NCNZ IQN Theoretical Exam key terms

A standard of nursing practice where the nurse reflects on their own culture and the power in the relationship, and the person receiving care experiences that care as respectful, safe and free of discrimination.

The 1840 agreement between Māori chiefs and the Crown. In health it creates obligations of partnership, participation and protection that guide services to address Māori health inequities.

The fair distribution of health resources and opportunities so all people can reach their best possible health, which means actively removing avoidable differences between groups, particularly Māori and non-Māori.

An independent New Zealand agency that receives and investigates complaints about health and disability services, promotes consumers' rights and can refer serious matters to other authorities.

A legally binding New Zealand code setting out ten consumer rights, including respect, fair treatment, dignity, information, choice, consent, privacy and the right to complain.

A person's voluntary agreement to assessment or treatment after they have understood its purpose, expected benefits, risks, alternatives and their right to say no.

The duty to keep a person's health information private and share it only with those involved in their care, or when the person agrees or the law requires it.

New Zealand rules controlling how health information is collected, stored, used and disclosed, giving extra protection because health details are highly sensitive and personal.

The limits that keep the nurse–patient relationship therapeutic and safe, so the nurse's power, personal needs or outside interests do not intrude on the person's care.

Being answerable for your own nursing decisions and actions, including working within your competence, reporting mistakes honestly and accepting the consequences of your choices.

The activities and level of responsibility a nurse is educated, competent and authorised to carry out, as described by the Nursing Council for each registration type.

The mix of knowledge, skills, judgement and professional behaviour a nurse needs to practise safely and effectively, judged against the standards set by the Nursing Council.

The obligation to take reasonable steps to protect a person from foreseeable harm while they are in your care, and to act when something threatens their safety.

Acting to protect a person's rights, wishes and wellbeing, including speaking up when care is unsafe, when they cannot speak for themselves, or when they need support to be heard.

New Zealand law that protects the public by requiring health practitioners to be registered and competent, and by giving regulatory authorities powers to set standards and place conditions on practice.

The regulatory body that sets standards, competencies and scope of practice for nurses in New Zealand, issues annual practising certificates and responds when practice falls below the required standard.

Ongoing learning and reflection that keeps a nurse's knowledge and skills current, recorded and required each year for renewal of a New Zealand practising certificate.

Reporting serious wrongdoing or unsafe care through the proper channels, with legal protection from retaliation when the report is made honestly and in good faith.

Handing a specific task to another worker while keeping responsibility for deciding that the task is appropriate and that the person can do it safely.

Providing oversight, guidance and feedback to another worker, with the amount of checking matched to their competence and the risk of the task.

A written, individual plan of assessed needs, agreed goals, nursing interventions and review dates, developed with the person and updated as their condition changes.

Clear, accurate and timely records of assessment, care given, decisions, responses and escalation, which form a legal record and support safe continuity of care.

Promptly telling a senior clinician or rapid response team about a deteriorating patient or a concern, guided by agreed triggers rather than waiting to see if things improve.

A number calculated from routine observations such as breathing rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and consciousness, where higher scores signal deterioration and trigger review.

The checks made before and after giving a medicine: right person, medicine, dose, route and time, plus allergies, expiry, interactions and correct documentation of the outcome.

Anything that limits a person's freedom of movement or choice. It is used only when other approaches have failed, with legal safeguards, monitoring and clear documentation.

Planning and giving care with the person's family and wider support network included as partners, recognising that in many whānau health and decisions are shared.

A Māori model of wellbeing shown as a house with four walls: taha wairua (spiritual), taha hinengaro (mental and emotional), taha tinana (physical) and taha whānau (family and social).

Care built around a person's own goals, values, culture and preferences, with them and their family involved as partners in deciding what happens.

Passing responsibility and essential patient information from one clinician or team to another, structured, complete, and with a chance to ask questions.

A structured communication tool - identify, situation, background, assessment, recommendation - used in New Zealand for handover, referral and escalating concern about a patient.

A person's ability to obtain, understand and act on health information. Nurses adjust their language, pace and teaching methods so the person can genuinely understand and decide.

Using a trained interpreter to convey information accurately across languages and cultures, rather than relying on family members for consent discussions or sensitive information.

Telling the person and their whānau honestly and promptly when something has gone wrong in their care, acknowledging the harm, apologising and explaining what happens next.

Different professions, plus the patient and whānau, sharing knowledge and planning care together so that decisions are coordinated and gaps or duplication are avoided.

An incident in which care caused, or nearly caused, unintended harm. It is reported, reviewed and treated as a system issue as well as an individual one.

A structured team investigation of a serious adverse event that traces contributing factors in systems, equipment, communication and culture, and recommends changes to prevent repetition.

A continuous, data-based way of improving care by testing small changes, studying their effects and adopting or adjusting what works, using methods such as plan-do-study-act cycles.

The systems, roles and reporting lines by which an organisation takes responsibility for the quality and safety of its care, including standards, audit, risk and consumer feedback.

Combining the best available research evidence, the nurse's clinical expertise, and the person's values and preferences when deciding how to assess and treat.