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Nursing vocabulary · Medication Administration

Allergy

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˈælərdʒi/nounCore term

In nursing, allergy means: 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.

In Turkish: alerji

How it is used

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.

Example sentences

  1. Do you have any allergies to medicines, foods or plasters?

  2. She's allergic to penicillin; it's on her wristband and her drug chart.

Common collocations

  • have an allergy to
  • drug allergy
  • allergy band
  • known allergies
  • allergic reaction
  • side effectAn effect of a medicine or treatment that is not the main reason it was given, often unwanted, such as nausea or drowsiness.
  • medication chartThe form or electronic record where a patient's medicines are prescribed and where nurses sign for each dose they give or do not give.
  • admissionThe process of accepting a patient into hospital or onto a ward, including the first checks and paperwork.
  • medical historyInformation about a patient's past and present illnesses, operations, medicines, allergies and family health, collected to guide their care.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Medication Administration

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.