GLOSSARY

Terms

Listed below is a glossary of terms used by the Canterbury District Health Board.  This glossary is sort alphabetically A-Z.

Term Definition
Accreditation Achievement against a national system of standards
Audit The verification of performance against predetermined standards or contracts by a process of inspections, interviews and appraisal of documentation
Brachytherapy Type of radiation therapy in which radioactive materials are placed in direct contact with the tissue being treated
Brackenridge Estate Limited Brackenridge Estate Limited a wholly owned subsidiary of Canterbury District Health Board, provides residential care services to people with intellectual disability and high dependency needs including day programmes
Canterbury DHB Canterbury District Health Board
CAPEX Capital expenditure
Cardiothoracic Relating to the heart or chest
CDHB Canterbury District Health Board
CNS Clinical Nurse Specialist
Cohort Generational group as defined in demographics, statistics or market research
Community A collective of people identified by their common values and mutual concern for the development and wellbeing of their group or geographical area
Consultation The process of seeking the views of individuals or groups. These include providers and health service users
COSE Co-ordinator of Services for the Elderly
CPH Community and Public Health
CPHAC Community and Public Health Advisory Committee
Credentialling Credentialling in the New Zealand context is defined as 'a process used to assign specific clinical responsibilities to health professionals on the basis of their training, qualifications, experience and current practice, within an organisational context. Credentialling is part of a wider organisational quality and risk management system designed primarily to protect the patient.
CSPIN Christchurch Social Policy Interagency Network
CWD Cost weighted discharges – a measure of relative patient’s utilisation of resources
DAA Designated Audit Agency
Disability Incapacity caused by congenital state, injury or age-related condition expected to last six months or more. A disability may or may not be associated with the need for assistance
Disparity (or deprivation) Socio-economic or health inequality or difference relative to the local community or wider society to which an individual, family or group belongs
District Health Boards District Health Boards are organisations being established to protect, promote and improve the health and independence of a geographically defined population.  Each District Health Board will fund, provide and ensure the provision of services for its population
DSAC Disability Support Advisory Committee
DSD Disability Services Directorate
DSP District Strategic Plan
DSS Disability Support Services
ECC Elder Care Canterbury
EEO Equal Employment Opportunities
Equity Equity means fairness
Evaluation Assessment against a standard.  Evaluations can assess both the process (of establishing a programme to deliver an outcome) and outcomes (ultimate objectives)
FTE Full time equivalent (relates to people)
Funding Agreement This is the agreement the Crown enters into with any person or entity under which the person or entity agrees to provide or arrange the provision of services in return for payment. For District Health Boards, this will include the District Health Board Annual Plan, funding schedules and the District Health Board Statement of Intent
General Surgery General and vascular surgery at Christchurch hospital which provides tertiary services to general, vascular and transplant needs. Approximately 60 percent acute workload. Treats mainly non deferrable malignant life and limb threatening disease of upper and lower gastr-intestinal system, breast, endocrine and perivascular systems, primarily malignant disease
Goal A high level strategic statement
Gynaecology Disease and hygiene of women
HbA1c Haemoglobin A1c; also known as glycated haemoglobin.  The level of HbA1c reflects the average blood glucose level over the past 3 months
Health Needs This can be either: 1) what an individual requires to achieve or maintain health; or 2) an estimation of the programmes required to improve the health of populations
Health Needs Assessment A process designed to establish the health requirements of a particular population
Health Outcomes A change in the health status of an individual, group or population which is attributable to a planned programme or series of programmes, regardless of whether such a programme was intended to change health status
Health Policy A formal statement or procedure within institutions that defines priorities and the parameters for action
Health Status A description and/or measurement of the health of an individual or population
HOPS Health of Older People Strategy
HPCA Health Practitioners Competency Assurance
HWAC Health Workforce Advisory Committee
Iwi Tribe
KPls Key Performance Indicators
LOS Length of Stay
Med Medical
Medical Credentialling Medical credentialling refers to the process of permitting an individual physician to practice in a particular hospital, clinic or other medical practice setting
MoH Ministry of Health
MoU Memorandum of Understanding
MPIA Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs
Neurosurgery Surgery of the nervous system
NGO Non-governmental Organisation
NIR National Immunisation Register
Objective Objectives state what is to be achieved and cover the range of desired outcomes to achieve a goal
OPH Older Persons Health
Ophthalmology Eye surgery
Orthopaedic Prevention or correction of injuries or disease of the skeletal system and associated muscles, joints and ligaments
Otolaryngology Ear, nose throat surgery
Pacific Peoples The population of Pacific Island ethnic origin incorporating people of Pacific Island ethnic origin born in New Zealand as well as overseas
Pacific Peoples The population of Pacific Island ethnic origin (for example, Tongan, Niuean, Fijian, Samoan, Cook Island Maori, and Tokelauan) incorporating people of Pacific Island ethnic origin born in New Zealand as well as overseas
PACs Picture Archiving & Communications System
Partnership The relationship of good faith, mutual respect and understanding and shared decision making between the Crown and Maori
Performance Indicator A measure that shows the degree to which a strategy has been achieved
PHO Primary Health Organisation
Population Based Funding (PBF) Population based funding involves using a formula to allocate each District Health Board a fair share of the available resources so that each Board has an equal opportunity to meet the health and disability needs of its population.
Population Health The health groups, families and communities.  Populations may be defined by locality, biological criteria such as age or gender, social criteria such as socio-economic status, or cultural criteria such as Whanau
Population Health Outcomes Used to describe a change in the health status of a population due to a planned programme or series of programmes, regardless of whether such programmes were intended to change health status
Population Health Status The level of health experienced by a population at a given time.  This may be measured by separately identifying patterns of death and illness in a population or by means of one or more measures
Primary Care Primary health care means essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound, culturally appropriate and socially acceptable methods. It is universally accessible to people in their communities, involves community participation, is integral to, and a central function of, the country’s health system, and is the first level of contact with the health system
Public Health The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health and efficiency through organised community effort.  Winslow, 1920 (Institute of Medicine, 1988).

A collective effort identify and address the unacceptable realities that result in preventable and avoidable health outcomes, and it is the composite of efforts and activities that are carried out by people committed to these ends. Turnock, 1997.
Quality Assurance Formal process of implementing quality assessment and quality improvement in programmes to assure people that professional activities have been performed adequately
RMO Resident Medical Officer
Secondary Care Specialist care that is typically provided in a hospital setting
SIMHN South Island Mental Health Network
Strategy A course of action to achieve targets
Target A specific and measurable aim relating to an objective
Tertiary Care Very specialised care often only provided in a smaller number of locations
Tikanga Customary practice, rule
TLA Territorial Local Agencies
Treaty of Waitangi New Zealand's founding document.  It establishes the relationship between the Crown and Maori as tangata whenua (first peoples) and requires both the Crown and Maori to act reasonably towards each other and with utmost good faith
Urology Diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the urinary tract and urogenital system
Well-child/Tamariki ora services Term used to describe all activities that promote health and prevent disease that are undertaken in the primary care setting for children and their families and whanau
Wellness A dimension of health beyond the absence of disease or infirmity, including social, emotional and spiritual aspects of health
Whanau Family
WHD Women’s Health Division

 

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