Okuzeka
Nursing vocabulary · Talking to Patients and Families

Next of kin

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˌnɛkst əv ˈkɪn/nounCore term

In nursing, next of kin means: The person closest to a patient, usually a family member or partner, who is contacted first with news about them.

In Turkish: en yakın akraba, hasta yakını

How it is used

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.

Example sentences

  1. Who would you like us to put down as your next of kin?

  2. I've rung his next of kin, his wife, to let her know he's been moved to ICU.

Common collocations

  • inform the next of kin
  • next of kin details
  • contact the next of kin
  • named next of kin
  • admissionThe process of accepting a patient into hospital or onto a ward, including the first checks and paperwork.
  • visiting hoursThe times of day when friends and family are allowed to visit patients on a ward.
  • confidentialityThe 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.
  • informed consentA 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.

This word in other fields

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

More terms: Talking to Patients and Families

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

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