PNLE flashcards

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

PICO question

PICO stands for population, intervention, comparison, and outcome; it structures a focused clinical research question and guides search terms and study selection.

Sensitivity formula

Sensitivity equals true positives divided by true positives plus false negatives; it measures a test's ability to identify people who truly have the condition.

Specificity formula

Specificity equals true negatives divided by true negatives plus false positives; it measures a test's ability to identify people who truly do not have the condition.

Autonomy

Autonomy is the ethical principle supporting a competent patient's right to make informed decisions about care, including refusing recommended treatment after receiving complete information.

Nonmaleficence

Nonmaleficence is the ethical duty to avoid causing harm; nurses weigh benefits against risks and prevent foreseeable injury during interventions and medication administration.

Delegation accountability

The registered nurse remains accountable for delegated nursing tasks, which must fall within the delegatee's legal scope, be predictable, and have clear directions and supervision.

Incident report

An incident report is an objective, factual internal record of an unusual event; it is not placed in the medical record and does not assign blame or opinions.

Maslow priority rule

Maslow's hierarchy orders physiologic needs first, then safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization; lower-level unmet needs generally take priority in nursing care.

GTPAL

GTPAL records gravida, term births, preterm births, abortions, and living children; gravida counts all pregnancies, including the current pregnancy.

Naegele's rule

Naegele's rule estimates the due date by subtracting three months from the first day of the last menstrual period, adding seven days, and adding one year.

Early decelerations

Early decelerations are fetal heart rate drops that mirror uterine contractions and return to baseline by the contraction's end; they usually reflect head compression and are benign.

Late decelerations

Late decelerations begin after the contraction peak and recover after it ends; they suggest uteroplacental insufficiency and require position change, oxygen, and immediate evaluation.

Variable decelerations

Variable decelerations are abrupt fetal heart rate drops with variable shape and timing, commonly caused by umbilical cord compression; repositioning the mother often relieves them.

APGAR scoring

APGAR assesses appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration at one and five minutes; each item scores zero to two, with a maximum total of ten.

Postpartum hemorrhage

Postpartum hemorrhage is blood loss greater than 500 mL after vaginal birth or greater than 1000 mL after cesarean birth; uterine atony is the most common cause.

Magnesium sulfate antidote

Calcium gluconate is the antidote for magnesium sulfate toxicity; monitor deep tendon reflexes, respiratory rate, urine output, and serum magnesium because depression signals toxicity.

ABG pH rule

A pH below 7.35 indicates acidosis and above 7.45 indicates alkalosis; PaCO2 reflects respiratory status and bicarbonate reflects metabolic status when interpreting arterial blood gases.

Hyperkalemia ECG

Hyperkalemia commonly causes tall peaked T waves, widened QRS complexes, and arrhythmias; severe elevation requires immediate cardiac monitoring and emergency treatment.

DKA diagnostic triad

Diabetic ketoacidosis shows hyperglycemia, acidosis with low bicarbonate, and ketones; treatment includes fluid replacement, insulin infusion, and careful potassium monitoring.

Left heart failure

Left-sided heart failure primarily causes pulmonary congestion with dyspnea, orthopnea, crackles, and frothy sputum; right-sided failure causes systemic venous congestion with edema and jugular distention.

Parkland formula

The Parkland formula gives 4 mL of lactated Ringer solution per kilogram per percent total body surface area burned in 24 hours; half is given in the first eight hours.

Hepatic encephalopathy treatment

Lactulose treats hepatic encephalopathy by trapping ammonia in the gut and promoting excretion; it is titrated to produce two or three soft stools daily.

Atelectasis prevention

Atelectasis is the most common postoperative pulmonary complication; incentive spirometry, deep breathing, coughing, and early ambulation help reopen collapsed alveoli and prevent it.

Troponin timing

Cardiac troponin rises about three to six hours after myocardial injury, peaks around twelve to twenty-four hours, and remains elevated for days; serial measurements help detect acute infarction.

Therapeutic communication

Therapeutic communication uses open-ended questions, reflection, clarification, and silence to help patients express feelings; it avoids false reassurance, judgment, and repeated why questions.

Nurse-patient phases

The nurse-patient relationship progresses through orientation, working, and termination phases; orientation establishes trust, working addresses goals, and termination reviews progress and separates.

Panic anxiety

Panic-level anxiety severely impairs reasoning and behavior; the patient cannot solve problems or follow complex instructions, so the nurse uses short, simple directions and ensures safety.

Suicide risk assessment

Suicide risk increases with a specific plan, access to lethal means, hopelessness, recent loss, and previous attempts; nurses ask directly about suicidal thoughts and arrange safety measures.

Serotonin syndrome

Serotonin syndrome causes agitation, clonus, hyperreflexia, fever, and autonomic instability after serotonergic drugs; treatment includes stopping the drug and supportive care.

Lithium toxicity signs

Lithium toxicity causes coarse tremor, ataxia, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, and seizures; therapeutic serum lithium is usually 0.6 to 1.2 mEq/L and levels require monitoring.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome presents with fever, muscle rigidity, autonomic instability, altered mental status, and elevated creatine kinase; the antipsychotic is stopped and dantrolene may be used.

Alcohol withdrawal timeline

Alcohol withdrawal begins with tremor and anxiety within six to twenty-four hours, seizures within twelve to forty-eight hours, and delirium tremens within forty-eight to ninety-six hours; benzodiazepines treat it.