Kuwait MOH Allied Health flashcards

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

Informed consent elements

Capacity, adequate disclosure of risks, benefits and alternatives, comprehension, voluntariness, and documentation. A signed form alone does not prove valid consent if any element is missing.

Non-maleficence

The bioethical duty to avoid causing harm. It justifies stopping unsafe interventions and weighs against benefit when the risk of injury outweighs expected gain.

Patient confidentiality exceptions

Disclosure is permitted only with patient consent, under legal requirement or court order, or to avert serious public-health risk, and must be limited to the minimum necessary information.

Mandatory reporting duties

Kuwaiti practice requires reporting suspected child abuse, specified notifiable communicable diseases, and certain occupational injuries to the designated authority within required timeframes.

WHO 5 Moments

Hand hygiene before touching a patient, before aseptic procedure, after body-fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings.

Airborne precautions

Used for tuberculosis, measles and varicella: negative-pressure single room, N95 or FFP2 respirator, and restriction of susceptible visitors and staff without immunity.

Standard precautions

Applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis: hand hygiene, gloves, gown, mask and eye protection based on anticipated exposure, plus safe sharps and waste handling.

Needlestick immediate actions

Wash the site with soap and water without squeezing or scrubbing, report immediately, and begin hepatitis B and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis assessment within hours.

Two-patient identifier rule

Confirm identity using full name plus medical record number or date of birth before every intervention, specimen, or medication; bed and room numbers are never acceptable identifiers.

High-alert medications

Drugs such as insulin, heparin, concentrated electrolytes and chemotherapy that carry high harm risk; they require independent double-check, standardized concentrations and clear labeling.

Root cause analysis

A retrospective, systems-focused investigation after a sentinel event that identifies contributing factors and produces corrective actions rather than assigning individual blame.

PDSA cycle

Plan-Do-Study-Act is a small-scale test of change: plan the change, run it, study the results, then act to adopt, adapt or abandon before wider spread.

SBAR handover

A structured communication format: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. It is used for handovers and escalation, with read-back confirming critical information.

Teach-back method

The patient restates instructions in their own words. A correct paraphrase confirms comprehension; a simple yes answer does not demonstrate understanding.

SPIKES protocol

A framework for breaking bad news: Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Empathy, and Strategy with summary. It structures the conversation and supports the patient's response.

Medical interpreter use

Trained interpreters are used for consent, diagnosis and sensitive discussions instead of family members; speak directly to the patient and document interpreter use.

Cardiac output formula

Cardiac output equals heart rate multiplied by stroke volume. Normal adult output is roughly four to eight liters per minute at rest.

Normal arterial blood gas

Adult reference values: pH 7.35–7.45, PaCO2 35–45 mmHg, bicarbonate 22–26 mmol/L, and PaO2 approximately 80–100 mmHg on room air.

Respiratory versus metabolic acidosis

Respiratory acidosis shows low pH with raised PaCO2; metabolic acidosis shows low pH with low bicarbonate. Compensation changes the opposite parameter in the same direction.

Upper versus lower motor neuron

Upper motor neuron lesions cause spasticity, hyperreflexia and minimal atrophy; lower motor neuron lesions cause flaccidity, atrophy, fasciculations and reduced reflexes.

ABCDE assessment

Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure. It is the primary survey sequence for a deteriorating patient and precedes a full history and examination.

OLDCARTS history

Onset, Location, Duration, Character, Aggravating and relieving factors, Radiation, Timing, Severity. It structures a systematic symptom history before examination.

Sensitivity and specificity

Sensitivity is the proportion of diseased patients correctly identified; specificity is the proportion of healthy patients correctly excluded. Predictive values additionally depend on disease prevalence.

Clinical red flags

Findings requiring urgent escalation, such as a new neurological deficit, chest pain with diaphoresis, unexplained weight loss, night pain, or fever with rigidity.

Oxygen target ranges

Oxygen is titrated to a target saturation, commonly 94–98% for most adults and 88–92% for patients with COPD at risk of hypercapnia, with dose and device documented.

Aseptic non-touch technique

ANTT protects key parts and key sites from contamination. Standard ANTT applies to simple procedures; surgical ANTT applies to complex invasive procedures with a sterile field.

Multimodal analgesia

Combining analgesics with different mechanisms allows lower doses of each, improving pain relief and reducing adverse effects; effect is reassessed at the expected onset time.

Fluid balance approximation

A one-kilogram change in body weight approximates one liter of fluid gained or lost. Urine output below 0.5 mL/kg/h is oliguria and warrants prompt reporting.

Legal health record requirements

Entries must be contemporaneous, legible, dated, timed, signed and attributable to the author. Late entries are labeled as late and are never backdated.

Paper record correction

Draw a single line through the error, write 'error', then initial and date it. Never obliterate text or use correction fluid; the original entry must remain readable.

Incident reporting separation

Incident reports are non-punitive and filed separately from the clinical record. The clinical note documents the patient's condition and care, not blame or speculation.

Kuwait MOH licensure

Allied health professionals must hold a valid Ministry of Health license and work within the scope defined by qualification, license category and employer-approved job description.

Notifiable disease reporting

Specified communicable diseases must be reported to the public health authority within mandated timeframes, an exception to confidentiality that requires only the minimum necessary disclosure.