Chapter Summary

Understanding the Clinical Environment

• The EMR is the collection of patient information from all visits at one hospital. The EHR is the collection of patient information from all hospitals the patient has visited.

• A primary care physician (PCP) is a doctor who has an ongoing relationship with a patient and provides primary care for that patient.

• A controlled substance is a drug or substance that is regulated by the government.

• Patient acuity describes the level of care that a patient requires.

• Hospitals have a hospital incident command system (HICS) to establish procedures for emergency situations. Usually a code blue means immediate care is needed for a patient that is in critical condition. When a patient is almost to the point of a code blue, a nurse or other medical personnel can issue a rapid response to call only a part of the code blue team.