Fundamentals of Nursing Practice: Key Concepts
This resource outlines essential concepts in fundamental nursing practice, covering legal and
ethical considerations, basic patient care skills, common medical terminology, and principles of
patient safety and comfort.
I. Healthcare Regulations and Ethical Principles:
1. Homes for the Aged Licensing and Monitoring: Homes for the aged are licensed by
the Division of Health Service Regulation and monitored by Adult Home Specialists
within the County Department of Social Services.
2. Home Health Agencies: These agencies provide home care services to allow patients to
receive necessary care while remaining in their own homes.
3. OBRA (Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act): This federal law, applicable in all 50
states, establishes standards for care in nursing homes and mandates nursing assistant
training and competency evaluation programs.
4. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) of 1996: This act was
written to protect the privacy and security of individuals' health information.
5. Ethics: These are codes of conduct that guide actions, defining what is considered right
or wrong, fair or unfair, honest or dishonest. Ethical principles can vary across
professions.
6. Assault: This involves a threat or attempted physical attack by someone who appears
capable of causing bodily harm.
7. Battery: This is an assault involving physical contact. It is the unlawful touching of
another person without their consent.
8. False Imprisonment: This refers to holding someone against their will without legal
justification.
9. Neglect: This is the failure to provide necessary goods and services, leading to
physical harm, mental anguish, or mental illness.
10. Abuse: This involves causing or attempting to cause physical injury; sexual assault;
or placing another person in fear of imminent physical harm.
, II. Healthcare Programs and Communication Challenges:
11. Medicare: This is a federal health insurance program primarily for individuals 65
years of age and older.
12. Medicaid: This is a public assistance program designed to provide healthcare services
to low-income Americans.
13. Aphasia: This is the absence or impairment of the ability to communicate through
speech, writing, or signs due to brain dysfunction.
14. Cheyne-Stokes Respirations: This is an abnormal respiratory pattern characterized
by alternating periods of apnea (cessation of breathing) and deep, rapid breathing.
15. Agonal Breathing: These are irregular, gasping breaths that often precede complete
apnea and death.
III. End-of-Life Care and Cognitive Impairment:
16. Stages of Grief (Kübler-Ross Model): These stages are commonly identified as Denial,
Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. It's important to note that individuals
may not progress through these stages in a linear fashion.
17. Alzheimer's Disease: This is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder
characterized by a gradual decline in memory, reasoning, language, and eventually
physical abilities.
18. Dementia: This is a long-term decline in mental faculties, including memory,
concentration, and judgment, often observed in the elderly and can be caused by various
conditions, including Alzheimer's disease.
19. Diaphoresis: This refers to excessive sweating.
20. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross: She was the author of "On Death and Dying" and developed the
five-stage theory of grief.
21. Last Sense Lost in Dying: The sense of hearing is often the last sense to be lost as a
dying client approaches death.
22. Grief Stages Order: Individuals do not necessarily go through all stages of grief in a
specific order. The grieving process is unique to each person.
This resource outlines essential concepts in fundamental nursing practice, covering legal and
ethical considerations, basic patient care skills, common medical terminology, and principles of
patient safety and comfort.
I. Healthcare Regulations and Ethical Principles:
1. Homes for the Aged Licensing and Monitoring: Homes for the aged are licensed by
the Division of Health Service Regulation and monitored by Adult Home Specialists
within the County Department of Social Services.
2. Home Health Agencies: These agencies provide home care services to allow patients to
receive necessary care while remaining in their own homes.
3. OBRA (Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act): This federal law, applicable in all 50
states, establishes standards for care in nursing homes and mandates nursing assistant
training and competency evaluation programs.
4. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) of 1996: This act was
written to protect the privacy and security of individuals' health information.
5. Ethics: These are codes of conduct that guide actions, defining what is considered right
or wrong, fair or unfair, honest or dishonest. Ethical principles can vary across
professions.
6. Assault: This involves a threat or attempted physical attack by someone who appears
capable of causing bodily harm.
7. Battery: This is an assault involving physical contact. It is the unlawful touching of
another person without their consent.
8. False Imprisonment: This refers to holding someone against their will without legal
justification.
9. Neglect: This is the failure to provide necessary goods and services, leading to
physical harm, mental anguish, or mental illness.
10. Abuse: This involves causing or attempting to cause physical injury; sexual assault;
or placing another person in fear of imminent physical harm.
, II. Healthcare Programs and Communication Challenges:
11. Medicare: This is a federal health insurance program primarily for individuals 65
years of age and older.
12. Medicaid: This is a public assistance program designed to provide healthcare services
to low-income Americans.
13. Aphasia: This is the absence or impairment of the ability to communicate through
speech, writing, or signs due to brain dysfunction.
14. Cheyne-Stokes Respirations: This is an abnormal respiratory pattern characterized
by alternating periods of apnea (cessation of breathing) and deep, rapid breathing.
15. Agonal Breathing: These are irregular, gasping breaths that often precede complete
apnea and death.
III. End-of-Life Care and Cognitive Impairment:
16. Stages of Grief (Kübler-Ross Model): These stages are commonly identified as Denial,
Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. It's important to note that individuals
may not progress through these stages in a linear fashion.
17. Alzheimer's Disease: This is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder
characterized by a gradual decline in memory, reasoning, language, and eventually
physical abilities.
18. Dementia: This is a long-term decline in mental faculties, including memory,
concentration, and judgment, often observed in the elderly and can be caused by various
conditions, including Alzheimer's disease.
19. Diaphoresis: This refers to excessive sweating.
20. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross: She was the author of "On Death and Dying" and developed the
five-stage theory of grief.
21. Last Sense Lost in Dying: The sense of hearing is often the last sense to be lost as a
dying client approaches death.
22. Grief Stages Order: Individuals do not necessarily go through all stages of grief in a
specific order. The grieving process is unique to each person.
