Term Definitions Sheet

Term Abbreviation/ Acronym A medicine for managing an acute symptom/condition. An acute symptom/condition is of recent onset and limited duration (usually less than a few weeks) The giving of a dose of a medicine to a patient in a managed care environment The timing and other details of a patient's past medicine administrations Instructions that detail a prescriber's directions as to how medicine is to be given/taken The schedule and other details of a patient's further medicine administrations Adoption of an electronic prescribing system is when using that system has become routine and embedded in everyday practice A notification which is part of a decision support system within an electronic prescribing system. A basic or “non-alerting” system does not have built-in decision support to aid prescribers Acute (medicines) Administration Administration history Administration instructions Administration plan Adoption Advanced alerting Adverse drug reaction ADR Alert Allied Healthcare Professional AHP Authorisation Benchmark studies Benefits realisation British National Formulary BNF Care setting Computer/Clinical Decision Support Definition CDS An unintended response to a medicine A notification which comes up on the screen of the system's user A healthcare professional, other than a medical doctor, nurse or psychologist, who works as part of a clinical team The act of a prescriber giving permission to administer or supply a medicine other than by a verbal order Initial studies to define the criteria by which something else will be measured Achievement of positive outcomes A reference publication that provides information about the use of medicines in the UK The environment in which a patient receives care See Computer/Clinical Decision Support System Computer/Clinical Decision Support System CDSS Clinical effect Clinical trial Clinician Compliance Computerised Order Entry Computerised Physician Order Entry Condition (patient) CPOE Confirmation (medicines) Connectivity Context-rich enquiry Contra-indication Controlled drug Countersign Course Course definition Course status Current medicines Cycle CD Clinical decision support systems are active knowledge systems which use patient data to generate patient specific advice for the healthcare professional who is prescribing The effect of a medicine or treatment on a patient, which includes the beneficial effect(s) and may include side effects or allergies A scientific study to evaluate the clinical effect of a medicine or treatment on patients or volunteers A healthcare professional who is involved in the clinical care of a patient The extent to which a patient or a healthcare professional follows prescribing advice A patient-specific request made on an electronic prescribing system Computerised Physician Order Entry (by a doctor or other qualified prescriber) - see also "Computerised Order Entry" Illness, diagnosis or health state of a patient The action of electronically reviewing and authorising a course of medicine to be dispensed or administered, and committing this to a patient records system The means by which individual terminals, computers and mobile devices are connected to the central computer system A study that considers a range of different factors that are outside the topic being investigated but are relevant to the topic A clinical reason not to give a medicine A medicine that may not be prescribed, supplied or administered other than within the restrictions of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 The act of adding a second "signature" to indicate that an action has been witnessed or authorised A period of treatment when medicine is given over a defined time The details of a course of treatment The current state of a course of medicine within its overall time period A medicine or course of a medicine that a patient is receiving A repeated pattern of a course Day case A patient admitted electively with the intention of receiving care who does not require the use of a hospital bed overnight Decision support system See Clinical decision support system (CDSS) Discharge medicines Medicines that are prescribed and authorised for the patient to take home from hospital following an inpatient or daycase stay Discharge prescriptions Discontinued medicines Dispense Dispensing history Dosage or dose Dose range Drug (or medicine) classification Drug name Elective Electronic Prescribing End date End Point ePrescribing system Expiry date Fluids Form (medicine) Formulary eP A clinician's order for the preparation, supply and administration of a medicine or other treatment for the patient after leaving hospital Treatments that have been withdrawn from patient care for reason(s) that should have been specified The preparing and issuing of medicine(s) by pharmacy staff A record of past dispensing for a patient of a single medicine A specified quantity of a therapeutic agent, such as a medicine, prescribed to be taken at one time or at stated intervals The minimum and maximum range of a dose of medicine The listing of medicines according to different attributes, e.g. according their effect on the body The text agreed as an unambiguous name Planned or scheduled The action of ordering a prescription on a computer The date for the end of a course of medicine/treatment One of the target outcomes of a research study A computer-based system which enables electronic prescribing Date after which a preparation should not be used Liquids given to a patient with the aim of maintaining or improving the level of hydration or circulatory volume A description of the presentation of a medicine, e.g. tablet, injection A limited list of selected medicines available to be prescribed Formulation Framework for cost categories Functionality Generic drug name Health issue (for a patient) Health Technology Assessment HTA Healthcare professional HCP Hospital Electronic Prescribing & Medicines Administration HEPMA or EPMA The compounding of a medicinal product into a form suitable for administration to a patient The itemisation and classification into categories of the various costs involved in changing from a paper-based to an electronic prescribing system What a given electronic prescribing system is capable of doing The chemical or approved name of a product as opposed to a brand name A health condition which a patient experiences, which impacts or has the potential to impact on their day-to-day life or future health The evaluation of the impact of health related technologies A person involved in the provision of healthcare or social care, who is regulated by a professional body The same as or similar to an ePrescribing systems but including the recording of the giving of medicines to a patient Iatrogenic harm Unintended Injury to a patient as a result of medical treatment Implementation (electronic prescribing system) The process of putting an electronic prescribing system into a hospital and using it Indication Indicators (screen display) Infrastructure Infusion Inpatient Integration Interface The condition a patient has for which a medicine is being prescribed Symbols that are associated with a medicine, device or course of a medicine, which are designed to quickly notify a system user of key items of information The basic facilities, services and installations needed for the functioning of an electronic prescribing system A medicine that is given at a rate controlled by a mechanical device A patient when they are admitted to hospital The bringing together of different computer systems to work together The device used to access an electronic prescribing system, e.g. a computer, tablet or smart phone International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems codes Inter-operability Intervention Knowledge support ICD A medical classification coding system for diseases, signs and symptoms (currently 10 th revision - ICD-10) The ability of computers or computer software to 'talk' to each other without being specially configured to do so Any measure whose purpose is to improve health or alter the course of a disease When knowledge is delivered to clinicians at the point of knowledge need, either in the form of facts or in guidelines or protocols Longitudinal case study A case study for which data are gathered over a period of time, e.g., a hospital which is studied over months or years Medical device A medical device is not a drug which achieves its purpose through chemical reaction within or on the body; it is as instrument, apparatus of implant used to diagnose, prevent or treat disease or other conditions Medication or medicine Morbidity Mortality Multidisciplinary collaboration Multi-faceted programme Naturalistic evaluation Non-compliance Opportunity costs Order (for a patient) Order set Outcome Outpatient A substance given to cure, heal, prevent, or relieve the symptoms of, a disease Rate of incidence of a disease Death A research team combining different individuals each with their own specialised skills and expertise A research study made up of several different but related research projects A research method that involves observing study participants in their natural enviroment Failure to take a medicine as directed A benefit that must be given up in order to acquire or achieve an alternative A request from an authorised clinician for the supply or administration of medicine(s) A pre-defined list of orders normally containing complete information to allow the authorisation of the supply or administration of a medicine An observed consequence A patient who goes to a hospital for a consultation Patient Patient and public involvement PPI Patient instructions Patient record Patient safety Patient’s own drugs PODs Preparation Prescription Rx Prescription only medicines POM Primary care PRN medicines Procurement Protocol Qualitative research Quantitive research Referral Regimen Repeat prescription An individual receiving or registered to receive medical treatment Having members of the public actively involved in bringing their lay perspectives to academic/medical research Information telling a patient how much of a medicine to take, how often and for how long and by what method, including any warnings An electronic record of a patient's care and treatment Freedom from healthcare-associated, preventable harm Medicines brought into a hospital by a patient that have been previously prescribed and dispensed for the patient either in primary or secondary care or purchased over the counter The act of preparing medicines for administration An order, created by a clinician, for the preparation, supply and administration of a medicine or other treatment for a patient Medicines that may only be sold or supplied from pharmacies in accordance with a prescription from an appropriate clinician Goods and or services provided by general practitioner (family doctor) doctors, dentists, pharmacists, optometrists and ophthalmic medical practitioners, together with district nurses, health visitors and community AHPs A medicine to be taken on an 'as required' basis as determined by a patient within specific guidelines to treat specific symptoms The act of obtaining or buying goods and/or services A pre-defined list of treatments or plans A research methodology that investigates and analyses experiences and perceptions A research methodology that collects numerical data to produce statistical results The process by which one professional refers a patient or service user to another A set of rules outlining the treatment that is to be ordered for a patient A prescription that is authorised so that the patient may at intervals obtain another copy without a doctor consultation Review date Schedule Script Secondary care SNOMED Clinical Terms® SNOMEDCT® Special medicine Strength Systems analyst Tendering The NHS dictionary of medicines and devices Theoreticallyinformed (research) Therapeutic effect To take away To take home To take out Toolkit Typology Unlicensed medicine Verified dm+d The latest date at which a patient's prescribed medicine(s) should next be reviewed The specific time(s) or frequency at which a medicine should be administered Shortened term for prescription – see Prescription Specialist care traditionally provided in a hospital setting. A clinical terminology that enables clinical documentation and reporting, and can be used to code, retrieve and analyse clinical data See - Unlicensed medicine The quantity of an active pharmaceutical product contained within a measured volume or dose A person who uses analysis and design techniques to solve problems using information technology Making a formal written offer for supply of goods or services A dictionary of descriptions and codes which represent medicines and devices in use across the NHS Research designed and carried out based on some existing thinking TTA TTH TTO The degree of healing, relief or cure achieved See - Discharge prescriptions See - Discharge prescriptions See - Discharge prescriptions A series of processes, models and documents available on-line to guide National Health Service organisations in implementing electronic prescribing systems A classification by sort A medicine that is not covered by a product licence issued by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) An order or prescription that has been confirmed as safe to supply or administer