358 Essential Skills for Health Careers Success
guardian a court-appointed person who may
make decisions for a patient who is mentally
or physically incapable of making such
decisions
H
hackers people who break into computer
systems to access data, steal personal informa-
tion, and sometimes cause harm to a computer
system
hand hygiene hand washing with a detergent
or antimicrobial soap and water, or by apply-
ing an alcohol-based hand rub; considered
the single most important way to prevent the
spread of infection
healthcare simulation learning tools used to
show what something looks like or how to per-
form a procedure
health informatics services career fi eld con-
sidered to be a bridge between medicine and
technology, and which provides critical sup-
port to all other medical services; includes
positions such as medical clerical worker,
human resource workers, and medical records
workers
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA) an act approved by the
US Congress in 1996 and fully enforced in
2006; created a law including a privacy provi-
sion for patient health records
health maintenance organizations (HMO)
managed care organizations that provide pre-
paid, comprehensive healthcare at a fl at rate
and for a fi xed period of time through a net-
work of participating healthcare professionals
and hospitals; policyholders select a primary
care physician (PCP) and referrals from the
PCP must be obtained to see a specialist
Hippocratic Oath a promise of professional
behavior made by physicians beginning their
careers; promises ethical and honest practice of
the medical profession
homeostasis state of internal balance achieved by
adjusting the physiological systems of the body
hormones chemicals secreted by endocrine
glands to regulate body functions
hospice a type of care designed to relieve pain
and reduce suffering in terminally ill patients
hospital emergency codes signals used in
hospitals to alert staff to various emergencies;
examples include code red (fi re) and code blue
(cardiac arrest)
human reproduction process that occurs when
the male sex cell and female sex cell unite to
create a new human being
hypothesis an idea or a suggestion often devel-
oped to explain something, the cause of which
is unknown
I
immunity ability to resist pathogens
incident reports reports used in a healthcare
facility to document both safety and non-safety
related incidents that are not part of a routine
operation in the facility
infection control term that describes any efforts
made to avoid the spread of infection in a
healthcare facility
infl ammation term for redness, swelling, pain,
tenderness, and heat affecting an area of the
body; often a result of tissues reacting to injury
informed consent a form given to a patient by
a physician explaining the benefi ts and risks
of a procedure; the patient accepts the risk by
signing the informed consent form
interjection a word, phrase, or clause that
expresses emotion
Internet an electronic communications network
that connects computer networks and com-
puter facilities around the world
isolation rooms rooms in a healthcare facility
used to contain contagious diseases as well as
protect immune-compromised patients from
disease