| A | B |
|---|
| Accessory Muscles | The secondary muscles of respiration; including neck, chest, and abdominal muscles. |
| Auscultate | To listen to sounds within an organ with a stethescope. |
| AVPU | Assessing level of consciousness |
| Bradycardia | Heart rate less than 60 BPM |
| Capillary Refill | A test to evaluate perfusion of the distal extremities by pressing the fingernail beds. |
| Chief Complaint | The reason the patient called for help (usually the response to "what's wrong today?"). |
| Coagulate | Formation of a clot to plug an opening in an injured vessel. |
| Crepitus | The grating or grinding of bone ends or the formation of air bubbles under the skin that produces a crackling sound. |
| Cyanosis | A bluish gray skin color that is caused by a reduced oxygen level in the blood |
| DCAP-BTLS | Mnemonic for assessment in which each area of the body is evaluated: "Look for" - Deformities, Contusions, Abrasions, Punctures/Penatrations, Burns, Tenderness, Lacerations, and Swelling |
| Diaphoretic | Characterized by profuse sweating |
| Focused Assessment | This type of examination is based on the chief complaint and focuses one one body system or part. |
| Full-body Scan | A systemic "head-to-toe" examination that is performed during the secondary assessment on the patient. |
| General Impression | The overall initial impression that determines the priority for patient care; based on the patient's surroundings, the MOI/NOI, signs and symptoms, and chief complaint. |
| History Taking | A step within the patient assessment process that provides details about the patient's chief complaint and an account of their signs and symptoms. |
| Hypertension | Blood pressure that is higher than normal range. |
| Hypotension | Blood pressure that is lover than normal range. |
| Mechanism of Injury (MOI) | The way in which traumatic injuriesoccur; the forces that act on the body to cause damage. |
| Nature of Illness (NOI) | The general type of illness a patient is experiencing. |
| OPQRST | An abbreviation for key terms to evaluate a patient's pain: Onset, Provocation or Palliation, Quality, Region or Radiation, Severity, and Timing of the pain. |
| Orientation | The mental status of the patient measured by the memory of the person (name), place (current location), time (current year, month, and approximate date), and event (what happened). |
| Palpate | To examine by touch |
| Perfusion | Circulation of blood within an organ or tissue. |
| Pertinent Negatives | Negative findings that warrant no care or intervention. |
| Primary Assessment | A step within the patient assessment process that identifies and initiates treatment of immediate and potential life threats. |
| Rales | A crackling rattling sound that signals fluid in the air spaces of the lungs; also called crackles. |
| Reassessment | A step within the assessment process that is performed at regular intervals during an the assessment and treatment of a patient to look for changes in patient status. |
| Responsiveness | The way in which a patient responds to external stimuli, including verbal stimuli (sound), tactile stimuli (touch), and painful stimuli. |
| Rhonchi | Coarse, low-pitched breath sounds heard in patients whith chronic mucous in upper airways. |
| SAMPLE History | A mnemonic to remember a brief history of the patient's condition to determine signs and symptoms, allergies, medications, pertinent past medical history, last oral intake, and events leading up to the illness or injury. |
| Secondary Assessment | A step within the patient assessmentprocess in which systemic physical examination of the patient is performed. |
| Stridor | A harsh, high pitched crowing inspiratory sound, such as the sound often heard in acute laryngeal (upper airway) obstruction (seal-bark). |
| Symptom | Subjective findings that a patient feels but can be identified only by the patient. |
| Tachycardia | A rapid heart rate, more than 100 BPM |
| Vasoconstriction | Narrowing of the arteries |
