Nurses use English at the bedside, in handover and in the patient's record, often under time pressure. This glossary collects the words you will hear on a hospital ward every day, from taking vital signs and giving medicines to wound care, infection control and talking with worried families. Each entry explains what the word means, how nurses really use it and how it is said in Turkish.
100 terms
11 topics
59 core terms
200 example sentences
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Patient Assessment
assessment
noun
Meaning
A careful, organised check of a patient's physical and mental condition and needs, used to plan and adjust their nursing care.
Where you use it
Nurses carry out or complete an assessment on admission, at the start of every shift and whenever something changes. There are many types: pain assessment, risk assessment, skin assessment, falls assessment. In the nursing process, assessment is the first step, before planning and giving care.
Examples
I'll do a full assessment when she comes back from theatre.
The admission assessment showed that she is at high risk of falls.
Usage note
In the nursing process, 'assessment' is the first step and 'evaluation' the last. Turkish textbooks usually call the first step 'tanılama' or 'veri toplama' and use 'değerlendirme' for evaluation, so translate with care.
Common phrases
carry out an assessment · initial assessment · risk assessment · pain assessment · nursing assessment
A number that shows how strong a patient's pain is, most often on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (the worst pain imaginable).
Where you use it
Nurses ask for a pain score before and after giving pain relief to see whether it worked. A typical question is 'On a scale of zero to ten, how bad is the pain?' For children or patients who cannot speak, there are picture scales with faces and scales based on behaviour.
Examples
Her pain score was 8 before the morphine and 3 an hour later.
Can you give me a pain score from zero to ten?
Common phrases
record a pain score · ask for a pain score · pain score of 7 · reassess the pain score
Information about a patient's past and present illnesses, operations, medicines, allergies and family health, collected to guide their care.
Where you use it
Nurses take a medical history on admission and check it with the patient, the family and old records. Notes often use PMH (past medical history). Typical questions: 'Do you have any medical conditions?', 'Have you had any operations?', 'Does anything run in your family?'
Examples
Her medical history includes type 2 diabetes and a stroke in 2019.
He was too drowsy to give a medical history, so I asked his daughter.
Usage note
Nurses and doctors 'take' a history; they do not 'get' or 'make' one. In a clinical setting 'history' on its own usually means the medical history.
Common phrases
take a medical history · past medical history · full medical history · relevant medical history
To watch someone or something regularly and carefully so that you notice quickly if anything changes or goes wrong.
Where you use it
Very common in handover and between colleagues: 'Keep an eye on his blood pressure', 'Can you keep an eye on my patients while I'm on my break?' It is informal; in the notes nurses write 'monitor' or 'observe closely' instead.
Examples
Keep an eye on her drain; it was filling quite fast this morning.
Can you keep an eye on bay B while I go to pharmacy?
Common phrases
keep an eye on a patient · keep a close eye on · keep an eye on the drip
An informal way of saying 'vomit': to bring food or liquid back up from the stomach and out through the mouth.
Where you use it
Patients and families say 'throw up', 'be sick' (UK) or very informally 'puke'; nurses write 'vomited' or 'emesis' in the notes. Useful questions: 'Have you thrown up today?', 'Do you feel like you're going to be sick?' In British English 'feel sick' means to feel nausea.
Examples
My dad has been throwing up all morning and can't keep anything down.
Tell me if you feel like throwing up again and I'll bring you a bowl.
Common phrases
throw up blood · feel like throwing up · keep throwing up
How awake, alert and aware a patient is, from fully alert to not responding at all.
Where you use it
Assessed with simple scales such as AVPU (Alert, Voice, Pain, Unresponsive) or ACVPU, which adds new Confusion, and with the more detailed Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), scored from 3 to 15. A drop in the level of consciousness is an important sign of deterioration. Often shortened to LOC.
Examples
His level of consciousness has dropped; he only opens his eyes when you speak loudly.
Check her level of consciousness every hour after the head injury.
Common phrases
reduced level of consciousness · assess the level of consciousness · change in level of consciousness · altered level of consciousness
A patient's usual or starting state, such as their normal blood pressure, mobility or mental state, used for comparing later changes.
Where you use it
Nurses take 'baseline observations' on admission or before a new treatment and ask families 'Is this his baseline?' to find out whether confusion or weakness is new. Common phrases: 'back to baseline', 'baseline bloods', 'at her baseline'.
Examples
Before the transfusion, take a full set of baseline observations.
His daughter says he's a bit forgetful, but this level of confusion isn't his baseline.
Common phrases
baseline observations · back to baseline · baseline bloods · establish a baseline
Awake and aware of who you are, where you are and what time it is; a common way to describe a patient's normal mental state.
Where you use it
Very common in American notes and handover, often written 'A&O x3' or 'A&O x4' (oriented to person, place, time and sometimes the situation). British nurses may write 'alert and orientated'. Nurses check it with simple questions: 'Can you tell me your name? Where are we? What month is it?'
Examples
She's alert and oriented, but she can't remember why she came into hospital.
On admission he was alert and oriented times three.
Usage note
'Oriented' (US) and 'orientated' (UK) mean the same here. Turkish 'oryante' comes from the same root, so this one is easy to remember.
Common phrases
alert and oriented times three · fully alert and oriented · A&O x3
The basic body measurements that show how well a patient's body is working: usually temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen level.
Where you use it
Nurses take, record and monitor vital signs at set times and whenever a patient seems unwell. In US hospitals people often say 'vitals'; on UK wards the same checks are usually called 'obs'. Some hospitals also treat pain as a vital sign.
Examples
Can you check his vital signs again in thirty minutes? His blood pressure was a bit low.
Her vital signs have been stable all night.
Usage note
In this meaning 'vital signs' is always plural: say 'her vital signs are stable', not 'her vital sign is stable'.
Common phrases
take vital signs · check vital signs · monitor vital signs · stable vital signs · record vital signs
The force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, written as two numbers such as 120/80 and measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).
Where you use it
One of the most common words on any ward. You take, check or record a blood pressure; it can be high, low, raised or dropping. The top number is the systolic and the bottom one the diastolic. Nurses read 120/80 aloud as 'one twenty over eighty' and often shorten the word to BP.
Examples
His blood pressure is 90 over 50, so I've called the doctor.
I'm just going to take your blood pressure. You'll feel the cuff squeeze your arm.
Usage note
'Tension' is not used for blood pressure in English. Say 'high blood pressure' or the medical word 'hypertension'; 'I have tension' sounds like you feel stressed.
Common phrases
take someone's blood pressure · high blood pressure · low blood pressure · blood pressure cuff · drop in blood pressure
The beat of the heart that can be felt where an artery is close to the skin, such as at the wrist, counted as beats per minute.
Where you use it
Nurses feel, check or take a pulse and describe its rate, rhythm and strength: regular or irregular, strong, weak or thready. 'Heart rate' is often used for the number on a monitor. A normal resting pulse in adults is usually given as 60 to 100 beats per minute.
Examples
Her pulse is 112 and irregular. Could you come and have a look at her?
I couldn't feel a radial pulse, so I checked the carotid.
The number of breaths a person takes in one minute, counted by watching the chest rise and fall.
Where you use it
Shortened to RR or 'resps' in notes and handover. Nurses count it for a full minute, ideally without the patient noticing, because people breathe differently when watched. In adults it is usually 12 to 20 breaths per minute, and a rising rate is often an early sign of deterioration.
Examples
His respiratory rate has gone up to 28 and he looks exhausted.
Don't forget to count the respiratory rate for a full minute.
Common phrases
count the respiratory rate · raised respiratory rate · respiratory rate of 20 · record the respiratory rate
The percentage of the blood's haemoglobin that is carrying oxygen, usually measured with a small clip on the finger called a pulse oximeter.
Where you use it
In ward talk it becomes 'sats' or 'O2 sats', and on charts SpO2. Nurses say a patient is 'satting 94% on room air' or 'on two litres'. In healthy adults it is usually 95% or above, but the target range for each patient is set by the medical team.
Examples
Her oxygen saturation dropped to 88% when she walked to the bathroom.
His oxygen saturation is 96% on two litres through a nasal cannula.
Common phrases
low oxygen saturation · monitor oxygen saturation · oxygen saturation on room air · oxygen saturation level
In nursing, the regular set of measurements taken from a patient, mainly the vital signs, and sometimes other checks such as pain or level of consciousness.
Where you use it
Mostly British, and almost always shortened to 'obs' on the ward: 'do the obs', 'four-hourly obs', 'neuro obs', 'her obs are stable'. How often they are done depends on the patient's condition and early warning score. In the US the same idea is usually expressed with 'vitals'.
Examples
He's back from theatre, so I'll do his observations every 30 minutes for the first two hours.
Her observations are within normal limits apart from a temperature of 38.2.
Usage note
In everyday English 'observation' means watching something or a comment. On a UK ward, 'Can you do bed 3's obs?' simply means 'Can you take the vital signs of the patient in bed 3?'
Common phrases
do the observations · hourly observations · set of observations · neuro observations · observations chart
The amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood, often checked with a drop of blood from the fingertip and a small meter.
Where you use it
Nurses check blood glucose before meals and at bedtime for patients with diabetes, and when a patient is drowsy, sweaty or confused. Results are in mmol/L in the UK and many other countries and in mg/dL in the US and Turkey. Informally: 'blood sugar', 'BMs' (UK) or 'fingerstick' (US).
Examples
Her blood glucose was 14.5 before lunch, so I've let the diabetes nurse know.
Can you check the blood glucose in bed 9 before breakfast?
How hot a patient's body is, measured with a thermometer in the ear, mouth, armpit, forehead or rectum. In everyday speech it can also simply mean a fever.
Where you use it
You take or check a temperature; it can be normal, raised, high or low. Common phrases: 'She's running a temperature' (she has a fever) and 'He spiked a temperature overnight' (it went up suddenly). Often shortened to 'temp'. Values are in °C in the UK and Turkey and in °F in the US.
Examples
Her temperature is 38.5, so I've informed the doctor and started the sepsis screen.
I'm just going to take your temperature in your ear.
Usage note
In everyday British English 'He has a temperature' means he has a fever, even though everyone technically has a temperature. This matches Turkish 'ateşi var'.
Common phrases
take someone's temperature · high temperature · run a temperature · spike a temperature · temperature chart
A heart rate that is faster than normal; in adults at rest, usually more than 100 beats per minute.
Where you use it
Used in notes and handover; the adjective is 'tachycardic' ('He's tachycardic at 120'), often shortened to 'tachy' in speech. The opposite is 'bradycardia', a slow heart rate, usually under 60. Tachycardia can be caused by pain, fever, dehydration, bleeding, anxiety or heart problems.
Examples
She's been tachycardic since this morning, with a pulse of around 115.
Blood pressure that is lower than normal. In adults it is often defined as below about 90/60 mmHg, but the change from the patient's usual reading also matters.
Where you use it
The adjective is 'hypotensive' ('She's hypotensive at 82/45'). Patients may feel dizzy or faint, especially when they stand up ('postural' or 'orthostatic hypotension'). The opposite is 'hypertension', high blood pressure; 'hypo-' (low) and 'hyper-' (high) sound similar in fast speech.
Examples
He's been hypotensive since he came back from theatre, so the doctor has prescribed a fluid bolus.
Hypotension is a common side effect of this drug, so we check her blood pressure before each dose.
Usage note
To avoid mix-ups between hypo- and hypertensive on the phone, many nurses give the actual numbers: 'She's hypotensive, 82 over 45.'
Common phrases
postural hypotension · become hypotensive · severe hypotension · episode of hypotension
Not having a fever: a patient whose body temperature is within the normal range is described as afebrile.
Where you use it
Used mainly in notes and handover; in British notes 'apyrexial' is also very common. The opposite is 'febrile' or 'pyrexial'. Typical lines: 'afebrile overnight', 'remains afebrile', 'febrile at 38.4'. Patients themselves just say 'no temperature' or 'no fever'.
Examples
She has been afebrile for 48 hours since the antibiotics were started.
Obs are stable and he remains afebrile.
Common phrases
remain afebrile · afebrile overnight · afebrile for 24 hours
To give a medicine or treatment to a patient, by any route, according to a prescription or protocol.
Where you use it
A formal word used in policies, notes and exams: 'administer medication', 'administered as prescribed'. On the ward nurses usually just say 'give': 'I gave her the paracetamol at ten.' The noun phrase 'medication administration' appears in training and job descriptions.
Examples
Only registered nurses can administer IV antibiotics on this ward.
Enoxaparin was administered subcutaneously at 18:00.
Common phrases
administer medication · administer a dose · administer oxygen · safely administer
The amount of a medicine given at one time, such as 500 mg, or the total amount given over a period.
Where you use it
Nurses check, calculate, give, miss or withhold a dose. Common phrases: 'the next dose is due at two', 'a loading dose', 'a once-daily dose'. 'Dosage' is a more formal word for the amount and how often it is taken, as written on labels.
Examples
The next dose of vancomycin is due at 6 p.m.
Can you check this dose with me before I draw it up?
Usage note
Turkish 'doz' covers both 'dose' and 'dosage'. In English 'the dose' is one amount (500 mg), while 'the dosage' is the full instruction (500 mg twice a day).
Common phrases
give a dose · miss a dose · the next dose · loading dose · dose calculation
A harmful reaction of the body's immune system to a substance, such as a medicine, food or latex, that is harmless for most people.
Where you use it
Nurses ask about allergies on admission and check them again before every new medicine. The answer is recorded on the medication chart and often shown with a red wristband. Patients may call a drug that only upset their stomach an 'allergy', so nurses ask what actually happened.
Examples
Do you have any allergies to medicines, foods or plasters?
She's allergic to penicillin; it's on her wristband and her drug chart.
Usage note
Pronounced AL-er-jee, with the stress on the first syllable and a 'j' as in 'jam', unlike Turkish 'alerji'.
Common phrases
have an allergy to · drug allergy · allergy band · known allergies · allergic reaction
An effect of a medicine or treatment that is not the main reason it was given, often unwanted, such as nausea or drowsiness.
Where you use it
Nurses explain possible side effects to patients and watch for them after giving a drug. 'Adverse reaction' or 'adverse drug reaction' is the more formal term for a harmful effect, used in incident and drug safety reports. Patients often ask: 'Does this have any side effects?'
Examples
Constipation is a common side effect of morphine, so you'll have a laxative as well.
He stopped taking his tablets at home because of the side effects.
Common phrases
common side effect · serious side effect · cause side effects · report a side effect · possible side effects
The set times of the day when a nurse takes the medicines trolley around the ward and gives patients their prescribed medicines.
Where you use it
Also called 'drug round' in the UK and 'med pass' in the US. There are usually morning, lunchtime, teatime and night rounds. To reduce errors, many wards ask staff not to interrupt the nurse on the round, sometimes marked by a red 'do not disturb' tabard.
Examples
I'll come and help you with the bed bath after the medication round.
The 10 o'clock medication round took over an hour today.
Common phrases
do the medication round · morning medication round · interrupt the medication round · medication round trolley
A checklist nurses use before giving any medicine: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route and the right time.
Where you use it
Taught from the first year of nursing school and asked about in interviews and exams: 'the five rights of medication administration'. Many hospitals add more rights, such as the right documentation, the right reason and the right response, so you may also hear 'the seven rights' or more.
Examples
Before every dose, go through the five rights out loud.
Checking the wristband is part of the five rights: the right patient.
Common phrases
the five rights of medication administration · check the five rights · follow the five rights
Written on a prescription to show that a medicine is given only when needed, for example for pain or nausea, not at fixed times. It comes from Latin 'pro re nata'.
Where you use it
Used like an adjective or adverb: 'PRN medication', 'paracetamol PRN', 'Is she written up for any PRN pain relief?' A PRN prescription normally states the reason, dose, minimum interval and maximum in 24 hours. Nurses record why each PRN dose was given and whether it worked.
Examples
She's asking for something for nausea. Has she got anything PRN?
I gave him his PRN morphine at 14:00 and his pain score went from 7 to 3.
Usage note
Say the letters: P-R-N. In speech American nurses often say 'as needed' and British nurses 'as required'.
Common phrases
PRN medication · give a PRN dose · PRN pain relief · written up PRN
The form or electronic record where a patient's medicines are prescribed and where nurses sign for each dose they give or do not give.
Where you use it
Called 'drug chart' or 'prescription chart' in the UK and MAR (medication administration record) in the US. Nurses check it on every medication round, sign for doses and use codes to explain doses not given, for example 'patient refused' or 'nil by mouth'.
Examples
The antibiotics aren't on his medication chart yet; can you ask the doctor to prescribe them?
Sign the medication chart straight after you give each dose.
Common phrases
sign the medication chart · check the medication chart · rewrite the medication chart · on the medication chart
The way a medicine enters the body, for example by mouth (oral), into a vein (IV), into a muscle (IM) or under the skin (subcutaneous).
Where you use it
One of the five rights: the right route. Prescriptions always state the route, often with abbreviations: PO (by mouth), IV, IM, SC, PR (rectal), SL (under the tongue), topical, inhaled. Changing the route needs a new prescription.
Examples
The route on the chart says IV, but he has no cannula, so I've asked the doctor about switching to oral.
Paracetamol can be given by several routes: oral, rectal or IV.
Usage note
Both /ruːt/ (like 'root') and, in American English, /raʊt/ (like 'out') are heard. In medicine /ruːt/ is the safer choice.
Common phrases
route of administration · oral route · change the route · right route
To not give a prescribed dose of a medicine for a period of time, usually for a safety reason such as low blood pressure or a planned operation.
Where you use it
A formal word used in prescriptions and notes: 'Withhold if systolic BP is below 100', 'dose withheld, doctor informed'. In speech nurses usually say 'hold': 'Hold his warfarin tonight.' Withholding is temporary; stopping a drug for good is 'discontinue' or 'stop'.
Examples
His blood pressure is 85/50, so I'm going to withhold his amlodipine and let the doctor know.
The surgeon asked us to withhold her blood thinner for two days before the operation.
Common phrases
withhold a dose · withhold medication · withhold if · reason for withholding
A medicine, such as morphine or fentanyl, that is strictly regulated by law because it can be misused or cause dependence.
Where you use it
A British term; Americans say 'controlled substance' or 'narcotic'. Controlled drugs are kept in a locked cupboard, and on many wards two staff check and sign the register each time a dose is given or stock is counted. Often shortened to CD: 'CD check', 'CD keys'.
Examples
Can you be my second checker for a controlled drug? Bed 4 needs her morphine.
The controlled drug count at handover was correct.
Common phrases
controlled drug register · controlled drug cupboard · controlled drug check · second checker
Immediately; written on a prescription or said by staff when a medicine, test or action is needed at once. It comes from Latin 'statim'.
Where you use it
On a medication chart, a 'stat dose' is a single dose given once, straight away, often in addition to regular medicines. In speech, especially in the US, 'stat' means 'urgently': 'I need a blood glucose stat!' It is often written in capitals (STAT).
Examples
The doctor has prescribed 40 mg of furosemide IV stat.
I've given the stat dose of antibiotics; the regular doses start at 6 p.m.
Common phrases
stat dose · give something stat · order something stat
Under the skin, in the layer of fat above the muscle; used for injections, such as insulin and some blood-thinning medicines, given into this layer.
Where you use it
Shortened to SC, SubQ or 'sub-cut' in speech; 'SQ' is also seen in the US, though many hospitals discourage it. Common sites are the abdomen, the back of the upper arm and the thigh, and nurses rotate sites to avoid lumps. The adverb is 'subcutaneously': 'given subcutaneously'.
Examples
Her enoxaparin is given subcutaneously into the abdomen every evening.
Into a muscle; used for injections given deep into a large muscle, such as in the upper arm, thigh or buttock area.
Where you use it
Shortened to IM ('an IM injection', 'given IM'). Many vaccines and some antibiotics and painkillers are given this way. Common sites are the deltoid, the vastus lateralis and the ventrogluteal area, and a longer needle is used than for subcutaneous injections.
Examples
The flu vaccine is given as an intramuscular injection into the upper arm.
Many hospitals now prefer the ventrogluteal site for intramuscular injections.
Common phrases
intramuscular injection · given intramuscularly · intramuscular route · deep intramuscular injection
Short for intravenous: into a vein. As a noun it also means the line or drip that puts fluid or medicine straight into a vein.
Where you use it
Used as an adjective (IV antibiotics, IV fluids, IV access) and, especially in the US, as a noun: 'start an IV', 'the IV has stopped running'. UK nurses more often say 'cannula' for the device and 'drip' for the fluid. Medicines can be given as an IV bolus (quickly) or an IV infusion (slowly).
Examples
He's on IV antibiotics three times a day.
Her IV isn't running; can you check whether the line is kinked?
Common phrases
IV fluids · IV antibiotics · IV access · start an IV · IV line
A thin plastic tube put into a vein, usually in the hand or arm, so that fluids, medicines or blood can be given through it.
Where you use it
Common in UK and Australian hospitals; US staff usually say 'IV' or 'peripheral IV'. Nurses insert, flush, check, re-site and remove a cannula and record the date it went in. The word is also used for other tubes, such as a nasal cannula for oxygen.
Examples
Her cannula has been in for three days, so our policy says it needs re-siting.
I couldn't get a cannula in. Could you have a try?
Common phrases
insert a cannula · remove a cannula · re-site a cannula · cannula site · peripheral cannula
An everyday word for a bag of fluid or medicine that flows slowly into a patient's vein through a tube, or for the whole set-up.
Where you use it
Very common in UK and Australian speech and with patients: 'He's on a drip', 'put up a drip', 'the drip has finished'. In notes and in the US, staff more often write 'IV fluids' or 'IV infusion'. Patients might ask 'When can this drip come down?'
Examples
She's still on a drip because she can't keep any fluids down.
Your drip has finished, so I'll flush the cannula and disconnect the line.
Usage note
Do not translate Turkish 'serum' as 'serum' here: in English 'serum' is the clear liquid part of the blood. Say 'drip', 'IV fluids' or 'a bag of saline'.
Common phrases
on a drip · put up a drip · take down a drip · saline drip · the drip has run through
Having lost more water than the body has taken in, so that it does not have enough fluid to work normally.
Where you use it
Nurses look for signs such as a dry mouth, dark concentrated urine, low urine output, dizziness and a fast pulse, especially in older people and patients who are vomiting. The noun is 'dehydration'; 'well hydrated' and 'encourage oral fluids' are common in notes.
Examples
He's been vomiting since yesterday and looks quite dehydrated.
Older patients can become dehydrated quickly in hot weather.
Common phrases
become dehydrated · severely dehydrated · mildly dehydrated · signs of dehydration
A machine that pushes fluid or medicine into a patient's vein at an exact, set rate and sounds an alarm if the line is blocked or the bag is empty.
Where you use it
Nurses set up, programme, start, pause and silence infusion pumps, and check the rate (ml per hour) and the volume to be infused. A 'syringe driver' or 'syringe pump' gives small volumes from a syringe. Typical alarms: 'occlusion', 'air in line', 'infusion complete'.
Examples
The infusion pump keeps alarming 'occlusion'; I think she's bending her arm.
Set the infusion pump to 125 ml an hour, please.
Common phrases
set up an infusion pump · programme the infusion pump · infusion pump alarm · infusion rate
The difference between all the fluid a patient takes in (drinks, drips, feeds) and all the fluid they lose (urine, vomit, drains) over a set time.
Where you use it
Recorded on a fluid balance chart, usually over 24 hours. A patient can be in positive balance (more in than out) or negative balance. US nurses usually say 'intake and output' or 'I&O' ('strict I&Os'). Accurate charting matters especially in heart or kidney problems, sepsis and after surgery.
Examples
He's 1.5 litres in positive fluid balance since yesterday, and his ankles are swollen.
Please keep a strict fluid balance chart for bed 8.
To push a small amount of fluid, usually saline, through a cannula or line to check that it works, keep it open or clear medicine from it.
Where you use it
Nurses flush a cannula before and after IV medicines and at regular intervals. As a noun: 'a saline flush', 'a 10 ml flush'. If a line will not flush, or the patient feels pain or swelling, the cannula may be blocked or out of the vein. 'Flush' also means a red face, as in 'hot flushes'.
Examples
Flush the cannula with 10 ml of saline before you give the antibiotic.
The cannula won't flush; I think it's blocked.
Common phrases
flush a cannula · saline flush · flush the line · flush before and after
Giving a patient blood, or a part of blood such as red cells, platelets or plasma, from a donor through a drip into a vein.
Where you use it
Nurses check the patient's identity and the blood unit very carefully, usually with two people at the bedside, take baseline observations and watch closely for a reaction, especially in the first 15 minutes. You 'start', 'give', 'run' or 'stop' a transfusion; a patient 'is having a unit of blood'.
Examples
She's having a blood transfusion this afternoon: two units of red cells.
The blood transfusion was stopped when he developed a rash and a high temperature.
Common phrases
give a blood transfusion · transfusion reaction · a unit of blood · start the transfusion
The leaking of IV fluid or medicine out of the vein into the tissue around the cannula, causing swelling, coolness and discomfort.
Where you use it
When the leaking drug can damage tissue, for example some chemotherapy drugs, the term is 'extravasation'. UK nurses often say the cannula has 'tissued': 'Her cannula's tissued; I'll need to re-site it.' The usual response is to stop the infusion, remove the cannula and document the site.
Examples
There are signs of infiltration around the cannula: her hand is swollen and cool.
Check the site regularly for infiltration while the fluids are running.
Common phrases
signs of infiltration · IV infiltration · check for infiltration · infiltration of the cannula
Damage to the skin and the tissue under it, caused for example by an injury, an operation or long pressure.
Where you use it
Nurses assess, clean, dress, pack and measure wounds and describe their size, colour, smell and exudate. Common types are surgical wounds, pressure ulcers, burns and leg ulcers. A wound can be healing well, infected, 'oozing' or 'gaping'.
Examples
The wound is clean and dry, with no signs of infection.
Can you measure the wound and take a photo for the notes?
Usage note
Pronounced /wuːnd/, rhyming with 'tuned'. Do not confuse it with 'wound' /waʊnd/, the past tense of 'wind': 'He wound the bandage round her arm.'
Common phrases
clean a wound · surgical wound · wound infection · wound assessment · open wound
A covering put on a wound to protect it, absorb fluid and help it heal, such as a gauze pad, a film or a foam dressing.
Where you use it
Nurses apply, change, remove and check dressings: 'The dressing is due to be changed on Friday', 'the dressing is soaked through'. The procedure is called 'a dressing change'. Outside hospital the word also means a salad sauce or putting on clothes.
Examples
Her dressing is soaked through, so I'll change it after the drug round.
Leave the dressing on for two days and try to keep it dry.
Usage note
Turkish 'pansuman' means both the procedure and the material. In English the material is 'the dressing' and the procedure is 'a dressing change' or 'dressing the wound'.
Common phrases
change a dressing · apply a dressing · dressing change · sterile dressing · the dressing is oozing
Damage to the skin and the tissue under it caused by long pressure, usually over bony areas such as the heels, hips or the base of the spine.
Where you use it
Also called 'pressure sore', 'bedsore' (informal) or 'pressure injury', the term now preferred in the US and Australia. Pressure ulcers are graded by category or stage from 1 to 4. Many are considered avoidable, so nurses talk about preventing, grading and reporting them.
Examples
She was admitted from a nursing home with a category 3 pressure ulcer on her sacrum.
We turn him every two hours to prevent pressure ulcers.
To become healthy again, especially for a wound or broken skin to close and repair itself.
Where you use it
Used for wounds, ulcers, bones and burns: 'The wound is healing well', 'slow to heal', 'fully healed'. The noun is 'healing': 'wound healing', 'delayed healing'. For a person getting better after an illness, 'recover' is more natural than 'heal'.
Examples
The wound is healing nicely; you can take the dressing off in a few days.
Smoking and poor nutrition can slow down wound healing.
Usage note
'Heal' sounds exactly like 'heel'. Turkish 'iyileşmek' is 'recover' or 'get better' for people and 'heal' for wounds: 'He is recovering after surgery, and his wound is healing.'
Common phrases
heal well · slow to heal · fully healed · wound healing · delayed healing
A stitch or a line of stitches that holds the edges of a wound or surgical cut together while it heals; also the thread used for this.
Where you use it
A clinical word; patients usually say 'stitches'. Nurses check suture lines, remove sutures on the day in the discharge plan and note whether the wound edges are together. Other closures include staples, glue and adhesive strips. 'Suture' is also a verb: 'The cut was sutured in A&E.'
Examples
Her sutures can be taken out at the GP practice in ten days.
The suture line looks a bit red and there's some discharge at the lower end.
Common phrases
remove sutures · suture line · dissolvable sutures · take out the sutures
A cut made through the skin and tissue by a surgeon during an operation.
Where you use it
Used when describing surgical wounds: 'a small incision', 'a midline incision', 'keyhole incisions'. Nurses check the incision site for redness, swelling, heat, discharge or gaping. Patients usually say 'the cut' or 'the scar'.
Examples
The incision is clean and dry, and the edges are well together.
She had a small incision near her belly button for the camera.
Common phrases
surgical incision · incision site · midline incision · make an incision · small incision
A tube placed near a wound or inside the body during surgery to let blood, pus or other fluid flow out into a bag or bottle.
Where you use it
Nurses check the drain site, measure and record the drain output, empty the drain and watch for changes in colour or amount ('fresh blood', 'serous', 'bile-stained'). The surgical team decides when to 'remove' or 'take out' the drain, often when the output falls.
Examples
There's been 300 ml of fresh blood in the drain in the last hour; I'm calling the surgeons.
Your drain can probably come out tomorrow if very little fluid is coming out.
Common phrases
wound drain · drain output · empty the drain · remove a drain · chest drain
Fluid that leaks out of a wound, made of serum, cells and sometimes pus; its amount, colour and smell help nurses judge how the wound is doing.
Where you use it
A wound-care word used in assessments and notes: 'low', 'moderate' or 'heavy exudate'; 'serous' (clear), 'haemoserous' (pink, with blood) or 'purulent' (containing pus). Dressings are chosen partly by how much exudate they can absorb. In speech nurses often just say 'ooze' or 'discharge'.
Examples
There's a moderate amount of yellow exudate and a slight smell.
We chose a foam dressing because the leg ulcer has heavy exudate.
How likely a patient is to fall, judged from things like age, medicines, confusion, poor balance or earlier falls.
Where you use it
Used in assessments, handovers and signs above the bed: a patient is 'a high fall risk' or 'at risk of falls'. Hospitals score it with tools such as the Morse Fall Scale and then take measures such as a low bed, non-slip socks or the call bell within reach. In the UK people often say 'falls risk'.
Examples
Mr Kaya is a high fall risk, so please don't leave him alone in the bathroom.
We reassessed her fall risk after the new sleeping tablet was started.
Common phrases
high fall risk · fall risk assessment · reduce the fall risk · fall risk score
A wash given to a patient who cannot get out of bed, using a bowl of warm water, soap, towels and cloths, while keeping them covered and warm.
Where you use it
Usually done in the morning by nurses or healthcare assistants, often in pairs. It is also a chance to check the skin, pressure areas and cannula sites and to talk with the patient. People say 'give' or 'do' a bed bath; a patient may 'need a full wash'.
Examples
Can you help me give Mrs Arslan a bed bath before the ward round?
During the bed bath I noticed some redness on his heels.
Common phrases
give a bed bath · do a bed bath · help with a bed bath · full bed bath
An instruction that a patient must not eat or drink anything, usually before an operation or test or because they cannot swallow safely.
Where you use it
British; the US equivalent is NPO, from Latin 'nil per os'. Often shortened to NBM and shown on a sign above the bed: 'She's nil by mouth from midnight', 'Can he have sips of water or is he strictly nil by mouth?' The exact rules depend on hospital policy.
Examples
Mr Yıldız is nil by mouth from midnight for his operation tomorrow.
I'm sorry, you're nil by mouth until the speech and language therapist has checked your swallowing.
Common phrases
nil by mouth from midnight · keep someone nil by mouth · nil by mouth sign · strictly nil by mouth
A thin, flexible tube passed into the bladder, usually through the urethra, to drain urine into a bag.
Where you use it
Often just called 'a catheter' or 'a Foley' (after the common balloon type). Nurses insert, care for, empty and remove catheters and record when they went in, since catheters are a common cause of infection (CAUTI). Patients may say 'the tube' or 'the bag'.
Examples
His urinary catheter isn't draining; can you check the tubing for kinks?
The urinary catheter can come out tomorrow morning if he's walking to the toilet.
Common phrases
insert a urinary catheter · remove a urinary catheter · catheter bag · catheter care · indwelling urinary catheter
A flat container that a patient who cannot get out of bed sits on to pass urine or open their bowels.
Where you use it
Nurses offer, give, remove and empty bedpans and record the output when needed. A container that men pass urine into is a 'urinal' (or 'bottle' in the UK). A 'commode' is a chair with a pan under the seat. Nurses ask politely: 'Would you like a bedpan?'
Examples
Can I have a bedpan, please? I can't make it to the toilet.
She used the bedpan at 6 a.m.; I've recorded the output on the fluid chart.
Common phrases
offer a bedpan · put someone on a bedpan · empty a bedpan · bedpan washer
Help with the everyday tasks of looking after the body, such as washing, dressing, using the toilet, mouth care and shaving.
Where you use it
Used in handovers and care plans: 'needs assistance of one with personal care', 'independent with personal care'. Nurses and healthcare assistants give it while protecting the patient's dignity and privacy, for example by closing the curtains and asking what the patient would like to do themselves.
Examples
Mrs Şahin needs help with personal care in the morning but can feed herself.
Please draw the curtains before you start his personal care.
Usage note
Turkish 'öz bakım' is closer to 'self-care', what patients do for themselves. 'Personal care' usually means the care that staff give.
Common phrases
assist with personal care · provide personal care · independent with personal care · personal care needs
To change the position of a patient in bed or in a chair, to relieve pressure on the skin, make them comfortable or help their breathing.
Where you use it
Recorded on a repositioning chart, called a 'turning chart' in many UK hospitals. Everyday phrases: 'turn the patient', 'roll him onto his side', 'sit her up', 'use a slide sheet'. How often it is done, for example every two or four hours, is set in the care plan.
Examples
Can you help me reposition Mr Aydın? He's slipped down the bed again.
She needs repositioning every two hours because of the redness on her sacrum.
Common phrases
reposition a patient · repositioning chart · two-hourly repositioning · help someone reposition
To get a patient moving by sitting up, standing or walking, especially after an operation or a period in bed.
Where you use it
Spelled 'mobilise' in British English. Used both for what the nurse does ('We mobilised him to the chair') and for the patient ('She is mobilising with a frame', 'independently mobile'). Physiotherapists set the plan and nurses help patients move during the day. Early mobilisation after surgery is common practice.
Examples
He mobilised to the bathroom with one nurse this morning.
We'll try to mobilise you a few hours after the operation.
Common phrases
mobilise with a frame · mobilise independently · early mobilisation · mobilise to the chair
Being unable to control when urine or faeces leave the body, so that leaks happen without the person meaning them to.
Where you use it
Nurses assess and manage urinary and faecal incontinence, use pads and barrier creams and check the skin, as moisture raises the risk of pressure damage. The adjective is 'incontinent'. With patients, gentle wording is used: 'Have you had any accidents?' or 'Do you have trouble getting to the toilet in time?'
Examples
She's been incontinent of urine since the stroke, so we check her pad every two hours.
Incontinence can be embarrassing for patients, so offer help quietly and discreetly.
Common phrases
urinary incontinence · faecal incontinence · incontinence pad · incontinent of urine
A piece of lifting equipment with a fabric sling, used to move a patient who cannot stand, for example from the bed to a chair.
Where you use it
A British word; Americans say 'mechanical lift' or 'patient lift'. Usually two trained staff use a hoist together, with the right size of sling for the patient. Nurses also use it as a verb: 'hoisting a patient', 'She needs hoisting for all transfers.'
Examples
Mr Çelik needs the hoist to get from the bed to the chair.
Can you help me with the hoist in bay C? It needs two people.
Common phrases
use a hoist · hoist transfer · hoist sling · ceiling hoist · standing hoist
Cleaning your hands with soap and water or an alcohol hand rub to remove germs and stop them spreading between patients.
Where you use it
Seen as the most important infection-control measure and regularly audited. Nurses learn the World Health Organization's 'five moments for hand hygiene': before touching a patient, before a clean or aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient and after touching their surroundings.
Examples
Our ward scored 98% in this month's hand hygiene audit.
Wearing gloves is not a replacement for hand hygiene.
Common phrases
perform hand hygiene · hand hygiene audit · hand hygiene compliance · five moments for hand hygiene
Short for personal protective equipment: gloves, aprons, gowns, masks, eye protection and similar items worn to protect staff and patients from infection.
Where you use it
Nurses put on (don) and take off (doff) PPE in a set order, and signs on isolation rooms show which PPE is needed. It is usually treated as uncountable: 'Wear PPE', 'We are running low on PPE', not 'a PPE' or 'PPEs'.
Examples
Full PPE is needed in side room 2: gown, gloves, mask and visor.
Take your PPE off before you leave the room, then clean your hands.
Common phrases
wear PPE · put on PPE · take off PPE · full PPE · PPE supplies
Keeping a patient apart from others, usually in a single room with extra precautions, to stop an infection spreading or to protect a patient with weak immunity.
Where you use it
Nurses say a patient is 'in isolation', 'isolated' or 'barrier nursed'. Types include contact, droplet and airborne precautions; protecting a vulnerable patient is called 'protective' or 'reverse' isolation. Signs on the door show the type and the PPE needed.
Examples
Bed 12 has diarrhoea, so we need to move her into isolation until the results come back.
Please keep the door closed; this patient is in isolation.
Common phrases
in isolation · isolation room · contact isolation · move into isolation · come out of isolation
Completely free from bacteria and other living microorganisms, so that it can safely touch wounds or the inside of the body.
Where you use it
Used for equipment and techniques: 'sterile gloves', 'sterile field', 'sterile dressing pack', 'Is this still sterile?' If a sterile item touches something that is not sterile, it is 'contaminated' and must be replaced. The related word for the method is 'aseptic'.
Examples
Open the sterile pack without touching the inside.
The catheter touched the bed sheet, so it's no longer sterile.
Usage note
American English says STER-ul /ˈstɛrəl/; British English usually says STER-ile /ˈstɛraɪl/. Outside medicine the word can also mean 'unable to have children'.
Common phrases
sterile gloves · sterile field · sterile water · sterile dressing pack · keep something sterile
A strong plastic container with a lid, often yellow, into which used needles, blades and other sharp items are put for safe disposal.
Where you use it
'Sharps bin' is British; Americans say 'sharps container'. 'Sharps' on its own means any sharp items. Typical rules are that whoever used the sharp puts it in the bin straight away, needles are not recapped and the bin is closed when it reaches the fill line.
Examples
Put the needle straight in the sharps bin; don't leave it on the tray.
This sharps bin is three-quarters full, so it needs closing and replacing.
Common phrases
dispose of in the sharps bin · full sharps bin · close the sharps bin · sharps disposal
A set of working methods that stops germs from getting into a wound, a vein or another part of the body during a procedure.
Where you use it
Used for procedures such as dressing changes, catheter insertion and preparing IV medicines. It includes hand hygiene, sterile equipment and not touching key parts. Many UK hospitals teach a standard version called ANTT (Aseptic Non Touch Technique). 'Clean technique' is a less strict approach.
Examples
Use aseptic technique when you change the central line dressing.
Her competency assessment checked that she follows aseptic technique when preparing IV drugs.
An infection that a patient picks up while in hospital or receiving healthcare, which was not present or developing when they were admitted.
Where you use it
Also called 'healthcare-associated infection' (HCAI or HAI) or, more technically, 'nosocomial infection'. Common examples are catheter-related urine infections, line infections, surgical site infections and C. difficile. Infection control teams monitor them closely.
Examples
Good hand hygiene is the simplest way to prevent hospital-acquired infections.
Her pneumonia started on day five of her stay, so it's being treated as a hospital-acquired infection.
An accidental prick or cut of the skin with a used needle or another sharp object, which may expose the person to infections carried in the blood.
Where you use it
Also called a 'sharps injury'. The main concerns are hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. Hospitals have a set first-aid and reporting procedure, and staff contact occupational health or the emergency department quickly, because some preventive treatments work best when started early.
Examples
I had a needlestick injury from a used insulin pen needle, so I went to occupational health straight away.
Recapping needles is a common cause of needlestick injury.
Common phrases
report a needlestick injury · sustain a needlestick injury · needlestick injury policy · sharps injury
Waste from healthcare that may be infectious or harmful, such as used dressings, blood-stained items, sharps and some medicines.
Where you use it
Clinical waste goes into colour-coded bags and bins, separate from general (domestic) waste and recycling. The colours differ between countries and hospitals, so new staff learn the local system during induction. In the US the usual terms are 'medical waste' or 'biohazard waste'.
Examples
Blood-stained gauze goes in the clinical waste bin, not the general waste.
The clinical waste bags need to be tied and labelled before they are collected.
Common phrases
clinical waste bin · clinical waste bag · dispose of clinical waste · clinical waste collection
Short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a type of bacteria that many common antibiotics cannot kill and that can cause infections, especially in hospitals.
Where you use it
Many people carry MRSA on their skin or in their nose without being ill ('colonised'); it becomes a problem when it gets into a wound or the blood. Hospitals often screen patients with nose and groin swabs on admission, and positive patients may be isolated or given special washes and nasal cream.
Examples
His admission swab came back positive for MRSA, so he's moving to a side room.
Being colonised with MRSA doesn't mean you have an infection.
The passing of information and responsibility for patients from one nurse or team to the next, usually at the change of shift.
Where you use it
Handover can happen at the nurses' station, in a side room or at the bedside. You give or receive handover. US nurses often say 'report' ('Have you had report?') or 'hand-off'. A good handover is short, structured and focuses on what the next nurse must do or watch for.
Examples
Handover is at half past seven, so try to finish your notes before then.
During handover she mentioned that the patient in bed 4 had a fall last night.
Usage note
The noun is one word (handover); the verb is two words (hand over): 'I'll hand over to the night nurse', but 'The handover took twenty minutes'.
Common phrases
give handover · take handover · bedside handover · shift handover · verbal handover
A fixed period of work, such as day, evening or night, after which another group of staff takes over.
Where you use it
UK nurses work early, late, long-day or night shifts; in the US day and night shifts of 8 or 12 hours are common. You start, finish, swap, cover or pick up a shift. 'On shift' means working now; being 'off' means not working that day.
Examples
I'm on a night shift tonight, so I'll call you tomorrow afternoon.
Can anyone swap shifts with me on Saturday?
Common phrases
night shift · day shift · swap shifts · start a shift · 12-hour shift
The process of accepting a patient into hospital or onto a ward, including the first checks and paperwork.
Where you use it
Nurses 'do an admission' or 'admit' a patient: they check identity, take vital signs, ask about allergies and medical history and complete the paperwork. 'A new admission' is a patient who has just arrived. Admissions can be emergency or planned (elective).
Examples
We've got two new admissions coming up from the emergency department.
I've done half of her admission paperwork, but I haven't weighed her yet.
Usage note
'On admission' means at the time the patient arrived: 'Her blood pressure was high on admission.'
Common phrases
new admission · emergency admission · admission assessment · on admission · do an admission
The point at which a patient officially leaves hospital to go home or to another place of care, and the planning that leads up to it.
Where you use it
Nurses talk about discharge planning, discharge letters and medicines to take home. As a verb, a patient 'is discharged' or 'is discharged home'. The same word also means fluid coming out of the body, for example 'discharge from the wound'.
Examples
Bed 6 is ready for discharge; we're just waiting for her medicines from pharmacy.
He's medically fit for discharge but needs some help at home first.
Usage note
Many speakers stress the noun on the first syllable (DIS-charge) and the verb on the second (dis-CHARGE). Remember the second meaning too: 'green discharge' is a symptom, not a patient going home.
Common phrases
discharge planning · discharge letter · be discharged home · delayed discharge · discharge summary
A section of a hospital with beds where patients with similar needs stay and are cared for by a team of nurses.
Where you use it
Wards are named by specialty (surgical ward, children's ward) or by number or name. Nurses work 'on' a ward: 'I work on Ward 7'. 'Unit' is used for specialist areas (intensive care unit), and US hospitals often say 'floor': 'She's going up to the floor.'
Examples
She was moved from the emergency department to the surgical ward last night.
The ward is full, so the new patient will have to wait in A&E.
Usage note
Turkish 'servis' is a false friend: the place where patients stay is a 'ward' in English, while 'service' usually means a type of care or a specialty team. 'Ward' rhymes with 'cord' /wɔːrd/; it is not pronounced like 'word'.
Common phrases
on the ward · surgical ward · ward manager · ward staff · transfer to the ward
A regular visit by doctors, often with nurses and other staff, to each patient on a ward to review their progress and decide on the plan for the day.
Where you use it
Nurses join or 'go on' the ward round to share updates and hear new plans: 'the consultant's ward round', 'the morning ward round'. In US hospitals people say 'rounds' or 'rounding': 'The team is rounding.' Many nurses keep a list of questions ready for the round.
Examples
Can you mention his swollen leg on the ward round?
The ward round finished late, so the discharges were delayed.
Common phrases
on the ward round · consultant ward round · join the ward round · morning ward round
The nurse who leads a ward or unit during a shift: organising staff, allocating patients and dealing with problems and emergencies.
Where you use it
Used in the US and the UK. In the UK you will also hear 'nurse in charge', 'ward sister' (traditionally a senior female nurse) or 'ward manager' for the person who runs the ward overall. Nurses ask 'Who's in charge today?' and say 'I'm in charge tonight'.
Examples
If the family wants to make a complaint, send them to the charge nurse.
The charge nurse has given me the patients in bays A and B today.
Usage note
In British hospitals 'Sister' is a traditional job title for a senior nurse; in this meaning it has nothing to do with family.
Common phrases
speak to the charge nurse · act as charge nurse · charge nurse on duty
To go and see someone, or look at something, to make sure they are all right or that nothing has changed.
Where you use it
Used constantly on the ward: 'I'll check on her in ten minutes', 'Can you check on bed 5? He was confused earlier.' 'Check in on' is also common. In the notes nurses write 'patient checked hourly' or 'regular checks'.
Examples
I'll check on Mr Öztürk after I've finished the drug round.
The night staff checked on her every hour and she slept well.
Usage note
Use 'check on' for a person or situation and 'check' alone for a thing: 'check the drip', but 'check on the patient'.
Common phrases
check on a patient · check on someone regularly · go and check on · check in on
A structured way of passing on information about a patient: Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation.
Where you use it
Widely used when calling a doctor about a deteriorating patient and in handover. The nurse states the problem (S), gives relevant history (B), reports findings and their own view (A) and says what they need (R), for example: 'I'd like you to come and review him in the next 15 minutes.' Said as 'ess-bar'.
Examples
Use SBAR when you ring the doctor; it keeps the call short and clear.
We practised SBAR handovers with a simulated patient during induction.
Common phrases
use SBAR · SBAR handover · SBAR call · SBAR format
A written plan that sets out a patient's nursing needs, the goals of care and the actions the team will take to meet them.
Where you use it
Nurses write, follow, update and evaluate care plans, on paper or in the electronic record. There are care plans for specific needs such as pressure area care, nutrition or pain. Students write detailed care plans as assignments; on the ward they are shorter and often standardised.
Examples
Please update his care plan now that he can walk with a frame.
Her care plan says she needs turning every two hours.
Common phrases
write a care plan · update the care plan · follow the care plan · nursing care plan · individualised care plan
To write down information about a patient, such as observations, medicines given or fluids taken, in their record or on a special form.
Where you use it
Especially common in American English: 'I need to chart', 'Did you chart that?', 'Charting takes up half my shift.' As a noun, 'chart' means the record itself or a single form: 'fluid chart', 'drug chart', 'obs chart'. UK nurses more often say 'document' or 'write it in the notes'.
Examples
Don't forget to chart the 2 a.m. blood pressure.
I charted the dressing change and the wound measurements in the electronic record.
The written or electronic record in which nurses describe a patient's condition, the care given and any changes or events during each shift.
Where you use it
Nurses write, update and read the nursing notes; entries are expected to be factual, clear, timed, dated and signed. The patient's whole record is 'the notes' in the UK and 'the chart' in the US. With electronic records you will also hear 'on the system' or 'in the EPR' (electronic patient record).
Examples
According to the nursing notes, he refused his dinner and was very sleepy.
Write in the nursing notes that his daughter was updated by phone.
Common phrases
write in the nursing notes · nursing notes entry · read the nursing notes · update the nursing notes
The duty to keep information about patients private and to share it only with people who need it for their care or have a legal right to it.
Where you use it
A core professional duty that comes up with handovers in public areas, phone calls from relatives, social media and computer screens left open. Typical phrases: 'breach of confidentiality', 'patient confidentiality', 'I'm sorry, I can't give that information over the phone.'
Examples
Because of patient confidentiality, I can only discuss his results with him or with people he has agreed to.
Posting a photo of the ward online could be a breach of confidentiality.
Common phrases
patient confidentiality · breach of confidentiality · maintain confidentiality · duty of confidentiality
A form completed when something happens that harmed, or could have harmed, a patient, visitor or member of staff, such as a fall or a medication error.
Where you use it
Nurses 'fill in', 'complete' or 'submit' an incident report, often on an online system. Near misses, mistakes caught before they reach the patient, are reported too. The aim is to learn and improve safety, not to blame individuals, although staff often worry about this.
Examples
Mrs Kılıç was found on the floor by her bed, so I've completed an incident report.
Even though the patient wasn't harmed, the near miss still needs an incident report.
Common phrases
complete an incident report · fill in an incident report · submit an incident report · incident reporting system
A patient's agreement to a treatment or procedure, given freely after they have been told and have understood what it involves, its risks, benefits and alternatives.
Where you use it
Usually obtained and documented by the doctor doing the procedure, with a signed consent form for operations. Nurses check that the form is signed and that the patient still understands and agrees, and raise concerns if not. For everyday care, verbal consent is used: 'Is it OK if I take your blood pressure?'
Examples
He doesn't seem to understand the operation, so I've asked the surgeon to go through informed consent with him again.
Informed consent was obtained before the procedure, and the signed form is in her notes.
Common phrases
obtain informed consent · give informed consent · consent form · verbal consent · withdraw consent
The person closest to a patient, usually a family member or partner, who is contacted first with news about them.
Where you use it
Nurses ask for next of kin details on admission and record a name and phone number; notes often say NOK. Patients choose who they want to name. Being next of kin does not automatically give someone the right to make medical decisions for an adult; that depends on each country's law.
Examples
Who would you like us to put down as your next of kin?
I've rung his next of kin, his wife, to let her know he's been moved to ICU.
Usage note
'Kin' is an old word for family and is rarely used alone today. Learn 'next of kin' as a fixed phrase; it can refer to one person or several.
Common phrases
inform the next of kin · next of kin details · contact the next of kin · named next of kin
To say or do something that makes a worried person feel calmer and less afraid.
Where you use it
A central nursing skill with anxious patients and relatives. In the notes: 'patient reassured', 'reassurance given'. Good reassurance is honest: nurses explain what is happening without promising things they cannot know, such as 'Everything will be fine.'
Examples
She was frightened before the scan, so I stayed with her and tried to reassure her.
I reassured his wife that we would call her if anything changed.
Usage note
You reassure someone ABOUT something or THAT something is true. Do not confuse it with 'ensure' (make certain) or 'insure' (buy insurance).
Common phrases
reassure the patient · reassure the family · try to reassure · give reassurance
A button by a patient's bed or in the bathroom that the patient presses to call a nurse for help.
Where you use it
Nurses tell patients 'Press the call bell if you need anything' and check that it is within reach, especially for patients at risk of falls. A bell 'goes off' or 'is ringing'. US hospitals usually say 'call light' or 'call button'.
Examples
Here's your call bell. Please don't try to get up on your own; press it and someone will come.
Bed 3's call bell has been ringing for a while; can someone answer it?
Common phrases
press the call bell · answer a call bell · within reach of the call bell · call bell response time
The times of day when friends and family are allowed to visit patients on a ward.
Where you use it
Usually posted at the ward entrance. Many wards have 'protected mealtimes' when visitors are asked to leave, and some allow open visiting or extra time for patients who are very ill or dying. Nurses may need to explain the rules politely: 'I'm afraid visiting hours finish at eight.'
Examples
Visiting hours are from two till eight, with two visitors at a bed at a time.
We can be flexible about visiting hours for your mother while she is this unwell.
Common phrases
during visiting hours · outside visiting hours · open visiting · visiting hours finish
A gentle, polite way of saying that someone has died, often used when speaking to families.
Where you use it
Nurses often say 'passed away' or 'died peacefully' to relatives. Many end-of-life guides suggest also using the clear word 'died', because softer phrases like 'we lost him' can be misunderstood, especially by children or people with limited English. Notes use 'died' or 'deceased'.
Examples
I'm so sorry. Your father passed away peacefully about twenty minutes ago.
Her husband passed away on this ward last year, so coming back here is hard for her.
Usage note
Do not confuse 'pass away' (die) with 'pass out' (faint, lose consciousness for a short time).
Common phrases
pass away peacefully · sadly passed away · passed away in his sleep
A trained person who translates spoken conversation between a patient and staff who do not share a language, in person, by phone or by video.
Where you use it
Hospitals use professional interpreters for consent, assessments and important news; many policies say family members, especially children, should not interpret medical conversations. Nurses 'book' or 'request' an interpreter and speak directly to the patient, not to the interpreter.
Examples
I've booked a Turkish interpreter for 10 o'clock so we can explain the operation properly.
We used a telephone interpreter to complete his admission assessment.
Usage note
In English an 'interpreter' works with speech and a 'translator' with written texts; Turkish 'tercüman' and 'çevirmen' are often used for both.
Common phrases
book an interpreter · professional interpreter · telephone interpreter · through an interpreter
Care that aims to relieve pain and other symptoms and support quality of life for people with a serious illness that cannot be cured, together with support for their families.
Where you use it
Palliative care can start early in an illness, alongside other treatment; 'end-of-life care' refers to the last weeks or days of life. Nurses refer patients to the palliative care team and talk about comfort, symptom control and the patient's wishes. A 'hospice' is a place that specialises in this care.
Examples
The palliative care team are coming to see Mrs Koç about her pain and breathlessness.
Palliative care isn't only for the last days of life; it can help much earlier.
Common phrases
palliative care team · refer to palliative care · specialist palliative care · palliative care nurse
To become worse, especially when a patient's condition or vital signs change in a way that shows they are becoming more unwell.
Where you use it
A key word in patient safety: 'the deteriorating patient', 'signs of deterioration', 'he deteriorated overnight'. Nurses are trained to recognise early deterioration, often through a rising early warning score, and to escalate quickly. In casual speech people say 'She's going downhill'.
Examples
Mrs Demir is deteriorating: her sats are dropping and she's more confused.
Call me straight away if his condition deteriorates during the night.
Short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation: chest compressions, often with rescue breaths, given to someone whose heart has stopped, to keep blood and oxygen moving.
Where you use it
Nurses are trained in basic life support (BLS), and many in advanced life support (ALS or ACLS). You 'start', 'perform' or 'do' CPR, and it is stopped when the team leader decides. 'Resus' is a common short form for resuscitation and for the resuscitation room.
Examples
He was unresponsive and not breathing, so we started CPR and called the arrest team.
All ward staff have to update their CPR training every year.
Not reacting to voice, touch or pain, so that the person seems unconscious; a sign that urgent help is needed.
Where you use it
Used in emergencies and handovers: 'I found him unresponsive in bed.' In the AVPU scale, U stands for unresponsive. When a patient is unresponsive, staff check breathing and call for help; if breathing is not normal, CPR is started.
Examples
Help! The patient in bed 2 is unresponsive.
She became unresponsive shortly after the dose of morphine.
Common phrases
found unresponsive · become unresponsive · unresponsive patient · unresponsive to pain
A score calculated from a patient's vital signs and level of consciousness that helps staff notice early that a patient is becoming seriously ill.
Where you use it
Most UK hospitals use NEWS2 (National Early Warning Score 2); other systems include MEWS, and there are separate versions for children (PEWS) and for pregnancy. Each measurement gets points, and a higher total leads to more frequent observations and escalation to a doctor or a rapid response team.
Examples
Her early warning score has gone up from 2 to 6 in the last hour, so I've called the outreach team.
The early warning score is calculated automatically when you enter the obs.
Common phrases
calculate an early warning score · rising early warning score · early warning score chart · early warning score of 7
To pass a concern about a patient to a more senior or specialist person, such as the nurse in charge or a doctor, so that they can act on it.
Where you use it
Very common in UK and Australian nursing: 'escalate to the doctor', 'escalate concerns', 'escalation plan'. The notes should say who it was escalated to, when and what was agreed. In general English 'escalate' also means to become bigger or worse: 'The argument escalated.'
Examples
His early warning score is 7, so I escalated to the registrar straight away.
If you're worried about a patient, escalate it, even if you're not sure what's wrong.
Common phrases
escalate to the doctor · escalate concerns · escalation plan · escalate care
Short for 'do not resuscitate': a medical decision, recorded in the notes, that CPR will not be attempted if the patient's heart or breathing stops.
Where you use it
In the UK the usual term is DNACPR (do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation); DNAR and 'no code' are also heard. A DNR decision covers only CPR, and the patient still receives all other appropriate care. Who decides, how families are involved and how it is recorded depend on each country's law and policies.
Examples
She has a DNR in place, but she's still for antibiotics and IV fluids.
Please check that the DNR form is at the front of his notes after the family meeting.
Common phrases
DNR order · DNR form · DNR status · have a DNR in place
A hospital emergency call meaning that a patient's heart or breathing has stopped and the resuscitation team must come at once.
Where you use it
Used in US hospitals and in Turkey ('mavi kod'); UK hospitals usually say 'crash call' or 'arrest call', and the team is the 'crash team'. Staff 'call a code blue', and the emergency equipment trolley is the 'crash cart' (US) or 'resus trolley' (UK). Colour codes for other emergencies vary between hospitals.
Examples
Call a code blue to bed 14 and bring the crash cart!
The code blue team arrived within two minutes.
Common phrases
call a code blue · code blue team · respond to a code blue · code blue drill
A life-threatening condition in which the body's response to an infection starts to damage its own organs and tissues.
Where you use it
A major cause of deterioration on wards. Nurses screen for sepsis when a patient with a possible infection has abnormal observations, such as a high or low temperature, fast breathing, a fast pulse, low blood pressure or new confusion. Hospitals use sepsis pathways so that treatment starts quickly. The adjective is 'septic'.
Examples
With a temperature of 39, a pulse of 125 and a low blood pressure, I'm worried about sepsis.
She was started on the sepsis pathway within an hour of arriving on the ward.
Common phrases
suspected sepsis · sepsis screening · sepsis pathway · signs of sepsis · red flag sepsis
Ten questions from this glossary. Pick the right meaning for each term and see your score.
How to learn nursing vocabulary
Learn each word with the verb nurses use with it: take a blood pressure, change a dressing, give handover, escalate a concern. These partnerships make you sound natural much faster than single words.
Read real nursing texts in English, such as hospital policies, patient information leaflets and articles in nursing journals, and notice how procedures and observations are described.
Practise a short spoken handover or an SBAR phone call about an imaginary patient every day. Speaking clearly under time pressure is what most nurses find hardest.
Keep two lists: clinical words for colleagues and notes (hypotensive, mobilise, nil by mouth) and everyday words for patients (low blood pressure, get up and walk, nothing to eat or drink).
Notice UK and US differences, such as drip and IV, obs and vitals, nil by mouth and NPO, and learn first the version used where you plan to study or work.
Frequently asked questions
What English level do nurses need to work in an English-speaking country?
It depends on the country and its nursing regulator. Most ask for a minimum score in an approved English test, such as IELTS or OET, and the required scores and accepted tests change from time to time, so check the regulator's official website. Beyond the test, you need to follow fast handovers, understand different accents and explain things simply to patients.
What is the difference between 'vital signs', 'vitals' and 'obs'?
They refer to the same basic checks: temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation. 'Vital signs' is the standard term, 'vitals' is the everyday American short form and 'obs' (observations) is what British and Australian nurses say on the ward. In UK hospitals 'obs' often also include the early warning score and level of consciousness.
Should I use medical terms or simple words with patients?
Use simple, everyday words with patients and families, and keep the medical terms for colleagues and notes. For example, tell a patient 'your blood pressure is low' rather than 'you are hypotensive', and explain 'nil by mouth' as 'nothing to eat or drink'. Patients often use informal words like 'throw up' or 'waterworks', so it helps to recognise them.
Should I learn British or American nursing English?
Learn the variety used where you plan to study or work, but be able to recognise both. Most words are the same, but some everyday ward terms differ: drip and IV, drug chart and MAR, nil by mouth and NPO, hoist and mechanical lift. Textbooks and online materials mix both, so this glossary points out the differences where they matter.
How can I improve my nursing English before I work abroad?
Read real nursing texts in English, such as clinical guidelines, patient leaflets and nursing journals, and listen to nurses talking about their work. Practise handovers aloud, learn the common abbreviations and write short practice notes in English using the words in this glossary.
