Cambodia Nursing Exit Exam key terms

A brief structured assessment that sorts patients by how urgently they need care, so the sickest are treated first. In Cambodia it is used in hospital emergency departments and health centres during outbreaks or mass-casualty events.

The rapid first check of Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability and Exposure before any detailed history. Life-threatening problems are corrected as each step is found, not after the whole survey is complete.

A 3-to-15 score adding eye opening, verbal response and best motor response. A score of 8 or below means the airway is at risk, and the trend over time matters more than a single reading.

Inadequate tissue perfusion causing cells to lack oxygen and nutrients. Signs include cool clammy skin, rapid weak pulse, low blood pressure, confusion and reduced urine output; treatment is oxygen, positioning and rapid fluid or blood replacement.

A life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the body's dysregulated response to infection. Suspect it when infection signs accompany fast breathing, low blood pressure, confusion or reduced urine output; antibiotics must be given without delay.

Practices that keep micro-organisms away from a site or item. Medical asepsis means clean technique such as hand hygiene; surgical asepsis means sterile gloves, sterile field and sterile equipment for invasive procedures.

Infection control measures applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis: hand hygiene, gloves, gown, mask and eye protection as needed, safe sharps handling, and safe waste and linen disposal.

Cleaning hands with soap and water or alcohol-based rub at the five moments of patient contact. It is the single most effective measure for preventing healthcare-associated infection and must precede and follow glove use.

A needlestick or cut from contaminated equipment. The nurse should let the wound bleed, wash with soap and water, report immediately, and start post-exposure prophylaxis assessment for HIV and hepatitis B within hours.

Short-course medicines started after exposure to a bloodborne virus to reduce the chance of infection. HIV prophylaxis should begin as soon as possible, ideally within hours and no later than 72 hours.

Using antibiotics only when indicated, at the right dose, route and duration, guided by culture where possible. It slows antimicrobial resistance and protects patients from unnecessary side effects such as diarrhoea and allergy.

The checks made before giving any drug: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route and right time. Many services add right documentation and right reason; the check is done at the bedside against the prescription.

A harmful, unintended response to a medicine given at a normal dose. The nurse stops or holds the drug as ordered, documents and reports it, and monitors the patient for breathing, rash or blood pressure changes.

A severe, rapid allergic reaction with airway swelling, wheeze, low blood pressure and rash. Adrenaline is given intramuscularly at once, along with oxygen, positioning and intravenous fluids, and the patient is never left alone.

Injection of medicine into a large muscle such as the ventrogluteal or deltoid site. The nurse selects the correct needle length, cleans the skin, aspirates only if local policy requires, and disposes of the needle in a sharps container.

Temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure and oxygen saturation, plus pain where relevant. They are measured on admission, at set intervals, before and after procedures, and whenever the patient's condition changes.

A number calculated from routine observations that flags a patient whose condition is deteriorating. Rising scores trigger graded responses, from more frequent checks to urgent review by a senior clinician.

A record of all fluid taken in and passed out over 24 hours, including drinks, intravenous fluids, urine, vomit and drain losses. It guides fluid orders and helps detect dehydration or overload.

Local damage to skin and underlying tissue caused by sustained pressure, often over the sacrum or heels in immobile patients. Prevention is regular repositioning, skin inspection, moisture control and pressure-relieving support.

A patient's voluntary agreement to a procedure after receiving clear information about its purpose, risks, benefits and alternatives. The patient must have capacity and be free from pressure; the signature records the discussion, it does not replace it.

The duty to keep patient information private and share it only with those who need it for care. Nurses must not discuss patients in public, and must follow local law and policy when disclosure is required.

The principle that a competent patient decides what happens to their own body, including the right to refuse treatment. The nurse respects this even when the choice conflicts with the nurse's own view of what is best.

Acting to protect a patient's rights, safety and preferences, especially when the patient cannot speak for themselves. It includes raising concerns about unsafe care through the proper channels.

The professional standards of conduct that guide nursing practice, covering respect, integrity, accountability and safe care. Breach of the code can lead to disciplinary action by the regulator as well as employment consequences.

The activities a nurse is legally and educationally prepared to perform. Working outside it, or delegating a task to someone not competent, exposes both the nurse and the patient to risk.

Assigning a task to another person while keeping accountability for the decision to delegate. The nurse must consider the task, the person's competence and the patient's stability, and provide clear instructions and follow-up.

Purposeful conversation that helps a patient express feelings and understand their care, using open questions, active listening, reflection and silence. It avoids false reassurance, judgment and giving advice too early.

Giving full attention to a patient's words and feelings, then confirming understanding by paraphrasing or reflecting back. It builds trust and uncovers concerns the patient may not volunteer directly.

A structured assessment of appearance, behaviour, mood, speech, thought, perception, cognition and insight. It is recorded at admission and whenever mental state changes, and supports risk assessment for self-harm.

Direct, non-judgmental questioning about thoughts, plans, means and previous attempts, combined with observation and collateral information. High risk requires continuous observation, a safe environment and urgent referral.

A chart plotting cervical dilatation, fetal heart rate, contractions and maternal observations through labour. It shows progress against expected curves and prompts referral when labour crosses the alert line.

A package to prevent postpartum haemorrhage: a uterotonic given soon after birth, controlled cord traction and uterine massage. The placenta is checked for completeness and blood loss is measured.

Heavy bleeding after birth, commonly defined as more than 500 mL after vaginal birth or 1000 mL after caesarean. The leading cause is uterine atony; treatment is uterine massage, uterotonics, fluids and urgent referral.

New high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy with protein in the urine or other organ signs. Warning features include headache, blurred vision and epigastric pain; severe cases need magnesium sulphate and delivery.

Seizures occurring in a woman with preeclampsia, a life-threatening obstetric emergency. Care includes airway protection, magnesium sulphate, blood pressure control and delivery, with referral to a facility able to provide it.

Listening to the fetal heart rate at set intervals in labour to detect distress. A rate below 110 or above 160 beats per minute, or a persistently abnormal pattern, requires repositioning, oxygen and urgent review.

Stepwise support for a newborn who is not breathing well: warm, dry and stimulate, position the airway, then give positive-pressure ventilation with a bag and mask if needed. Chest compressions follow if the heart rate stays very low.

A 0-to-10 rating of appearance, pulse, grimace, activity and respiration at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. It summarises the newborn's condition and response to resuscitation, but does not by itself diagnose asphyxia.

Giving only breast milk, with no water, formula or other food, for the first six months of life. It is started within the first hour, on demand, and continued alongside complementary foods up to two years.

A balanced mixture of salts and glucose given by mouth to replace fluid lost in diarrhoea. Low-osmolarity formula and zinc are recommended, and the child is reassessed for dehydration after each stool.

Regular measurement of weight, length or height and head circumference plotted on growth charts. A falling curve signals undernutrition or illness and triggers assessment and counselling of the caregiver.

The national timetable of vaccines given by age, from birth through childhood. The nurse checks the card, gives the correct dose and site, records the batch, and advises on expected minor reactions.

The system that keeps vaccines within a safe temperature range from manufacture to injection. Breaks in the chain, such as a warm refrigerator or frozen toxoid vaccine, reduce potency and require the vaccine to be discarded.