Nursing assessment
A structured check of the patient’s condition and care needs. On our service pages, this includes observations such as blood pressure, pulse, temperature and breathing, with the findings recorded for the care plan.
Nursing words explained
Understand words used in nursing care
Short explanations to help you read our service pages and ask clearer questions. These definitions do not tell you which treatment is suitable or how to perform a procedure.
The publisher confirms that the current English, Urdu and Roman Urdu pages completed clinical and language review on 22 October 2026. Reviewer details are kept private.
Written by the Nurse at Home team. Follow the patient’s own clinician and care plan.
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People and care roles
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Equipment and care tasks
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Documents and records
Assessment and monitoring
Vital signs
Basic measurements of how the body is working: temperature, pulse, breathing rate and blood pressure, often with oxygen saturation. The nurse records them so that changes from the patient’s usual readings can be shared with the treating team.
Explore assessment and vital signs · Explore chronic condition monitoring
Blood pressure
The force of blood against the walls of the arteries, written as two numbers such as 120/80 mmHg: the first while the heart beats, the second between beats. The treating doctor decides which range is right for the patient.
Explore assessment and vital signs · Explore chronic condition monitoring
Oxygen saturation (SpO2)
An estimate of the percentage of haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells, that is carrying oxygen. A small clip-on pulse oximeter, usually on a finger, shows this percentage. Cold skin, movement, nail polish and skin pigmentation can affect accuracy; readings need to be considered alongside symptoms.
Explore assessment and vital signs · Explore home oxygen care
Blood glucose (blood sugar)
The amount of sugar in the blood, often checked at home with a drop of blood from a fingertip and a glucose meter. The patient’s doctor sets the target range and what to do about high or low readings.
Long-term (chronic) condition
A health condition that lasts a long time and needs regular monitoring, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure or long-term lung disease. Home monitoring records readings for the treating team; it does not replace their care.
Medicines
Medication administration
Giving a medicine exactly as prescribed: the right medicine and dose, by the right route, at the right time, to the right patient, with each dose recorded. A nurse does not change a dose or start a medicine without the prescriber.
Medication adherence
Taking medicines as the prescriber intended. Reminders, a dose chart and a pill organiser can help; stopping or changing a medicine is a decision for the prescriber.
MedlinePlus: Taking multiple medicines safely (English, web page)
Injection routes (IM and SC)
Where an injection is given. An intramuscular (IM) injection goes into a muscle; a subcutaneous (SC) injection goes into the fatty layer under the skin, as with insulin. The prescription states the medicine, dose and route.
Insulin
A hormone that lowers blood sugar. As a medicine it is injected with a syringe or pen, in the dose and at the times prescribed for the patient. Different insulin types are not interchangeable.
Wounds and recovery after surgery
Wound dressing
A covering placed on a wound to protect it, absorb fluid and support healing. The type of dressing and how often it is changed follow the care plan or clinical order, and the nurse records how the wound looks.
Aseptic technique
Ways of working that reduce the chance of germs reaching vulnerable parts of the body during care. Aseptic care protects key parts and sites from contamination; clean and sterile do not mean the same thing. The procedure and clinical guidance determine which equipment and precautions are needed.
Stitches and staples
Stitches (sutures) or small metal clips (staples) hold a surgical wound closed while it heals. They are removed when the surgeon’s instructions say; some stitches dissolve on their own.
Surgical drain
A thin tube placed during an operation so that blood or fluid can leave the area into a bulb or bag. The amount and colour of the fluid are recorded, and the surgical team decides when the drain comes out.
Post-operative care
Care after an operation while the patient recovers at home: checking the wound, pain, eating, drinking, passing urine and moving, and following the hospital’s discharge instructions.
Pressure injury (bedsore)
Damage to the skin and the tissue underneath caused by staying in one position, usually over bony areas such as the heels, hips or lower back. People who spend most of the day in bed or a chair are most at risk.
Tubes, lines and devices
Urinary catheter
A soft tube that drains urine from the bladder, often into a collection bag. Inserting or replacing the tube is a different task from looking after the drainage bag.
Catheter insertion or replacement · Urine bag and catheter guide
Stoma
An opening made during surgery. For a bowel stoma, part of the bowel opens through the abdomen so stool can pass into a bag. The patient’s stoma team gives instructions for their particular type and equipment.
IV infusion
IV means into a vein. An IV infusion gives prescribed fluid or medicine through a needle or small tube in a vein. The medicine, amount and rate must follow the authorised order; this definition is not an instruction to start a drip.
IV cannula
A short, thin plastic tube placed in a vein, usually in the hand or arm, so that fluids or medicines can be given into the vein. The site is checked for pain, swelling or redness.
Urine drainage bag
The bag attached to a urinary catheter that collects urine. It is kept below the level of the bladder and emptied before it is full; how often it is changed depends on the bag and the care plan.
Feeding tube (NG or PEG)
A tube that gives liquid feed, water and some medicines when a person cannot eat or swallow safely. A nasogastric (NG) tube passes through the nose into the stomach; a PEG tube passes through the skin of the abdomen into the stomach.
Suppository and enema
Two ways of giving medicine through the back passage (rectum). A suppository is a small solid dose that melts in the body; an enema is a liquid. Both are given only as ordered.
Specimen collection
Taking a sample, such as blood or urine, for a laboratory test that a doctor has ordered. The sample is labelled and handled as the laboratory instructs.
Breathing
Nebulizer
A machine that turns liquid medicine into a fine mist that is breathed in through a mask or mouthpiece. The medicine and dose are prescribed for the patient.
Home oxygen therapy
Extra oxygen given at home through soft nasal tubes or a mask, from a concentrator or cylinder. The flow rate and hours of use are prescribed, and flames, smoking and heaters are kept away.
Tracheostomy
An opening made in the front of the neck into the windpipe, with a tube placed in it to help breathing. Its care follows the instructions of the patient’s tracheostomy team.
Suctioning
Removing mucus that the patient cannot cough up, using a suction machine and a sterile catheter, from the mouth or a tracheostomy tube. It is done only by someone trained for it.
Personal care, mobility and older adults
Personal care
Help with everyday activities such as washing, toileting, mouth care, dressing and eating, given in a way that protects the person’s privacy and dignity.
Explore bed-bound personal care · Explore elderly care visits
Repositioning
Changing the position of someone who cannot move easily, at regular times, to relieve pressure on the skin and keep them comfortable. Pillows or cushions support the new position.
Explore mobility and fall prevention · Explore bedsore prevention
Fall prevention
Steps that lower the chance of a fall, such as clear floors, good lighting, suitable footwear, walking aids and help with standing, walking and using the toilet.
Explore mobility and fall prevention · Explore elderly care visits
Palliative care and education
Palliative care
Care that aims to relieve symptoms and stress from a serious illness and support quality of life. It can be given alongside treatment for the illness; it does not only mean care at the end of life.
Caregiver
A family member, friend or paid helper who looks after someone who needs help with daily life. The caregiver role alone does not establish Registered Nurse status; the treating team advises which tasks a caregiver can safely do after training.
Longer shifts
Nursing shift
A booked block of time, such as 8 or 12 hours, when a nurse stays with the patient to give the care agreed for that shift. A shift is different from a short visit for one procedure.
Orders, checks and records
Doctor’s order
Written instructions from a doctor that state the medicine or procedure, the dose or method and how often it is given. Services marked as needing a doctor’s order cannot be given without one.
Care plan
The written plan, agreed with the treating team, that sets out the care the patient needs, how often and what to watch for. Nurses work within it and report changes; they do not change it on their own.
PNMC registration
Registration with the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PNMC), which keeps the official register of nurses and midwives in Pakistan. Families can check a nurse’s registration on the official register.
Proof of training
A record showing that a nurse has been trained and assessed for a specific procedure, such as giving injections or inserting a catheter. It is separate from registration and from identity checks.
Visit record
The notes a nurse writes and signs for each visit: the care given, observations and how the patient tolerated it. In the app, the family reviews the record after the visit.
Clinical waste
Used needles, dressings, gloves and other items that may carry infection. They are sealed and disposed of safely, separate from household rubbish; needles go into a sharps container.