronchospasm, falling blood pressure and skin changes. It is a medical emergency treated first with intramuscular adrenaline and airway support.

Delivering fluids, electrolytes, nutrients or medicines directly into a vein. Nurses monitor flow rate, insertion site for phlebitis or infiltration, and signs of fluid overload or infection.

The six-week period after childbirth during which the reproductive organs return towards the non-pregnant state. Care focuses on involution, lochia, breastfeeding, perineal healing and detection of haemorrhage or infection.

Vaginal discharge after birth made of blood, decidua and mucus. It is red for the first few days, then brownish and finally yellowish white; foul odour or sudden return of bright red bleeding is abnormal.

Excessive bleeding after childbirth, commonly defined as blood loss of 500 mL or more after vaginal birth or 1000 mL or more after caesarean. Uterine atony is the leading cause, and uterine massage plus uterotonics are first-line actions.

A graphic record of labour progress plotted against time, showing cervical dilatation, fetal head descent, uterine contractions and maternal and fetal condition. It helps detect slow progress and supports timely referral.

Observing the fetal heart rate for rate, variability and response to contractions. A normal baseline is about 110 to 160 beats per minute; persistent slowing or loss of variability suggests fetal compromise and needs urgent review.

Feeding an infant only breast milk, with no water, formula or other food, for the first six months of life. It provides balanced nutrition, immune factors and reduces diarrhoeal and respiratory illness.

The thick yellowish first milk produced in late pregnancy and the first days after birth. It is rich in antibodies, especially secretory immunoglobulin A, and acts as the infant's first natural immunisation.

A plotted graph of weight, length or head circumference against age, used to track a child's growth over time. Crossing percentile lines downward may indicate undernutrition or illness and warrants assessment.

Deficiency of protein and energy causing wasting, stunting or oedema in children. Marasmus shows severe wasting, while kwashiorkor shows oedema, skin changes and an enlarged fatty liver.

The planned timing of vaccines given from birth onwards according to national policy. It includes birth doses, primary series in infancy, and boosters, and depends on cold-chain maintenance for potency.

The system of refrigerated storage and transport that keeps vaccines within their required temperature range from manufacture to use. Breaks in the chain reduce potency and can make a vaccine useless.

Indirect protection of unvaccinated people when a sufficiently large proportion of a population is immune, reducing transmission. The threshold varies with how contagious the disease is.

Purposeful verbal and non-verbal interaction that supports a patient's expression of feelings and helps them understand their situation. Techniques include open questions, reflection, silence and clarification, avoiding false reassurance.

A structured assessment of appearance, behaviour, mood and affect, speech, thought process and content, perception, cognition and insight. It provides a baseline and helps detect delirium, psychosis or suicide risk.

The professional limits of the nurse-patient relationship that keep the relationship focused on the patient's needs. Crossing them, for example through gifts, personal disclosure or dual relationships, risks harm and exploitation.

A patient's voluntary agreement to a procedure after receiving and understanding information about its nature, benefits, risks and alternatives. It protects autonomy and is legally required before most invasive procedures.

The professional duty not to disclose patient information to unauthorised people without consent or legal justification. It supports trust and is central to nursing ethics and record-keeping practice.

Cleaning hands with soap and water or alcohol-based rub at defined moments of patient care. It is the single most effective measure for preventing healthcare-associated infection and is audited as a quality indicator.

A testable statement predicting a relationship between variables. A null hypothesis states there is no difference or association, while an alternative hypothesis states the expected direction of effect.

Selecting a subset of a population for study. Probability methods such as simple random or stratified sampling support generalisation, while non-probability methods are quicker but limit inference.