NHA CPCT/A key terms

A patient's voluntary agreement to a procedure after being told its purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives. The patient signs a form, and the agreement can be withdrawn at any time.

The protections every patient is entitled to, including privacy, dignity, safety, information about care, refusal of treatment, and freedom from abuse or discrimination. Staff must honor these in every interaction.

The set of tasks and duties a worker is legally and clinically permitted to perform based on training, certification, and employer policy. Performing outside it can harm patients and create liability.

Measurements of basic body functions: temperature, pulse, respiration rate, blood pressure, and often oxygen saturation and pain level. They are compared against normal ranges to detect changes in condition.

A drop in blood pressure when a person stands up quickly, causing dizziness or fainting. It is checked by measuring pressure while lying, sitting, and standing.

Tracking of all fluids a patient drinks, receives intravenously, or excretes, including urine, vomit, and drainage. Totals are recorded and compared to detect fluid imbalance.

Using proper posture, balance, and muscle groups when lifting, moving, or transferring patients to prevent injury to both the worker and the patient. It includes keeping loads close and bending the knees.

A wide strap fastened around a patient's waist that gives staff a secure hold during walking or transfers. It must be snug, checked for wear, and never used as a restraint.

Steps taken to reduce a patient's risk of falling, such as bed in low position, call light in reach, non-slip footwear, clear pathways, and frequent checks. Patients at high risk are identified and monitored closely.

Confirming a patient's identity using at least two identifiers, such as full name and date of birth, before any care, medication, or specimen collection. Room numbers and bed assignments are never used as identifiers.

A documented, unbroken record of who collected, handled, stored, and transported a specimen or sample. Each transfer is signed and timed so the sample's integrity can be defended.

Infection-control practices applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis, including hand hygiene, gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection when body fluids may splash. They treat all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious.

Cleaning hands with soap and water or alcohol-based rub at specific moments, such as before and after patient contact and after removing gloves. It is the single most effective way to prevent infection spread.

Barriers worn to protect skin, clothing, and mucous membranes from exposure, including gloves, gowns, masks, respirators, and eye protection. It is put on and removed in a specific order to avoid contamination.

Extra precautions used for specific infections beyond standard precautions, grouped as contact, droplet, and airborne. Each type requires different barriers, room placement, and patient transport rules.

An accidental needlestick or cut from a contaminated sharp object. The worker should wash the site, report it immediately, and follow the facility's exposure protocol and post-exposure testing.

Material that may carry infectious agents, such as blood-soaked items, sharps, and contaminated supplies. It is placed in labeled red or sharps containers and never in regular trash.

Measures that separate a patient with a contagious condition from others using private rooms, signage, restricted visitors, and dedicated equipment. Staff follow posted instructions before entering the room.

Practices that reduce the number and spread of microorganisms, such as hand hygiene, cleaning surfaces, and keeping clean items separate from dirty ones. It is also called clean technique.

Practices that keep an area completely free of all microorganisms, used for procedures like catheter insertion or dressing changes. It requires sterile supplies, sterile gloves, and strict field boundaries.

Puncturing a vein with a needle to draw blood or start an infusion. The collector selects a suitable vein, cleans the site, anchors the vein, and applies pressure afterward.

The required sequence for filling blood tubes during collection so additives from one tube do not contaminate another. Following it prevents test errors and is checked before every draw.

A strap tied around the arm to make veins easier to see and feel. It should stay on no longer than about one minute and be released once blood flow begins to avoid altered results.

Breakdown of red blood cells that releases hemoglobin into the sample, making serum look pink or red. It can be caused by rough handling, small needles, or shaking tubes and may make results unusable.

Writing the patient's identifiers, date, time, and collector information on a sample container at the bedside, immediately after collection. Mislabeled specimens are rejected because they can cause wrong treatment.

Collecting a small blood sample by pricking the fingertip or heel with a lancet. The first drop is wiped away, and the site is warmed and not squeezed hard to avoid tissue fluid contamination.

A clean-catch urine sample in which the first urine is voided and discarded, then the middle portion is collected in a sterile cup. It reduces contamination from skin bacteria.

A test that detects drugs or their breakdown products in urine. Collection may require witnessed sampling and chain-of-custody paperwork to keep results legally defensible.

A built-in shield or retracting mechanism that covers a needle after use to prevent needlesticks. It must be activated immediately and never bypassed or recapped by hand.

A recording of the heart's electrical activity made from electrodes placed on the skin. It shows rate, rhythm, and wave patterns used to detect arrhythmias and other cardiac problems.

Correct positioning of conductive pads on the chest and limbs for an ECG. Accurate placement matters because incorrect spots distort the tracing and can lead to misinterpretation.

Interference on an ECG tracing that is not from the heart, such as muscle tremor, movement, or poor electrode contact. It must be recognized and corrected before the tracing is interpreted.

One complete heartbeat, including atrial contraction, ventricular contraction, and relaxation. Its electrical events appear as the P wave, QRS complex, and T wave on an ECG.

The number of times the heart beats per minute. On a regular ECG rhythm it is estimated from the number of large boxes between beats, and it is also counted by taking a pulse.

A noninvasive method of estimating the percentage of oxygen carried by hemoglobin using a sensor on a finger or earlobe. Readings can be affected by cold hands, nail polish, or poor circulation.

Diagnostic tests performed at or near the patient rather than in a central lab, such as blood glucose or rapid strep tests. Results are available quickly but still require proper technique and quality checks.

The federal law that protects the privacy and security of patients' health information. It limits who may see records and requires staff to avoid discussing patient details in public areas.