| IOU | intensive care observation unit; international opacity unit |
|---|---|
| IRCU | intensive respiratory care unit |
| ISC | immunoglobulin-secreting cells; insoluble collagen; International Society of Cardiology; Internation... |
| MCICU | medical coronary intensive care unit |
| NBICU | newborn intensive care unit |
| emergency nursing | The specialty or practice of nursing in the care of patients admitted to the emergency department. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| transcultural nursing | A nursing specialty created to answer the need for developing a global perspective in the practice of nursing in a world of interdependent nations and people. The focus of this nursing discipline is on the integration of international and transcultural content into the training. Courses include study in the area of cultural differences, nursing in other countries, and international health issues and organizations, as an example. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ethics, nursing | The principles of proper professional conduct concerning the rights and duties of nurses themselves, their patients, and their fellow practitioners, as well as their actions in the care of patients and in relations with their families. (12 Dec 1998) |
| faculty, nursing | The teaching staff and members of the administrative staff having academic rank in a nursing school. (12 Dec 1998) |
| legislation, nursing | Laws and regulations, pertaining to the field of nursing, proposed for enactment by a legislative body. (12 Dec 1998) |
| licensure, nursing | The granting of a license to practice the profession of nursing. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ambulatory care | Medical care (including diagnosis, observation, treatment and rehabilitation) provided on an outpatient basis. Ambulatory care is given to persons who are not confined to a hospital but rather are ambulatory and, literally, are able to ambulate or walk about. (A well-baby visit is considered ambulatory care even though the baby is not walking). (12 Dec 1998) |
| ambulatory care facilities | Those facilities which administer health services to individuals who do not require hospitalization or institutionalization. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ambulatory care information systems | Information systems, usually computer-assisted, designed to store, manipulate, and retrieve information for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling administrative activities associated with the provision and utilization of ambulatory care services and facilities. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cancer care facilities | Institutions specializing in the care of cancer patients. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cardiac care facilities | Institutions specializing in the care of patients with heart disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |
| care | In medicine and public health, a general term for the application of knowledge to the benefit of a community or individual. (05 Mar 2000) |
| care, ambulatory | Medical care (including diagnosis, observation, treatment and rehabilitation) provided on an outpatient basis. Ambulatory care is given to persons who are not confined to a hospital but who are ambulatory and literally able to ambulate, to walk about. (A well-baby visit is considered ambulatory care even though the baby is not walking). (12 Dec 1998) |
| care, managed | Any system that manages healthcare delivery in order to control costs. (12 Dec 1998) |
| care proxy, health | A health care proxy is one form of advance medical directive. Advance medical directives preserve the person's right to accept or reject a course of medical treatment even after that person becomes mentally or physically incapacitated to the point of being unable to communicate those wishes. There are two basic forms of advance directives: 1. A living will, in which the person outlines specific treatment guidelines that are to be followed by health care providers. 2. A health care proxy (also called a power of attorney for health-care decision-making) in which the person designates a trusted individual to make medical decisions in the event that he or she becomes too incapacitated to make such decisions. Advance directive requirements vary greatly from one jurisdiction to another and should therefore be drawn up in consultation with an attorney who is familiar with the laws of the particular jurisdiction. (This entry is based upon material from the National MS Society). (12 Dec 1998) |