Definitions: P
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Pain - an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.
Pain Management - is the discipline concerned with the relief of pain.
Palliative Care - reduces the amount of pain or suffering from a disease or illness. Often palliative care is administered when the actual disease course cannot be treated - or when treatment of disease(s) will result in unwanted additional health issues or problems. Many recipients of palliative care are in hospice, but they do not have to be. This term is also used to describe a type of comprehensive medical care for people with life-ending illnesses. The goal is to ease the patient'sphysical, emotional, social and spiritual suffering, as well as to support families. Like hospice, this type of care can be provided in various settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, or the patient's home. This type of palliative care can begin after a doctor certifies a patient's life expectancy is six months or less.
Palpitations - is an awareness of the beating of the heart, whether it is too slow, too fast, irregular, or at its normal frequency.
Pancreas - is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine systems of vertebrates. It is both exocrine (secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes) and endocrine (producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin).
Paralysis - is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. Paralysis can cause loss of feeling or loss of mobility in the affected area.
Paratransit - is a service that provides transportation, usually in vans or buses, to seniors and the disabled. There are no fixed routes or schedules. Paratransit providers are operated by public agencies, community groups or nonprofit organizations.
Parkinson's Disease - (PD) is a chronic, degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs motor skills and speech, as well as other functions. Parkinson's Disease belongs to a group of conditions called movement disorders. It is characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor, a slowing of physical movement and, in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement.
Patients - as opposed to residents, patients are being actively treated for a medical condition in a facility.
Payroll Taxes - taxes levied against the amount of wages and salaries paid workers.
PEG Tube - PEG stands for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy which is a procedure where a tube, sometimes called a feeding tube is placed through the abdomen and into the stomach to allow feeding directly into the stomach. Typically used with people who cannot swallow.
Peace of Mind - from a care receiver and care coordinator's perspective, this is the calm, confidence and lack of anxiety that the care receiver is safe and receiving care.
Peer Review Organization - (PRO) a physician group or other professional medical organization that assumes responsibility for the review of the quality and appropriateness of services covered by Medicare and Medicaid. PROs determine whether services are medically necessary, provided in accordance with professional standards, and in the case of institutional services, rendered in an appropriate setting. PROs must review a skilled nursing facility's (SNF) care when a hospitalized patient is discharged to the SNF and is readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, or a Medicare beneficiary complains to a PRO about a SNF's quality of care.
Pelvis - the lower portion of the trunk of the body, composed of four bones, the two nameless bones on the side and towards the abdomen and the sacrum and coccyx towards the rear.
Penis - the male organ of urination and sexual intercourse.
Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube - (see PEG Tube)
Peripheral - towards the outer edge.
Personal Care - mostly referring to the private activities of the care receiver. These can include brushing teeth, toileting, shaving, bathing and other grooming and personal hygiene activities.
Pharmaceuticals - (see drugs)
Pharmacist - one who is licensed to prepare and sell or dispense drugs and compounds, and to make up prescriptions.
Phosphate - an organic compound necessary for mineralization of bone and other key cellular processes.
Physical - having to do with the body.
Physical Therapy - (PT) process that includes individualized programs of exercise to improve physical mobility, often administered following a stroke, fall, or accident. Physical Therapists plan and administer prescribed physical therapy treatment programs for residents to help restore their function and strength. Physical therapy helps individuals who have impaired movement as the result of an illness or medical condition. It often combines strength training of specific muscle groups, along with massage.
Physician - (see doctor)
Physiological - being in accord with or characteristic of the normal functioning of a living organism.
Pivot - to cause to rotate, revolve, or turn.
Platelets - are small plate-shaped bodies in the blood that combine to form a plug when a blood vessel is injured.
Poison - a substance taken internally or applied externally that is injurious to health or dangerous to life.
Polyps - a tumor with a small flap that attaches itself to the wall of various vascular organs such as the nose, uterus and rectum. Polyps bleed easily, and if they are suspected to be cancerous they should be surgically removed.
Potassium - a mineral found in whole grains, meat, legumes, and some fruits and vegetables. Potassium is important for many body processes, including proper functioning of the nerves and muscles.
Poverty - a lack of material wealth needed to maintain existence.
Power of Attorney - (POA) the simplest and least expensive legal device for authorizing a person to manage the affairs of another. In essence, it is a written agreement, usually with a close relative, an attorney, business associate or financial adviser, authorizing that person to sign documents and conduct transactions on the individual's behalf. The individual can delegate as much or as little power as desired and end the arrangement at any time.
Pre-Medication - to medicate before an event such as a procedure or surgery.
Predispose - to make susceptible, as to a disease.
Prescription - a written directive, usually by a doctor, for the preparation and administration of a remedy.
Preventative - remedy that prevents or slows the course of an illness or disease.
Primary Care Doctor - (see primary care physician)
Primary Care Physician - (PCP) the first medical doctor a patient will seek for care. A doctor for general conditions.
Primary Caregiver - the first person other than a medical doctor that a person will seek for care. Usually a family member, but not necessarily.
Private Duty Nursing - (PDN) are medically necessary, continuous, substantial and complex nursing services provided by a licensed nurse in the patient's home. If a patient qualifies, Medicaid and some private insurance companies pay for this service. Medicare does not pay for this service.
Procedure - an invasive service, sometimes surgical, performed by a physician.
Progressive - tending to become more severe or wider in scope, as of a disease or paralysis.
Promotional Code - (also promo code) is a set of numbers and/or letters given to a CAREmemberSM or potential CAREmemberSM by CAREjourney.comSM that will give a discount or free items. These are not offered always and there is no way to anticipate when they will be given.
Prostate - a gland surrounding the bladder neck and urethra in the male; it contributes a secretion to the semen.
Prostration - total exhaustion or weakness; collapse.
Protein - a large molecule consisting of a long chain or sequence of amino acids. After water, this is a major component of cells.
Protrusion - extension beyond the usual limits, or above a surface.
Provider - in the context of home care, a provider is a person or a group of people charged with providing care.
Psoriasis - is a chronic, non-contagious disease characterized by inflamed lesions covered with silvery-white scabs of dead skin.
Psoriatic Arthritis - a form of arthritic joint disease associated with the chronic skin scaling and fingernail changes seen in psoriasis.
Psychiatric - of or relating to psychiatry.
Psychiatrist - a physician who specializes in psychiatry.
Psychiatry - the branch of medicine dealing with the study, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders.
Psychological - of or relating to psychology; of, relating to, or arising from the mind or emotions.
Psychologist - a person trained and educated to perform psychological research, testing, and therapy.
Psychology - the science dealing with the mind and mental processes, especially in relation to human and animal behavior.
Psychosis - is a symptom or feature of mental illness typically characterized by radical changes in personality, impaired functioning, and a distorted or nonexistent sense of reality.
Psychotic - pertaining to, characterized by, or caused by psychosis.
Pulmonary - pertaining to the lungs.
Puncture - the act of piercing or penetrating with a pointed object or instrument; a wound so made.
These definitions are from sources deemed reliable but you should independently verify their accuracy.
If you click a link, you can go back by clicking your browser's back button or by pressing Alt, left arrow.
See a correction? Want us to add a definition? Tell us here.
Sources:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
http://www.webmd.com/
