Nursing Assistant Medical Terms

Question 1

Acute

Answer 1

Sudden, Sharp

Question 2

Ambulatory

Answer 2

Able to walk around

Question 3

Aphasia

Answer 3

inability to express oneself properly due to loss of speech and/or loss of verbal comprehension.
- Expressive - cannot speak
- Receptive - cannot understand what is being said.

Question 4

Artery

Answer 4

Large blood vessel carrying blood away from the heart to the tissues.

Question 5

Arthritis

Answer 5

Inflammation of the joints and tissuesa

Question 6

Attitudes

Answer 6

Feeling and opinions one has or shows toward situations, or other people.

Question 7

Coma

Answer 7

An abnormal deep sleep like state where you cannot be awakened.

Question 8

Comatose

Answer 8

used to describe the condition of a patient in a coma. Sometimes the word unconscious is used.

Question 9

Constipation

Answer 9

Infrequent and difficult bowel evacuation

Question 10

Convulsion

Answer 10

Violent, strong involuntary muscular contractions and relaxationl

Question 11

CVA/ Stroke

Answer 11

Cerebral Vascular accident

Question 12

Cognition

Answer 12

The ability to think, reason and make and remember decisions.

Question 13

Decubitus ulcer

Answer 13

Ulcerated, worn away area on the skin. Also called a Pressure Sore.

Question 14

Deformity

Answer 14

Distortion/ disfiguration

Question 15

Degeneration

Answer 15

Breakdown, deterioration

Question 16

Defecate

Answer 16

Bowel movement

Question 17

Dementia

Answer 17

Progressive deterioration of mental functions

Question 18

Diarrhea

Answer 18

Frequent watery bowel evacuation

Question 19

Edema

Answer 19

Condition in which the body tissues contain an excessive amount of fluid.

Question 20

Ethics

Answer 20

Standards of behavior; right and wrong

Question 21

Ethnicity

Answer 21

Special customs, language, national origin and/ or heritage

Question 22

Exploitaition

Answer 22

Illegal use of vulnerable adult’s property or personal items.

Question 23

Geriatric

Answer 23

Study of the elderly

Question 24

Hemiplegia

Answer 24

Paralysis of one side of the body (left/right)

Question 25

Hemorrhage

Answer 25

Abnormal loss or discharge of blood

Question 26

Hypertension

Answer 26

High Blood Pressure

Question 27

Hypotension

Answer 27

Low Blood Pressure

Question 28

Impaction

Answer 28

Tightly wedged stool

Question 29

Involuntary

Answer 29

Uncontrollable

Question 30

Incontinent

Answer 30

Involuntary evacuation of bowel or bladder

Question 31

Mental

Answer 31

Related to the mind

Question 32

Myocardial infarction

Answer 32

Heart AttackN

Question 33

Pathogen

Answer 33

Disease causing micro- organism;germ

Question 34

Paraplegia

Answer 34

Paralysis of the lower half of the body - waist down relates to the body.

Question 35

Physical

Answer 35

relates to the body

Question 36

Prosthesis

Answer 36

Artificial or man-made part of organ (dentures, false eyes)

Question 37

Pulse

Answer 37

Rhythmical throbbing of an artery showing how fast the heart is beating

Question 38

Reality Orientation

Answer 38

Assisting residents to be aware of time, place and person

Question 39

Respiration

Answer 39

The act of breathing

Question 40

Shearing

Answer 40

force of skin over a bone when the bone moves but the skin stays at point of contact.

Question 41

Sign

Answer 41

Evidence of something abnormal in the body which is observed by the nursing team through seeing, listening, touching, or smelling.

Question 42

Standard Precautions

Answer 42

Practices that reduce risk of disease transmission like wearing gloves or washing hands.

Question 43

Temperature

Answer 43

Measurement of body heat

Question 44

Vein

Answer 44

Small blood vessel carrying blood to the heart to be re-oxygenated

Question 45

Voluntary

Answer 45

Contorollable

Question 45

Vold

Answer 45

Urination

Question 46

Ombudsman

Answer 46

The person who handles complaints in nursing home

Question 47

Cyanosis

Answer 47

Bluish discoloration of the skin

Question 48

Bradycardia

Answer 48

slow heartbeat

Question 49

Dyspnea

Answer 49

difficulty breathing

Question 50

Hypertension

Answer 50

high blood pressure

Question 51

Colostomy

Answer 51

creating an opening in the abdominal wall to large intestine

Question 52

Podiatrist

Answer 52

Doctor caring for feet

Question 53

Abduction

Answer 53

moving away from the body

Question 54

Ambulate

Answer 54

to walk

Question 55

Hemiplegia

Answer 55

when half the body is paralyzed

Question 56

Dysphagia

Answer 56

difficulty swallowing

Question 57

Emesis

Answer 57

vomiting

Question 58

Hospice

Answer 58

supportive care for people in final stages of a terminal illness.

Question 59

Hypoxia

Answer 59

low levels of oxygen

Question 60

Aphasia

Answer 60

unable to speak

Question 61

Supine

Answer 61

lying on your back