NCNZ IQN Theoretical Exam flashcards

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

Scope of practice

The defined activities a nurse is educated, competent, and authorised to perform; practising outside it without appropriate delegation or training may breach professional standards.

Informed consent elements

Valid consent requires the person to have decision-making capacity, receive adequate information about benefits and risks, and choose voluntarily without coercion; emergency exceptions may apply.

Cultural safety

A practice where the nurse examines their own cultural biases and power, and delivers care that the recipient experiences as culturally safe and respectful.

Health Information Privacy Code

New Zealand rules under the Privacy Act 2020 governing collection, storage, use, and disclosure of health information; disclosure generally requires consent or a legal exception.

Professional boundary breach

A violation such as a sexual relationship with a current patient or exploitative dual relationship; nurses must maintain clear therapeutic boundaries and declare conflicts of interest.

Delegation accountability

The delegating nurse remains accountable for the decision to delegate; the delegate must be competent, work within scope, and have adequate supervision and resources.

Annual practising certificate

A certificate issued by the Nursing Council of New Zealand under the HPCA Act 2003 that permits a nurse to practise; it requires demonstrating continuing competence.

Advance directive

A statement made by a competent person about future health care preferences; clinicians should follow it when it applies and is clinically relevant, unless emergency or legal limits apply.

ABCDE assessment

Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure: a priority sequence for identifying and treating immediately life-threatening problems before completing history or secondary assessment.

Early warning score

A score calculated from vital signs such as respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and consciousness; higher scores trigger escalating clinical review.

Medication rights

Before administration confirm the right person, drug, dose, route, time, reason, and documentation; also check allergies and use two-person checks for high-risk medicines.

Pressure injury prevention

Use validated risk assessment, inspect skin, reposition according to risk, manage moisture and nutrition, and use pressure-redistributing surfaces when indicated.

Falls risk management

Screen falls risk on admission and after changes, then apply multifactorial interventions such as orientation, mobility aids, toileting rounds, and bed brakes.

Five moments of hand hygiene

Clean hands before touching a patient, before clean/aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings.

Escalation of deterioration

Use a structured communication tool and local early warning protocol to request urgent review; do not delay escalation while completing a full assessment.

Restraint use

Restraint is a last resort, requires legal authority and the least restrictive option, and needs monitoring of physical and psychological safety with documentation and review.

ISBAR handover

Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation: a structured format for concise clinical handover that includes risks and an explicit request or plan.

Teach-back method

Ask the patient to explain information in their own words; this checks understanding and reveals gaps better than asking whether they understand.

Trained interpreter use

Use a professional interpreter for consent, complex explanations, and confidential discussions; avoid using children or untrained family members except in urgent safety situations.

Open disclosure

An honest discussion after a patient harm event that acknowledges what happened, explains known facts, offers support, and outlines investigation; an apology can be given.

Health literacy communication

Use plain language, limit key points, chunk information, use visual aids, and confirm understanding; this supports people with varied health literacy.

Conflict escalation

Address disagreement respectfully, focus on patient safety and shared goals, use clear facts, and escalate through the agreed chain of command when resolution fails.

Clinical documentation standards

Record contemporaneous, factual, objective entries with date, time, signature, and relevant patient statements; avoid judgmental language and unauthorized abbreviations.

Whānau involvement

With the patient's consent, involve family or whānau in care planning and communication, respecting cultural roles and privacy boundaries.

Clinical governance

A system through which healthcare organisations are accountable for quality and safety, including leadership, risk management, incident review, and continuous improvement.

PDSA cycle

Plan, Do, Study, Act: a small-scale improvement method where a change is tested, measured, reviewed, and then adapted, adopted, or abandoned.

Incident reporting

Reporting adverse events and near misses through organisational systems so causes and system failures can be identified and learning shared, usually without individual blame.

Root cause analysis

A structured review after a serious adverse event that examines contributing system factors, such as communication, equipment, staffing, and policy, rather than blaming one person.

Clinical audit

A quality improvement method that measures practice against an agreed standard, identifies gaps, implements changes, and re-audits to confirm improvement.

Evidence-based practice

Clinical decisions that integrate the best available research evidence, the clinician's expertise, and the patient's values, preferences, and circumstances.

Closed-loop communication

The sender gives a clear message, the receiver repeats it back, and the sender confirms accuracy; this reduces misunderstandings in interprofessional teams.

Health equity

Fair access to healthcare and fair outcomes for all groups; improvement work should identify and reduce avoidable inequities, including Māori health inequities in New Zealand.