- anonymity
- state of being unknown; refers to a participant in a study whose identity is not disclosed
- autonomy
- right to make one’s own decisions related to treatment and care
- beneficence
- responsibility to act in the patient’s best interest
- clinical decision-making
- application of both critical thinking and clinical judgment to make decisions about nursing care
- clinical judgment
- process by which nurses make decisions about patient care on the basis of observations, assessments, and interpretations of relevant information
- collaborative care model
- approach to health care in which a team of providers works together to manage patient care more effectively and improve patient outcomes
- critical thinking
- multidimensional, systematic, and organized way of reasoning
- data
- pieces of information that help researchers answer questions and draw relevant conclusions
- electronic health record (EHR)
- digital version of a patient’s medical history; enables providers to immediately access information about a patient’s health, including conditions, medications, and test results
- empirical evidence
- objective data gathered by the senses from observations or experiments
- ethics
- study of right and wrong actions
- evidence-based practice
- process of making clinical decisions on the basis of the best available evidence from the most up-to-date research
- full disclosure
- process of providing a complete description of a study or medical procedure, including the risks and possible benefits
- health equity
- condition in which everyone has the same fair opportunities to attain the highest level of health outcomes
- health inequities
- disparities created by socioeconomic systems and the status of different populations
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- federal law to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge
- health policy
- laws and regulations that define the actions and decisions that promote a society’s health goals
- health-care delivery system
- individuals and organizations collectively responsible for providing and overseeing health care in an area
- informed consent
- legal document an individual signs to indicate a thorough understanding of a study, medical treatment, or procedure and to agree to participate
- intercollaborative care
- team-based approach that uses shared responsibilities, interactive planning, and collaborative decision-making to promote person-centered care and improve patient and health system outcomes
- ISBAR
- acronym that stands for Introduction, Safety, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation. The ISBAR format provides a structure of written communication that can be replicated by each team member to keep communication on track, create a workflow for the intercollaborative team, and promote patient safety
- justice
- principle that all patients should be treated fairly
- macrosystem
- culture or society that surrounds smaller systems and gives them structure
- microsystem
- relatively simple, localized system, such as the one in which a health-care provider directly works
- nonmaleficence
- responsibility to do no harm
- Nurse Practice Act
- law passed by a state’s legislature regulating nurses’ scope of practice
- nursing informatics
- specialty that uses information and technology to improve the efficiency of health care and its delivery
- nursing research
- inquiry that is systematically designed to provide knowledge for important issues relevant to the nursing profession
- patient-centered care (PCC)
- model of care that requires listening to patients to understand what they value most, then using the information as the catalyst for health-care decisions
- PICOT
- acronym based on the elements of a clinical research question: population or problem, intervention, comparison, outcome, time frame
- primary prevention
- health care intended to prevent disease before it occurs
- qualitative research
- inquiry that focuses on personal experiences obtained through observation and interaction with patients
- Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)
- project focusing on the preparation of future nurses to promote the quality and safety of health-care systems
- quality improvement (QI)
- framework to improve patient care and outcomes systematically
- quantitative research
- inquiry that uses deduction and generalization from empirical evidence to draw conclusions
- scope of practice
- range of activities a licensed person is permitted to perform as part of their work
- secondary prevention
- health care that promotes early diagnosis and treatment to slow the progression of a disease or injury
- social determinants of health (SDOH)
- nonmedical factors that have an influence on health outcomes
- systems-based practice
- health care that considers the multiple systems involved in a patient’s condition and uses evidence about their interactions to develop a treatment plan that incorporates all the entities involved in the patient’s care
- telehealth
- use of digital communications technology to remotely provide health-care services
- tertiary prevention
- health care intended to decrease the impact of an ongoing illness or injury
- The Joint Commission
- independent, not-for-profit organization that sets standards for quality care, quality improvement, and patient safety for organizations and workers in the health-care industry
- theory–practice gap
- divide between theoretical knowledge acquired in academic settings and the practical application of that knowledge in real-world clinical settings
- whole-person care
- holistic care that focuses on all of a patient’s needs