Term |
Definition |
Adjust equipment |
Adjusting any type of patient specific equipment such as an IV pump. |
Administrative |
Performing administrative or office type duties. |
Answer call light |
Answering a call light initiated by a patient or a patient's family member. |
Answer telephone |
Answering the telephone. |
Answering page |
Responding to a page. |
Answers alarm |
Answering an alarm on patient-specific equipment such as an IV pump orcardiac monitor. |
Assessment |
Assessing a patient's condition. A provider or a nurse can do this. |
Attend to patient |
Any nonspecific contact with the patient. |
Attending class |
Attending an educational class. |
Bathe patient |
Bathing or washing a patient. |
Calls for assistance |
Calling for assistance to help with a task. |
Charting |
Documenting in the patient's medical record. |
Charting (flow) |
Documenting on the patient's bedside flow sheet. |
Charting (meds sheet) |
Documenting on the patient's medication sheet (usually performed by anurse). |
Charting (orders) |
Writing orders in the patient's medical record. |
Charting (progress note) |
Documenting the patient's progress in the medical record. |
Checking for orders |
Checking the medical record for new orders. |
Cleaning |
Cleaning a patient room post-discharge. |
Cor-0 or Code blue |
Working in a code or Cor situation. |
Consult with nurse |
Discussing a patient's medical care with a nurse. |
Consult with provider |
Discussing a patient's medical care with a provider. |
Crushing meds |
Crushing or preparing medications before administration to a patient. |
Down time |
Time that is not used to benefit the patient, such as eating lunch. |
Entering orders |
Entering orders into a CPOE (computerized physician order entry) system. |
Gives meds |
Administering medications to a patient. |
Lab draw |
Obtaining a specimen from a patient. |
Looking up labs |
Looking up laboratory results on a computer. |
Making copies |
Making photocopies. |
Monitors EKGs |
Watching the unit's central cardiac monitor station. |
Obtain vital signs |
Obtaining vital signs on a patient. |
Obtains medication |
Obtaining medication(s) from the pharmacy or a medication distribution system. |
Office work |
Administrative duties related to the operations of a department. |
Pages provider |
Paging a physician. |
Paperwork |
Working on nonmedical paper work (e.g., payroll). |
Place page |
Paging other staff personnel. |
Procedure (simple) |
A nonsurgical procedure usually performed in the patient's room (e.g., patient's catheter). |
Procedure (invasive) |
An invasive procedure not performed in the operating room (usually performed at the bedside (e.g., a central line). |
Pyxis med station |
Automated medication-dispensing station. |
Report |
Giving or receiving report from another person, shift, or unit. |
Review med sheet |
Reviewing the patient's medication sheet (usually performed by a nurse). |
Review chart |
Reviewing the medical record, checking for new orders, or checking for order accuracy. |
Rounds |
Attending patient care rounds (usually attended by physicians). |
Searching |
Searching for some item not readily available. |
Supplies |
Obtaining needed supplies. |
Surgery |
Performing surgery. This is done in the operating room. |
Talk to family |
Speaking with a patient's family member. |
Technical problem |
Working on or fixing some type of technical problem, usually related to computer systems. |
Telephone call |
Making a telephone call. |
Transport |
Moving a patient from one area of the hospital to another. |
Travel |
Moving from one area of the hospital to another. |
Travel linen |
Traveling to a linen closet to obtain linens. |
Travel medications |
Traveling to a medication station or a medication room with the purpose of obtaining medications. |
Travel supply |
Traveling to a supply station or a supply room with the purpose of obtaining supplies. |
Waiting |
A period of inactivity while waiting. |
Term |
Definition |
Adjust equipment |
A clinical person makes any type of adjustment to patient-specific equipment such as an IV pump. (An example would be a nurse adjusting the infusion rate on the IV pump.) |
Admission process |
Patient undergoes any part of the admission process, such as an initial history and physical. |
Ambulates with nurse |
Patient walks around the unit with the nurse in attendance. |
Answer alarm |
A nurse or other clinician enters the room to attend to an alarm on a piece of medical equipment. |
Ask/answer questions |
Patient answers or asks questions of a clinical person. |
Assessment |
Clinician assesses the patient's condition (may be part of a history and physical). |
Attend to patient |
Any nonspecific contact with the patient by a clinician. |
Baby assessment |
Assessment of a newborn by a clinician. |
Baby to/from nursery |
Transportation of a newborn to or from the nursery. |
Bathe |
Patient is bathed or washed by a member of the health care team. |
Blood draw |
Patient's blood is taken either by a clinician or lab personnel. |
Care question |
Patient asks question(s) of a clinician regarding his or her care. |
CAT scan |
Patient undergoes a CAT scan. |
Check on patient |
A clinician looks in on the patient to make sure everything is OK but does not do anything specific or have actual hands-on contact. |
Cor-0 or Code blue |
The patient is involved in a cor or a code situation. |
Discharge |
Patient is discharged from the hospital. |
Discharge education |
Patient undergoes education before discharge (i.e., education on medications, wound care, etc.). |
Discuss care |
Patient discusses the plan or course of care with a clinician. |
Eating |
Patient is eating. |
Equipment placed/checked |
A clinician sets up and/or checks medical equipment in the patient's room. |
Evaluation |
Evaluation of the patient's condition by a clinician. |
Examine patient |
Hands-on examination of the patient by a clinician. |
Feed baby |
Feeding of the newborn by hospital personnel. |
Gets dressed |
The patient gets dressed. |
Lab draw |
The patient has a specimen taken either by a clinician or lab personnel. |
Linen change |
Bed or linen is changed. |
Linens |
Linens are delivered into the patient's room by hospital personnel. |
Monitor patient |
A clinician is at the bedside monitoring the patient but does not have any other contact with the patient.(Often the patient is unaware of this act.) |
No patient activity |
No activity from the patient. (The patient may be resting or sleeping during this time.) |
Paperwork |
Patient fills out paperwork (i.e., admission or discharge papers). |
Patient education |
Education of the patient and/or the patient's family by hospital staff regarding their medical condition or clinical care. |
Patient leaves |
Patient leaves the hospital without being discharged. |
Placed on monitor |
Patient is placed on a cardiac monitor. |
Procedure (simple) |
A nonsurgical procedure usually performed in the patient's room such as a catheter. |
Procedure (invasive) |
An invasive procedure performed at the bedside such as a central line. |
Receives food |
Patient receives food from hospital personnel (usually by food service personnel). |
Receives meds |
Patient receives medications from a clinician (usually a nurse). |
Recovery |
Patient recovers after surgery. |
Report |
Clinical or change of shift report at the patient's bedside. |
Restroom |
Patient uses the restroom. |
Room maintenance |
Maintenance personnel enter the patient's room to perform general maintenance. |
Rounds |
Medical rounds performed at the patient's bedside. |
RT treatment |
Patient receives a respiratory therapy treatment (can be given by a respiratory therapist or a nurse). |
Shift report |
Clinical change of shift report at the patient's bedside. |
Supplies |
Medical supplies delivered into the patient's room. |
Surgery |
Patient undergoes surgery. |
Telephone call |
Patient makes a telephone call. |
Test performed |
Patient undergoes a noninvasive test such as an EKG. |
Therapy |
Patient undergoes therapy. |
Transport |
Hospital personnel transport patient from one area of the hospital to another. |
Uses call light |
Patient uses a call light to call for assistance. |
Visiting |
Patient visits with family or friends in the patient's room. |
Vital signs |
Vital signs obtained by clinical personnel. |
Wait |
Period of inactivity while waiting. |
Walking |
Patient walks around the unit without assistance. |
X-ray |
Patient undergoes an X-ray procedure, either in the patient's room or in the radiology department. (This does not include CAT scans, MRIs, or interventional procedures.) |