NURS 399 VOCABULARY 2026/2027 | PATHOPHYSIOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY
KEY TERMS, DEFINITIONS & STUDY GUIDE
Acuity - correct answer ✔✔Level of severity of illness.
Altered mental status - correct answer ✔✔Sudden or gradual changes in behavior and thinking that can
include disorientation, confusion, or coma. Can be chronic.
Acute - correct answer ✔✔Having severe symptoms and a short course/duration.
Chronic - correct answer ✔✔Persisting for a long time; indicated a disease or illness showing a slow
progression over a long period.
Complication - correct answer ✔✔A secondary disease, or a negative reaction, occurring during the
course of an illness and usually aggravating the illness.
Constrict - correct answer ✔✔To narrow or make smaller, to shrink or contract.
Dialate - correct answer ✔✔To stretch or enlarge.
"End Stage" disease - correct answer ✔✔A disease that has reached an advanced stage and typically
includes severe loss of function of the organ or organs involved.
Emergent - correct answer ✔✔Arising suddenly and unexpectedly, calling for quick clinical judgement
and prompt action.
Exacerbate/Exacerbation - correct answer ✔✔increased severity of a disease or any of its signs or
symptoms.
Generalized/Systemic - correct answer ✔✔Spreading through or affecting the entire body; not localized.
Invasive - correct answer ✔✔A healthcare procedure that breaks the skin or introduces into a body
cavity something that is foreign.
Non-Invasive - correct answer ✔✔Skin is not broken.
Healthcare Provider (HCP) - correct answer ✔✔Someone who is licensed/certified to administer
interventions to improve physical, psychological, and/or emotional status of the patient.
Hand-off Report - correct answer ✔✔Shift-to-shift report given between the nurses.
Level of Consciousness - correct answer ✔✔An indication of the nervous system function.
Normal Consciousness - correct answer ✔✔Awake, alert, aware of self and enviornment
Lethargy - correct answer ✔✔Mild reduction in alertness.
, Obtunded - correct answer ✔✔Moderate reduction in alertness.
Stupor/Stuporous - correct answer ✔✔Patient can only be awoken to repeated, vigorous stimulation.
Comatose - correct answer ✔✔Unresponsive to all external stimuli.
Localized - correct answer ✔✔Restricted or limited to a specific body part or region.
Manifestation - correct answer ✔✔A sign or symptom of disease of illness.
Outpatient - correct answer ✔✔Facilities used by patients for treatments that do not require overnight
stays.
Inpatient - correct answer ✔✔Healthcare services that require a client to be admitted by a healthcare
provider.
Post-op - correct answer ✔✔After surgery care.
Pre-op - correct answer ✔✔Before surgery care.
Perfusion - correct answer ✔✔Blood flow through vascular systems to cells, tissues, and organs.
Parenteral - correct answer ✔✔By some route other than through the gastrointestinal tract/alimentary
canal. Ex. subcutaneous, intramuscular, intraosseous, or intravenous injection.
Stable - correct answer ✔✔Patient or patient situation that does not change substantially over time.
Unstable - correct answer ✔✔Patients are critically ill or have a condition/situation that is changing
rapidly over time.
Triage Nurse - correct answer ✔✔Screens patients to determine their relative priority for treatment
order in ED or Urgent Care.
No pulse/pulseless - correct answer ✔✔having no perceptible/palpable pulse and therefore no
heartbeat (cardiac arrest).
Adventitious - correct answer ✔✔Breath sounds; abnormal when listening to chest.
Expectorate - correct answer ✔✔To clear out the chest and lungs by coughing up and spitting out matter.
Wheeze - correct answer ✔✔To breath with difficulty and with a whistling sound on auscultation.
Bronchoconstriction - correct answer ✔✔Narrowed small airways in the lungs.
Excrete - correct answer ✔✔To discharge waste matter from the body through kidneys, skin, lungs,
bowels, etc.
KEY TERMS, DEFINITIONS & STUDY GUIDE
Acuity - correct answer ✔✔Level of severity of illness.
Altered mental status - correct answer ✔✔Sudden or gradual changes in behavior and thinking that can
include disorientation, confusion, or coma. Can be chronic.
Acute - correct answer ✔✔Having severe symptoms and a short course/duration.
Chronic - correct answer ✔✔Persisting for a long time; indicated a disease or illness showing a slow
progression over a long period.
Complication - correct answer ✔✔A secondary disease, or a negative reaction, occurring during the
course of an illness and usually aggravating the illness.
Constrict - correct answer ✔✔To narrow or make smaller, to shrink or contract.
Dialate - correct answer ✔✔To stretch or enlarge.
"End Stage" disease - correct answer ✔✔A disease that has reached an advanced stage and typically
includes severe loss of function of the organ or organs involved.
Emergent - correct answer ✔✔Arising suddenly and unexpectedly, calling for quick clinical judgement
and prompt action.
Exacerbate/Exacerbation - correct answer ✔✔increased severity of a disease or any of its signs or
symptoms.
Generalized/Systemic - correct answer ✔✔Spreading through or affecting the entire body; not localized.
Invasive - correct answer ✔✔A healthcare procedure that breaks the skin or introduces into a body
cavity something that is foreign.
Non-Invasive - correct answer ✔✔Skin is not broken.
Healthcare Provider (HCP) - correct answer ✔✔Someone who is licensed/certified to administer
interventions to improve physical, psychological, and/or emotional status of the patient.
Hand-off Report - correct answer ✔✔Shift-to-shift report given between the nurses.
Level of Consciousness - correct answer ✔✔An indication of the nervous system function.
Normal Consciousness - correct answer ✔✔Awake, alert, aware of self and enviornment
Lethargy - correct answer ✔✔Mild reduction in alertness.
, Obtunded - correct answer ✔✔Moderate reduction in alertness.
Stupor/Stuporous - correct answer ✔✔Patient can only be awoken to repeated, vigorous stimulation.
Comatose - correct answer ✔✔Unresponsive to all external stimuli.
Localized - correct answer ✔✔Restricted or limited to a specific body part or region.
Manifestation - correct answer ✔✔A sign or symptom of disease of illness.
Outpatient - correct answer ✔✔Facilities used by patients for treatments that do not require overnight
stays.
Inpatient - correct answer ✔✔Healthcare services that require a client to be admitted by a healthcare
provider.
Post-op - correct answer ✔✔After surgery care.
Pre-op - correct answer ✔✔Before surgery care.
Perfusion - correct answer ✔✔Blood flow through vascular systems to cells, tissues, and organs.
Parenteral - correct answer ✔✔By some route other than through the gastrointestinal tract/alimentary
canal. Ex. subcutaneous, intramuscular, intraosseous, or intravenous injection.
Stable - correct answer ✔✔Patient or patient situation that does not change substantially over time.
Unstable - correct answer ✔✔Patients are critically ill or have a condition/situation that is changing
rapidly over time.
Triage Nurse - correct answer ✔✔Screens patients to determine their relative priority for treatment
order in ED or Urgent Care.
No pulse/pulseless - correct answer ✔✔having no perceptible/palpable pulse and therefore no
heartbeat (cardiac arrest).
Adventitious - correct answer ✔✔Breath sounds; abnormal when listening to chest.
Expectorate - correct answer ✔✔To clear out the chest and lungs by coughing up and spitting out matter.
Wheeze - correct answer ✔✔To breath with difficulty and with a whistling sound on auscultation.
Bronchoconstriction - correct answer ✔✔Narrowed small airways in the lungs.
Excrete - correct answer ✔✔To discharge waste matter from the body through kidneys, skin, lungs,
bowels, etc.
