Exam 2 - Vocab Flashcards
accreditation
a credentialing process used to recognize health care agencies or educational programs for provision of quality services and programs.
acquired immunity
the resistance acquired by a host as a result of previous natural exposure to an infectious agent. May be induced by passive or active immunization.
Term
Definition
accreditation
a credentialing process used to recognize health care agencies or educational programs for provision of quality services and programs.
acquired immunity
the resistance acquired by a host as a result of previous natural exposure to an infectious agent. May be induced by passive or active immunization.
active immunization
administration of all or part of a microorganism to stimulate active response by the host’s immunological system, resulting in complete protection against a specific disease.
advanced practice nurses
nurses with advanced education beyond the baccalaureate degree who are prepared to manage and deliver health care services to individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations; includes clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, and others.
advocacy
activities for the purpose of protecting the rights of others while supporting the client’s responsibility for self-determination; involves informing, supporting, and affirming a client’s self-determination in health care decisions; pleads someone’s cause or act on someone’s behalf, with a focus on developing the capacity of the community, system, individual, or family to plead their own cause or act on their own behalf.
affirming
ratifying, asserting, or giving strength to the declarations of self or others.
Affordable Health Care for America Act
an act that will require most Americans to have health insurance coverage. This act will allow 16 million people to join Medicaid and subsidize private coverage for low- and middle-income people. The Congressional Budget office determined the law would cost about $938 billion over 10 years, but would reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over that same period of time.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, formerly known as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), whose mission is to support research designed to improve the outcomes and quality of health care, reduce its costs, address patient safety and medical errors, and broaden access to services.
agent
causative factor invading a susceptible host through an environment favorable to produce disease, such as a biological or chemical agent.
algorithms
method of solving a problem by looking at the repetitive occurrence and the connection between the events that occur.
allocation
the distribution or designation of something for a specific purpose or to particular persons or things.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
: a national organization of baccalaureate and higher degree programs in nursing that was established to address issues in nursing education.
American Nurses Association
the national professional association of registered nurses in the United States, founded in 1896.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
an economic stimulus package designed to offset some of the losses related to the recession that provided two billion dollars in additional funding for the nation’s community health centers, including a substantial amount of money to cover the increased demand for services that is likely to occur in a time of rising unemployment.
American Red Cross
a national organization that seeks to reduce human suffering through various health, safety, and disaster relief programs in affiliation with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
amplifying
occurs between the nurse and the client to assess the needs and demands that will eventually frame the client’s decision. Information is exchanged from both viewpoints.
assertiveness
the ability to present one’s own needs.
autonomy
freedom of action as chosen by an individual.
benchmarking
comparing national standards and guidelines to other agencies.
beneficence
ethical principle stating that one should do good and prevent or avoid doing harm.
bioaccumulated
the accumulation of a substance (as a pesticide) in a living organism.
biological terrorism
an intentional release of viruses, bacteria, or their toxins for the purpose of harming or killing.
biological variations
the physical, biological, and physiological differences that exist between racial groups and distinguish one group from another.
biomonitoring
the testing of human fluids and tissues for the presence of potentially toxic chemicals.
BioNet
a system to detect and determine links between disease agents during terrorist attacks.
BioSense
a data sharing program to facilitate surveillance of unusual patterns or clusters of diseases in the United States. It shares data with local and state health departments and is a part of the BioWatch system.
bioterrorism
the intentional use of a pathogen or biological product to cause harm to a human, animal, plant, or other living organism in order to influence the conduct of government or to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.
BioWatch
an early warning system for biothreats that uses an environmental sensor system to test the air for biological agents in several major metropolitan areas.
block grants
a predetermined amount of money based upon previous spending and availability of funds, given to a state by the federal government for designated purposes, such as state health care programs.
boards of nursing
groups created in each state by legislation known as a state nurse practitioner act. The boards are made up of nurses and consumers who operationalize, implement, and enforce the statutory law by writing explicit statements (called rules) regarding nursing and nursing practice.
brainstorming
to generate as many alternatives as possible without critical evaluation.
care management
a health care delivery process that helps achieve better health outcomes by anticipating and linking clients with the services they need more quickly. It is an enduring process in which a population manager establishes systems and processes to monitor the health status, resources, and outcomes for a targeted aggregate of the population.
care map
a tool that specifies activities providers may use in a timely sequence to achieve desired outcomes for care. The outcomes are measurable, and the pathway tools strive to reduce differences in client care.
case definition
a standardized list of criteria used for identifying cases of reportable diseases.
case management plans
standards of client care, standards of nursing practice, standards of practice, and clinical guidelines using evidence-based practice as core foundations for managing a client’s care.
case manager
a role of a nurse who coordinates health care services for a client.
categorical funding
federal, state, or local funds used to conduct a specific program such as tuberculosis screening, HIV/AIDS home care, or prenatal care. The money cannot be used for any other program or purpose.
categorical programs
federal, state, or local funds used to conduct a specific program such as tuberculosis screening, HIV/AIDS home care, or prenatal care. The money cannot be used for any other program or purpose.
CBRNE threats
chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive threats to public safety.
chemical terrorism
the intentional release of hazardous chemicals into the environment for the purpose of harming or killing.
Cities Readiness Initiative
a program to aid cities in increasing their capacity to deliver medicines and medical supplies during a large-scale public health emergency, such as a bioterrorism attack or a nuclear accident.
clarifying
the process of attempting to make communication or expression more clear or easier to understand.
client outcomes
a change in patient health status as a result of care or program implementation.
climate change
any long-term significant change in the weather patterns of an area; climate change can be natural or caused by changes people have made to the land or atmosphere.
clusters of illness
a group of events usually occurring close together in time, place, and demographics.
collaboration
mutual sharing and working together to achieve common goals in such a way that all persons or groups are recognized and growth is enhanced.
common source
an outbreak that refers to a group exposed to a common noxious influence such as the release of noxious gases.
common vehicle
transportation of the infectious agent from an infected host to a susceptible host via water, food, milk, blood, serum, or plasma.
communicable disease
a disease of human or animal origin caused by an infectious agent and resulting from transmission of that agent from an infected person, animal, or inanimate source to a susceptible host. Infectious disease may be communicable or non-communicable (e.g., tetanus is infectious but not communicable).
communicable period
the time or times when an infectious agent may be transferred from an infected source directly or indirectly to a new host.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
program sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Administration to train community citizens in the basics of disaster preparedness and response. Using the training, CERT members can assist their neighbors and co-workers following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help.
community resilience
builds on the premise that healthy individuals, families, and communities with access to health care and knowledge become some of our nation’s strongest assets in disaster incidents.
compliance
refers to the processes for ensuring that permit/standard requirements are met.
constitutional law
branch of law dealing with organization and functions of government.
consumer confidence report
p. XX
cooperation
working together or associating with others for common benefit; a common effort.
coordinate
conscious activity of assembling and directing the work efforts of a group of health providers so that they can function harmoniously in the attainment of the objective of client care.
critical pathway
a tool that specifies activities providers may use in a timely sequence to achieve desired outcomes for care. The outcomes are measurable, and the pathway tools strive to reduce differences in client care.
cultural accommodation
negotiation with clients to include aspects of their folk practices with the traditional health care system to implement essential treatment plans.
cultural awareness
an appreciation of and sensitivity to a client’s values, beliefs, practices, lifestyle, and problem-solving strategies.
cultural blindness
an inability to recognize the differences between one’s own cultural beliefs, values, and practices and those of another culture.
cultural competence
a combination of culturally congruent behaviors, practice attitudes, and policies that allows nurses to use interpersonal communication, relationships skills, and behavioral flexibility to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.
cultural conflict
a perceived threat that may arise from a misunderstanding of expectations when nurses are unable to respond appropriately to another individual’s cultural practice because of unfamiliarity with the practice.
cultural desire
an intrinsic motivation to provide culturally competent care.
cultural encounter
the process that permits nurses to seek opportunities to engage in cross-cultural interactions.
cultural imposition
the act of imposing one’s cultural beliefs, values, and practices on individuals from another culture.
cultural knowledge
information about organizational elements of diverse cultures and ethnic groups.
cultural nursing assessment
??a systematic identification and documentation of the culture care beliefs, meanings, values, symbols, and practices of individuals or groups within a holistic perspective, which includes the worldview, life experiences, environmental context, ethnohistory, language, and diverse social structure influences? (Leininger, 2002, pp. 117-118).
cultural preservation
assistive, supportive, facilitative, or enabling nurse actions and decisions that help the clients of a particular culture to retain and preserve traditional values, so they can maintain, promote, and restore health.
cultural relativism
the recognition that each culture should be judged on its own merit and not on one’s personal beliefs; the value of the culture as defined by its meaning to its members.
cultural repatterning
assistive, supportive, facilitative, or enabling nurse actions and decisions that help people of a particular culture to change or modify a cultural practice for new or different health care patterns that are meaningful, satisfying, and beneficial.
cultural skill
a measure of the effective integration of cultural awareness and cultural knowledge to obtain relevant data and meet needs of culturally diverse clients.
culture
a set of beliefs, values, and assumptions about life that are widely held among a group of people and that are transmitted intergenerationally; the learned ways of behaving that are communicated by one group to another in order to provide tested solutions to vital problems.
culture brokering
advocating, mediating, negotiating, and intervening between the client’s culture and the biomedical health care culture on behalf of clients.
culture shock
the feeling of helplessness, discomfort, and disorientation experienced by an individual attempting to understand or effectively adapt to a cultural group whose beliefs and values are radically different from the individual’s culture.
demand management
a program that provides to consumers, at the point at which they are deciding how to enter the health care system, information and support to access care. A telephone clinical triage system is an activity in which nurses talk to clients about their presenting problem and provide advice and coordination of care.
devolution
the process of shifting, planning, delivering, and financing responsibility for programs from the federal to the state level.
Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT)
a team consisting of approximately 30 volunteers including physicians, nurses, and other allied health personnel who train as a group to perform specific emergency functions during a disaster. Upon activation of the National Disaster Medical System, each member becomes an automatic and temporary employee of the U.S. Public Health Service.
disease
an indication of a physiological dysfunction or a pathological reaction to an infection.
disease management
a proactive treatment approach focused on a specific diagnosis that seeks to manage a chronic health condition and minimize acute episodes in a population.
disease prevention
activities that have as their goal the protection of people from becoming ill because of actual or potential health threats.
disease surveillance
the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of specific health data for use in public health.
disparities
racial or ethnic differences in the quality of health care, not based on access or clinical needs, preferences, or appropriateness of an intervention.
distributive outcomes
an outcome in which one person enlarges their share at another person’s expense.
DNA
the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that has the genetic instructions for making living organisms.
documentation
the process of recording data in client records.
electronic health record
a computer-based client health record.
electronic health record
a record in digital format that is capable of being shared across different health care settings, by being embedded in network-connected enterprise-wide information systems.
elimination
to remove a disease from a large geographic area such as a country or region of the world.
Emergency Support Functions (ESFs)
fifteen support functions that provide a mechanism to bundle federal resources/capabilities to support the nation. Examples of functions include transportation, communications, and energy. Each ESF entails a coordinator and primary and support agencies that work together to coordinate and deliver the full breadth of Federal capabilities.
emerging infectious diseases
diseases in which the incidence has increased in the past 2 decades or has the potential to increase in the near future.
endemic
a disease/event that is found to be present (occurring) in a population in which there is a persistent (usual) presence with low to moderate disease/event cases.
Enhanced Surveillance Project (ESP)
a special system developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is designed to help assess unusual patterns of diseases or events.
environment
all of those factors internal and external to the client that constitute the context in which the client lives and that influence and are influenced by the host and agent-host interactions. The sum of all external conditions affecting the life, development, and survival of an organism. a concept that may include dynamic factors such as air, water, soil, and food, as well as temperature, humidity, and wind.
environmental control
the ability of individuals to control nature and to influence factors in the environment that affect them.
environmental justice
a concept also known as environmental equality, in which many poor communities are striving to improve the unequal burden of environmental risks.
environmental standards
principles that describe a permitted level of emissions, a maximum contaminant level (MCL), an action level for environmental clean-up, or a risk-based calculation; environmental standards are required to address health risks.
epidemic
occurrence of a disease within an area that is clearly in excess of expected levels (endemic) for a given time period.
epidemiologic triangle
a model made up of three major concepts?agent, host, and environment. This simple model belies the often complex relationships between agent, which may include chemical mixtures (i.e., more than one agent); host, which may refer to a community with people of multiple ages, genders, ethnicities, cultures, and disease states; and environment, which may include dynamic factors such as air, water, soil, and food, as well as temperature, humidity, and wind.
epidemiology
the science that helps us understand the strength of the association between exposures and health effects.
epigenetics
new biological study that focuses on the effects of changes to the DNA from chemical exposures that can change gene expression, which in turn can predict disease.
eradication
the irreversible termination of all transmission of infection by extermination of the infectious agents worldwide.
ethnicity
the shared feeling of peoplehood among a group of individuals.
ethnocentrism
the belief that one’s own cultural group determines the standards by that another group’s behavior is judged.
event
environmental, occupational exposures, natural or person induced: an occurrence of a phenomenon of health that can be discretely characterized. Can be environmental, occupational, or biological; can be naturally occurring or person induced.
evidence-based practice
includes the best available evidence from a variety of sources, including research studies, evidence from nursing experience and expertise, and evidence from community leaders.
family caregiving
involves transportation, helping clients meet their basic needs, and providing care such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, medication administration, and simple as well as complex treatments.
family health history
health history of a family that may involve diseases that have a genetic basis.
federal public health agencies
agencies that develop regulations to implement policies formulated by Congress, provide a significant amount of funding to state and territorial health agencies for public health activities, survey the nation’s health status and health needs, set practices and standards, provide expertise that facilitates evidence-based practice, coordinate public health activities that cross state lines, and support health services’ research.
gene
the DNA segments that carry the genetic information.
general population shelters
accommodate a variety of functional needs for individuals such as assistance with activities of daily living.
genetic susceptibility
predisposition to a particular disease or sensitivity to a substance due to the presence of a specific allele or combination of alleles in an individual’s genome.
genetics
the study of the function and effect of single genes that are inherited by children from their parents.
genome
the genetic material of an organism.
genomics
refers to the study of individual genes in order to understand the structure of the genome, including the mapping of genes and sequencing the DNA.
geographic information systems (GIS)
a methodology that requires the coding of data so that it is related spatially to a place on earth; it is used as a research tool for environmental health studies.
global warming
an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect.
globalization
a trend toward an increased flow of goods, services, money, and disease across national borders.
health care reform
promotes a culture change in the thinking about health care, education and training of health care providers, and financing of our health care system.
health policy
public policy that affects health and health services. Delineates options from which individuals and organizations make their health-related choices. Made within a political context.
Healthy People 2020
a set of principles comprised of a large number of objectives related to 38 topic areas. These objectives are designed to serve as a road map for improving the health of all people in the United States during the second decade of the twenty-first century.
herd immunity
immunity of a group or community.
holoendemic
highly prevalent problem acquired early in life that is commonly found in a population. The prevalence of this problem decreases as age increases.
home health care
a broad concept and approach to home services and includes a focus on primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, similar to other population-focused nursing.
home health nursing
?a specialized area of nursing practice, rooted in community health nursing, that delivers care in the residence of the client? (American Nurses Association, 2007, p 54).
Homeland Security Act of 2002
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was created through the Homeland Security Act of 2002, consolidating 20 previously disparate agencies under one unified organization.
Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)
developed to help states and local jurisdictions improve overall preparedness with all natural and human-made disasters. The program helps homeland security leaders create exercise programs for their community.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD-21), Public Health and Medical Preparedness
established a national strategy that enables a level of public health and medical preparedness sufficient to address a range of possible disasters. It does so through four critical components of public health and medical preparedness: (1) biosurveillance, (2) countermeasure distribution, (3) mass casualty care, and (4) community resilience.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5)
directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a unified, all-discipline, and all-hazards approach to domestic incident management.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (HSPD-8)
issued in December of 2003, it established national policies to strengthen the preparedness of the United States to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from threatened or actual terrorist attacks and major disasters, and it included a goal for national preparedness.
horizontal transmission
person-to-person spread of infection through one or more of the following routes: direct/indirect contact, common vehicle, airborne, or vector-borne.
hospice and palliative care
specialized areas of practice designed to ?provide evidence-based physical, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual or existential care to individuals and families experiencing life-limiting, progressive illness? (Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association & ANA, 2007, p 1).
hospice care
palliative system of health care for terminally ill people; takes place in the home with family involvement under the direction and supervision of health professionals, especially the visiting nurse. Hospice care takes place in the hospital when severe complications of terminal illness occur or when there is family exhaustion or loss of commitment.
hospital-acquired infection
infection transmitted during hospitalization or developed within a hospital or other health care setting.
host
a living organism, human or animal, in which an infectious agent can exist under natural conditions. a community with people of multiple ages, genders, ethnicities, cultures, and disease states.
Human Genome Project
an international research project, funded by the U.S. Congress in 1988 and completed in 2003, that has mapped all of the approximately 25,000 genes in human DNA.
human-made disaster
acts of individuals that cause devastation and destruction, such as war, terrorist bombings, or riots.
human-made incident
accidents/disasters caused by individuals that can cause devastation and destruction.
hyperendemic
a disease/event that is found to have a persistently (usually) high number of cases.
immigrant
foreign-born person resident in the United States.
incident commander
the person responsible for all aspects of an emergency response, including quickly developing incident objectives, managing all incident operations, application of resources, as well as responsibility for all persons involved. The Incident Commander sets priorities and defines the organization of the incident response teams and the overall Incident Action Plan.
incubation period
time interval beginning with the invasion of the infectious agent and continuing until the organism multiplies to sufficient numbers to produce a host reaction and clinical symptoms.
indoor air quality
a growing public health concern in office buildings, schools, and homes.
Industrial Hygiene Hierarchy of Controls
a development by industrial hygienists targeted to avoid or minimize employee exposures to potentially hazardous chemicals.
infection
the state produced by the invasion of a host by an infectious agent. Such infection may or may not produce clinical signs.
infectiousness
a measure of the potential ability of an infected host to transmit the infection to other hosts.
infectivity
refers to the capacity of an agent to enter a susceptible host and produce infection or disease.
information exchange process
interactions between nurses and clients that reflect three subprocesses: amplifying, clarifying, and verifying.
information management
the management of the accumulation and distribution of information through electronic means.
informing
a communication process in which the nurse interprets facts and shares knowledge with clients.
Institute of Medicine
a part of the National Academy of Sciences, and an organization whose purpose is to provide national advice on issues relating to biomedical science, medicine, and health.
integrative outcomes
an outcome in which mutual advantages override individual gains.
intermittent or continuous source
cases may be exposed periodically or uninterrupted over a period of days or weeks.
interoperability
the ability to exchange coded data.
interpreters
persons in both the nurse’s and the client’s languages who assist by translating nurse-client interactions.
interprofessional collaboration
collaboration among professionals across varying disciplines to plan the best client care.
judicial law
law based on court or jury decisions.
justice
ethical principle that claims that equals should be treated equally and those who are unequal should be treated differently according to their differences.
Laboratory Response Network (LRN)
developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to maintain an integrated network of state and local public health, federal, military, and international laboratories to respond to biological and chemical terrorism and other public health emergencies.
law
a binding custom or practice of a community; a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority.
lawful permanent residents
individuals who are not citizens, but are legally allowed to live and work in the United States, usually because they fulfill labor demands or have family ties.
legal immigrants
noncitizens who are legally allowed to both live and work in the United States, often because they fulfill labor demands or have family ties.
legislation
bills introduced by Congress for the purpose of establishing laws that direct policy.
legislative staff
an individual or groups of individuals who perform duties such as research and writing, which helps the legislator move policy ideas through the legislative processes and into law.
licensure
legal sanction to practice a profession after attaining the minimum degree of competence to ensure protection of public health and safety.
life care planning
a tool used in case management to assess the current and future needs of a client. It is a customized, medically based document that provides assessment of all present and future needs, services, equipment, supplies, and living arrangements for a client.
local public health agencies
the agency that is responsible for implementing and enforcing local, state, and federal public health codes and ordinances and providing essential public health programs to a community.
managed care
refers to integrating payment for services with delivery of services and emphasizing cost-effective service delivery along a continuum of care.
meaningful use
suggests that better health care does not come solely from the adoption of technology itself, but through the exchange and use of electronic health information to best inform clinical decisions at the point-of-care (Martin et al, in press; USDHHS, 2010).
medical home
incorporates preventive, acute, and chronic care from birth through transition to adulthood. The medical home emphasizes an integrated health system with collaboration of care from an interprofessional team of primary care physicians, specialists and subspecialists, other health professionals, hospitals and health care facilities, public health, and the community working with children and families (AMCHP, 2010).
Medical Reserve Corp (MRC)
provides opportunities for nurses to support emergency preparedness and response in their local jurisdictions.
medically underserved areas
health professional shortage areas in which there are fewer than the generally accepted minimum number of health care providers per thousand population. There are about 3960 designated health professional shortage areas across the United States.
Medicare-certified
to be Medicare-certified, key criteria identified in the Conditions of Participation are: (1) the client must be home-bound; (2) services must be intermittent and include a skilled service provided by a nurse, physical therapist, or speech and language pathologist; (3) a plan of care must be initiated and followed; and (4) Medicare forms, physician orders, and client records must be completed on a timely basis.
methylmercury
a toxic material to humans; it is formed when airborne mercury lands on water bodies (such as lakes, rivers, or oceans) and is converted by the microorganisms in the water.
mitigation
actions designed to either prevent something (e.g., a disaster) from happening or reduce the severity of its effects.
mixed outbreak
an outbreak with a common source followed by secondary exposures related to person-to-person contact, as in the spreading of influenza.
monitoring
inspecting or checking carefully to make sure environmental standards are upheld.
multifactorial disease
disease caused by gene and environment interaction.
mutation
alteration in the usual sequence of bases that form a gene or a change in DNA or chromosomal structure.
mutual aid agreement
a signed document by at least two organizations that outlines the ways in which collaboration and coordination will occur between them at the time of a disaster.
National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)
provides nurses the opportunity to work on specialized teams, such as the National Nurse Response Team (NNRT) and the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT).
National Health Security Strategy (NHSS)
focuses specifically on the national goals for protecting people’s health in the case of disaster in any setting.
National Incident Management System (NIMS)
provides all responders with protocol and common language for how responders can work together. Ongoing education and training are stressed for all responders. Responders practice and evaluate their skills and their ability to work with one another through disaster drills and exercises.
National Institute of Nursing Research
one branch of the National Institutes of Health charged with promoting the growth and quality of research in nursing.
National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS)
a voluntary system monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that includes 52 infectious diseases or conditions with case definitions that are considered important to the public’s health.
National Preparedness Guidelines (NPG)
established national guidelines to strengthen the preparedness of the United States to protect against, respond to, and recover from threatened or actual terrorist attacks and major disasters.
National Response Framework (NRF)
a guide for conducting a nationwide all-hazards response, ?built upon scalable, flexible, and adaptable coordinating structures to align key roles and responsibilities across the Nation, linking all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector? (DHS, 2008d, p i).
natural immunity
species-determined innate resistance to an infectious agent.
negotiating
working with others in a formal way to achieve agreement on areas of conflict, using principles of communication, conflict resolution, and assertiveness. Negotiation may be relatively informal, as when two staff members negotiate which vacation times they will have. It may also be formal, as when labor and management negotiate a contract in a unionized environment.
nonimmigrants
persons admitted to the United States for a limited duration and for a specified purpose.
nonmaleficence
doing no harm.
non?point sources
sources that come from more diffuse exposures than point sources. For instance, the largest non?point source of air pollution is from mobile sources such as cars and trucks, which are the greatest single source of air pollution in the United States.
nonverbal communication
the use of body language or gestures to send information that cannot or may not be said verbally.
nurse practice act
state law that governs the practice of nursing.
nursing practice
nurse clinical activities and behaviors that are performed on behalf of clients.
nursing process
practice interventions in nursing that are used to care for a community or the aggregates within it. The process includes collecting data, assessing data, diagnosing or identifying a problem, developing plans and interventions, and evaluating outcomes.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
federal agency charged with improving worker health and safety by establishing standards and regulations and by educating workers.
Office of Homeland Security
an office of the Executive Branch designed to protect citizens from bioterrorism.
Omaha System
a system of nursing diagnoses, interventions, and evaluations of outcomes of care developed by the Omaha Visiting Nurses Association.
Omaha System Intervention Scheme
a systematic arrangement of nursing actions or activities designed to help nurses and other health care professionals document both plans and interventions. Intended for use with nursing diagnoses.
Omaha System Problem Classification Scheme
a client-focused taxonomy of nursing diagnoses comprising simple terms.
Omaha System Problem Rating Scale for Outcomes
a five-point Likert type of scale that provides a systematic, recurring way of measuring client progress throughout the time of service.
outbreak
change (increase) in disease/event from expected levels to levels that are clearly in excess.
outbreak detection
identifying a rise in frequency of disease above the usual occurrence of the disease.
outcome and assessment information set
a group of standard data elements developed, tested and refined over the past two decades through an extensive research and demonstration program funded largely by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the New York State Department of Health.
outcome data
focuses on changes in health status.
outcome-based quality improvement
a two-stage framework that includes data analysis and outcome enhancement.
palliative care
alleviating symptoms of, meeting the special needs of, and providing comfort for the dying clients and families by the nurse.
pandemic
refers to the epidemic spread of the problem over several countries or continents (such as the SARS outbreak). refers to the epidemic spread of the problem over several countries or continents.
Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA)
enacted in 2006 to improve the nation’s ability to detect, prepare for, and respond to a variety of public health emergencies.
partnership
?a close mutual cooperation between parties having common interests, responsibilities, privileges and power? (CCPH, 2006). Partnerships are built on trust, mutual respect, and the sharing of power.
passive immunization
immunization by transfer of a specific antibody from an immunized person to one who is not immunized.
pathogenicity
measures the proportion of infected people who develop the disease.
permit
a legally binding document.
permitting
a process by which the government places limits on the amount of pollution emitted into the air or water.
persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs)
synthetic chemicals that contaminate the environment and do not break down in air, water, or soil, or in the plant, animal, and human bodies to which they may be passed.
persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
synthetic chemicals that contaminate the environment and do not break down in air, water, or soil, or in the plant, animal, and human bodies to which they may be passed.
personal protective equipment (PPE)
: equipment needed to perform a specialized activity; should be used to safely perform near dangerous materials.
point source
an outbreak that involves all persons exposed becoming ill at same time, during one incubation period.
point sources
individual, identifiable sources such as smoke stacks; they are sometimes referred to as fixed sites.
Points of Dispensing (POD)
provides medical services and supplies to the entire population within 48 hours of a disaster.
police power
states’ power to act to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens.
policy
settled course of action to be followed by a government or institution to obtain a desired end.
politics
the art of influencing others to accept a specific course of action.
population management
a health care management process that coordinates care across the continuum for a population aggregate.
practice setting
the context or environment within which nursing care is given.
precautionary principle
: basic tenet on which to guide the American Nurses Association’s environmental advocacy work.
prejudice
the emotional manifestation of deeply held beliefs (stereotypes) about a group.
primary health care
the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by health care professionals; the aim of primary health care is to address the majority of personal health care needs, develop a sustained partnership with patients, and practice in the context of family and community.
problem solving
a systematic approach that includes understanding the values of each party and generating alternative solutions.
problem-purpose-expansion method
a way to broaden limited thinking that involves restating the problem and expanding the problem statement so that different solutions can be generated.
process data
data that focus on services provided or protocols for health care.
Project BioShield
a program to develop and produce new drugs and vaccines as countermeasures against potential bioweapons and deadly pathogens.
propagated outbreak
an outbreak that does not have a common source and spreads gradually from person to person, over more than one incubation period.
public health
organized community and multidisciplinary efforts aimed at preventing disease and promoting health. organized community efforts designed to prevent disease and promote health.
public health nursing
the synthesis of nursing theory and public health theory applied to promoting and preserving the health of populations. The focus of practice is the community as a whole and the effect of the community’s health status (resources) on the health of individuals, families, and groups. Care is provided within the context of preventing disease and disability and promoting and protecting the health of the community as a whole.
Public Health Nursing Intervention Wheel
a population-based practice model that encompasses three levels of practice (community, systems, and individual/family) and 17 public health interventions. Each intervention and practice level contributes to improving population health, providing a practice foundation.
public health programs
designed with the goal of improving a population’s health status. They go beyond the administration of health care to individuals to a primary focus on the health of populations. Public health programs include community health assessment and interventions based on assessment results, analysis of health statistics, public education, outreach, case management, advocacy, professional education for providers, disease surveillance and investigation, emergency preparedness and response, compliance to regulations for some institutions/agencies and school systems, and follow-up of populations.
public health protection
laws, regulations, reporting mechanisms, and data collections used for disease surveillance/outbreak investigations to protect the public’s health.
Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002
addressed the need to enhance public health and health care readiness and community health care infrastructures.
public health surge
overwhelming need for medical assistance during an emergency.
public health system
a broad range of services, including, but not limited to, basic health services, family planning, clean water supply, sanitation, immunization, and nutrition education. It consists of programs designed to be affordable for the recipients of the care and the governments that provide them.
public health triage
involves the sorting or identification of populations for priority interventions. In epidemics, for example, the public health triage focus becomes the prevention of secondary infection.
PulseNet
a system developed by the CDC, the Association of Public Health Laboratories, and federal food regulatory agencies to “fingerprint” foodborne bacteria. This system is designed to provide data for early recognition and investigation of foodborne outbreaks in all 50 states.
quality of care
a measure of the achievement of positive health outcomes.
race
a primarily social classification that relies on physical markers such as skin color to identify group membership.
racism
a form of prejudice that occurs through the exercise of power by individuals and institutions against people who are judged to be inferior.
rapid needs assessment
includes determining of the magnitude of the incident, defining the specific health needs of the affected population, establishing priorities and objectives for action, identifying existing and potential public health problems, evaluating the capacity of the local response including resources and logistics, and determining the external resource needs for priority actions.
refugees
persons who seek protection in the United States because of fear of persecution in their homeland.
regulation
specific statement of law that relates to and clarifies individual pieces of legislation.
regulations
control human or societal behavior by rules or restrictions.
resistance
the ability of the host to withstand infection.
right to know
a type of law that enables health professionals and community members to easily access key information by zip code regarding major sources of pollution that are being emitted into the air or water in their community.
risk assessment
a process to determine the probability of a health threat associated with an exposure.
risk communication
the exchange of information about health or environmental risks among risk assessors and managers, the general public, news media, interest groups, and so on. an area of practice and a skill that is a composite of two separate words: ?risk? and ?communication.?
risk management
the selection and implementation of a strategy to eliminate or reduce risks. This can take many forms.
risk sharing
a financial arrangement between an insurance payer and a health care provider. The payer and provider share in the extra cost of a client’s care when that cost is not expected.
route of exposure
: an element examined in risk assessment in environmental health.
sentinel
a surveillance system that monitors key health events when information is not otherwise available or in vulnerable populations to calculate or estimate disease morbidity.
sentinel event
an unexpected occurrence involving death, severe physical or psychological injury, or the risk of injury or death.
skilled nursing care
care provided to a client that requires the knowledge and skill of a registered nurse.
skilled nursing services
the Medicare term that describes the duties of the registered nurse, and refers to the requirement of nursing judgment.
social mandate
a trust that society has placed in the government and health care system that the population’s heath will be improved, for example, Healthy People 2020.
social organization
the way in which a cultural group structures itself around the family to carry out role functions.
socioeconomic status
a measure of economic achievement by an individual or group; class identity.
space
the physical distance between individuals during an interaction.
special needs shelters
designed for those individuals who have pre-existing conditions resulting in medical impairments and who have been able to maintain activities of daily living in a home environment prior to the disaster or emergency situation.
sporadic
problems with an irregular pattern with occasional cases found at irregular intervals.
state public health agency
a state-level agency that works in partnership with other government agencies, private enterprises, and voluntary organizations to ensure that services essential to the public’s health are provided for all populations. State public health agencies are responsible for monitoring health status and enforcing laws and regulations that protect and improve the public’s health.
stereotyping
ascribing certain beliefs and behaviors about a given racial and ethnic group to an individual without assessing for individual differences.
Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)
a CDC-managed program that provides the national repository of antibiotics, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, other pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies and equipment to be used in the event of a terrorist attack or major natural disaster.
supporting
the process that involves upholding a client’s right to make a choice and to act on it.
surveillance
describes and monitors health events through ongoing and systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data for the purpose of planning, implementing, and evaluating public health interventions (adapted from MMWR, 1988).
syndronic surveillance systems
systems developed to monitor illness syndromes or events, such as increased numbers of medication purchases, trips to physicians or emergency departments, or orders for cultures or x-ray films, as well as rising levels of school or work absenteeism, which may indicate that an epidemic is developing hours or days before disease clusters are recognized or specific diagnoses are made and reported to public health agencies.
telehealth
health information sent from one site to another by electronic communication.
time
orientation to past, present, and/or future as well as to the duration of and period between events.
toxicants
poisonous substances that can cause harm.
toxicology
the basic science applied to understanding the health effects associated with chemical exposures.
transitional care
defined as ?a set of actions designed to ensure the coordination and continuity of health care as clients transfer between different locations and different levels of care in the same location? (Coleman and Berenson, 2004, p 1).
triage
deciding which injured or sick individuals need the most immediate attention and by whom.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
a regulatory agency of the executive branch of government charged with overseeing health and welfare needs of United States citizens.
unauthorized immigrants
foreign-born persons residing in the United States who may have entered the country illegally or whose permission to stay may have expired.
universal precautions
this strategy requires that blood and body fluids from all clients be handled as if infected with a disease or bloodborne pathogens.
utilization management
attempts to promote optimal use of services to redirect care and monitor the appropriate use of provider care/treatment services for both acute and community/ambulatory services. Providers are offered multiple options for care with different economic implications.
vector
a non-human organism, often an insect, that either mechanically or biologically plays a role in the transmission of an infectious agent from source to host.
veracity
truth telling.
verbal communication
the use of language in the form of words within a grammatical structure to express ideas and feelings and to describe objects.
verifying
a communication process used by a nurse advocate to establish accuracy and reality of facts.
vertical transmission
passing the infection from parent to offspring via sperm, placenta, milk, or contact in the vaginal canal at birth.
vicarious traumatization
for nurses during a disaster/incident, this occurs in response to listening to survivors’ stories of the traumatic event (McLaughlin, Murray, and Benbenishty, 2005, p 73). Therefore, mental health workers need to assist nurses as well as the public.
virulence
refers to the proportion of people with clinical disease who become severely ill or die.
World Health Organization (WHO)
the United Nations’ specialized agency for health. It was established on April 7, 1948. WHO’s objective, as set out in its constitution, is the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO’s constitution as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease.
