Glossary
Validation report
A report sent to nursing home assessment coordinators that notifies them when MDS errors have been submitted to a state’s computer system.
Ventilator
Also known as a respirator, this machine pushes air into the lungs through a tube placed in the trachea (breathing tube). Ventilators are used when a person cannot breathe on his or her own, or cannot breathe effectively enough to provide adequate oxygen to the cells of the body or rid the body of carbon dioxide.
Visiting Nurse Association (VNA)
A voluntary health agency that provides nursing and other services in the home. Basic services include health supervision, education and counseling; bedside care; and the carrying out of physicians' orders. Personnel include nurses and home health aides who are trained for specific tasks of personal bedside care.
Vital statistics
Statistics relating to births (natality), deaths (mortality), marriages, health and disease (morbidity).
