Ad hoc interpreter

using a pt.'s family member,friend or child as interpreter

for a limited Englishproficiency (LEP) patient.

Alopecia (baldness) hair loss

Amplitude(or intensity) how loud

or soft a sound is

Animism

imagining thatinanimate objects comealive and have human

characteristics.

Annularcircular shape to skin

lesion

Assessmentthe collection of dataabout an individual's

health state.

Auscultatory gap

a brief time period whenKorotkoff sounds disappearduring auscultation of blood

pressure; common withhypertension

Avoidance languagethe use of euphemisms

to avoid reality or tohide feelings.

Biomedical model

the Western European/N.American tradition that

views health as theabsence of disease.

Bradycardiaheart rate of less than50 beats per minute in

the adult.

Bruit

blowing, swooshingsound heard through thestethoscope over an areaof abnormal blood flow.

Bulla

elevated cavitycontaining free fluid

larger than 1 cmdiameter

Clarification

examiner's responseused when the pt.'s wordchoice is ambiguous or

confusing.

Closed Questions

questions that ask for specificinformation; elicit a short,

one-word response, a yes/no;or a forced choice.

Complete Databasea complete health

history and full physicalexam.

Confluent xskin lesions that run

together

Confrontation

response in which examinergives honest feedback aboutwhat he/she has seen or feltafter observing a certain pt.action, feeling or statement.

Critical Thinking

simultaneouslyproblem-solving whileself-improving one'sown thinking ability.

Crust

thick, dried-out exudateleft on the skin when

vesicles/pustules burstor dry up

Cultural and linguisticcompetence

a set of congruent behaviors,attitudes, and policies that cometogether in a system amongprofessionals that enables work incross-cultural situations

Cultural Care Nursing

professional health carethat is culturally

sensitive, appropriate,and competent.

Culture

the non-physical attributes of aperson - the thoughts,communications, actions, beliefs,values, and institutions of racial,ethnic, religious, or social groups.

Culture-boundSyndrome

a condition that isculturally defined

Cyanosis

dusky blue color to skin ormucous membranes due to

increased amount ofunoxygenated hemoglobin

Diagnostic Reasoning

a method of collecting and analyzingclinical information with thefollowing components: initial cues;diagnosis hypothesis; gathering data;evaluating hypothesis w/ data;arriving at a final diagnosis.

Distancing

the use of impersonalspeech to put spacebetween self and a

threat

Durationthe length of time a note

lingers

Dysphagia difficulty in swallowing

Elderspeak

infantilizing and demeaninglanguage used by a health

professional when speaking toan older adult.

Electronic healthrecording

direct computer entryof the pt. health record

while in the pt.'spresence

Emergency database

rapid collection of thedatabase, often compiled

concurrently withlifesaving measures.

Empathy

viewing the world from theother person's point of view;recognizing and accepting theother's feelings withoutcriticism.

Environment

the total of all the conditionsand elements that make up

the surroundings andinfluence the development of

a person.

Erosionscooped out, shallow

depression in skin

Erythema

intense redness of the skindue to excess blood in dilated

superficial capillaries, as infever or inflammation

Ethnicity

a social group within the socialsystem that claims to possessvariable traits such as acommon geographic origin,migratory status, and religion.

Ethnocentrism

the tendency to view your own wayof life as the most desirable,acceptable, or best and to act in asuperior manner to anotherculture's life ways.

Ethnocentrism

tendency to view your ownway of life as the mostdesirable, acceptable, or bestand to act superior to anotherculture's lifeways

Evidence-basedpractice

a systematic approach emphasizingthe best research evidence, theclinician's experience, patientpreferences and values, physicalexamination and assessment.

Excoriation xself-inflicted abrasion

on skin due toscratching

Explanation

examiner's statements thatinform the pt.; examiner

shares factual andobjective information.

Facilitation

examiner's responsethat encourages the pt.

to say more, to continuewith the story.

Fissurelinear crack in skin

extending into dermis

Focused Database

one used for a limited or short-term problem; concerns

mainly one problem, one cuecomplex, or one body system.

Folk Healer

lay healer in the person'sculture apart from thebio-medical/scientific

health care system

Follow-up Database

used in all settings tomonitor progress on

short-term or chronichealth problems.

Furuncle

(boil) suppurativeinflammatory skin

lesion due to infectedhair follicle

Geographic privacyprivate room or space

with only the examinerand pt. present

Goiter

increase in size ofthyroid gland that

occurs withhyperthyroidism

Health/illness

the balance/imbalance of theperson, both within one's being(physical, mental, and or spiritual)and in the outside world (natural,communal, and/or metaphysical)

Hemangioma

skin lesion due tobenign proliferation of

blood vessels in thedermis

Heritage consistency

the degree to which a person'slifestyle reflects his/her traditionalheritage, whether it is AmericanIndian, European, Asian, African, orHispanic

Holistic Health

the view that the mind, body,and spirit are interdependent

and function as a whole withinthe environment.

Interpretation

examiner's statement that is notbased on direct observation, but isbased on examiner's inference orconclusion; it links events, makesassociations, or implies cause.

Interview

meeting betweenexaminer and pt. withthe goal of gathering a

complete health hx.

Iristarget shape of skin

lesion

Jargon

using medicalvocabulary with pt. inan exclusionary and

paternalistic way

Jaundice

yellow color to skin,palate, and sclera due toexcess bilirubin in the

blood

Keloid xhypertrophic scar,

elevated beyond thesites of original injury

Leading Questiona question that impliesone answer would bebetter than another.

Lichenification

tightly packed set ofpapules that thickensskin, from prolonged

intense scratching

Lipoma benign fatty tumor

Lymphadenopathy

enlargement of thelymph nodes due toinfection, allergy, or

neoplasm

Macerationsoftening of tissue by

soaking

Macrocephalic abnormally large head

Maculeflat skin lesion withonly a color change

Medical Diagnosis

used to evaluate the cause andetiology of disease; focus is onthe function or malfunction of

a specific organ system.

Microcephalic abnormally small head

Nevus(mole) circumscribed

skin lesion due toexcess melanocytes

Noduleelevated skin lesiongreater that 1 cm in

diameter

NonverbalCommunication

message conveyed throughbody language- posture,gestures, facial expression, eyecontact, touch, and evenwhere one places the chairs.

Normocephalicround symmetric skull

that is appropriatelyrelated to body size

Nosocomial infectionan infection acquiredduring hospitalization

Nursing Diagnosis

used to evaluate theresponse of the whole

person to actual orpotential health problems

Nursing Process

a method of collecting andanalyzing clinical information withthe following components:assessment; diagnosis; outcomeidentification; planning;implementation; and evaluation.

Objective data

what the health professionalobserves by inspecting,palpating, percussing, andauscultating during thephysical examination.

Open-ended question

asks for longer narrativeinformation; unbiased;

leaves the pt. free toanswer in any way.

Ophthalmoscope

an instrument that illuminatesthe internal eye structures,enabling the examiner to lookthrough the pupil at thefundus.

Otoscope

an instrument that illuminatesthe ear canal, enabling theexaminer to look at the ear

canal and tympanicmembrane.

Pallorexcessively pale,

whitish pink color tolightly pigmented skin

Papule xpalpable skin lesion,

less that 1 cm indiameter

Pitch

(or frequency) thenumber of vibrations(or cycles) per second

of a note

Plaqueskin lesion in whichpapules coalesce or

come together

Prevention

any action directedtoward promoting health

and preventing theoccurrence of disease.

Pruritus itching

Purpura

red-purple skin lesiondue to blood in tissuesfrom breaks in blood

vessels

Pustuleelevated cavity

containing thick, turbidfluid

Quality

(or timbre) a subjectivedifference in a sound dueto the sound's distinctive

overtones.

Reflection

examiner response thatechoes the pt.'s words;

repeats part of what thept. has just said.

Religion

the belief in a divine orsuperhuman power or powers to beobeyed and worshiped as thecreator(s) and ruler(s) of theuniverse; and a system of beliefs,practices, and ethical values.

Scale

compact desiccatedflakes of skin from

shedding of dead skincells

Socialization

the process of being raisedwithin a culture and

acquiring the characteristicsof that group

Sphygmomanometerinstrument for

measuring arterialblood pressure

Stroke Volume

amount of bloodpumped out of the

heart with eachheartbeat

Subjective Data

what the person saysabout himself or herselfduring the history (hx)

taking.

Summary

final review of what examinerunderstands the pt. has said;condenses facts and presents asurvey of how the examinerperceives the health problem orneed.

Tachycardiaheart rate of greater

than 90 beats perminute in the adult.

Telangiectasia

skin lesion due topermanently enlarged

and dilated bloodvessels that are visible

Telegraphic Speech

speech used by age 3 or 4 inwhich three or four word

sentences use contain onlythe essential words

Title VI of the CivilRights Act of 1964

a federal law that mandates thatwhen people with limited Englishproficiency (LEP) seek health carein health care settings... servicescannot be denied to them.

Torticollis

head tilt due toshortening or spasm of

one sternomastoidmuscle

Ulcer

sloughing of necroticinflammatory tissue that

causes a deep depression inskin, extending into dermis

Values

a desirable orundesirable state of

affairs and a universalfeature of all cultures

Verbal Communication

messages sent throughspoken words,

vocalizations, tone ofvoice.

Vertigo

illusory sensation ofeither the room or one'sown body spinning; it is

not the same as dizziness

Vesicleelevated cavity

containing free fluid upto 1 cm diameter

Wellness

a dynamic process andview of health; a move

toward optimalfunctioning.

Wheal xraised red skin lesion

due to interstitial fluid

Zosteriform xlinear shape of skinlesion along a nerve

route