Acronyms and Glossary

Acronyms

ABF	Activity Based Funding
ACAP	Aged Care Assessment Program
ACAR	Aged Care Approvals Round
ACAT	Aged Care Assessment Team
AHMAC	Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council
AHMC	Australian Health Ministers’ Conference
AIDS	Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
APEC	Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
ASGC-RA	Australian Standard Geographical Classification – Remoteness Areas
ATAPS	Access to Allied Psychological Services
AusAID	Australian Agency for International Development
CACP	Community Aged Care Packages
CALD	Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
COAG	Council of Australian Governments
EACH	Extended Aged Care at Home
FFR	Federal Financial Relations
FOBT	Faecal occult blood test
GMO	Genetically Modified Organism
H1N1	Hemagglutinin Neuraminidase or Influenza A virus
HACC	Home and Community Care
HIV	Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HPV	Human Papillomavirus
IHPA	Independent Hospital Pricing Authority
LHN	Local Hospital Network
MBS	Medicare Benefits Schedule
MOS	Mobile Outreach Service
MRI	Magnetic Resonance Imaging
MSAC	Medical Services Advisory Committee
NDC	National Drugs Campaign
NDS	National Drug Strategy
NEHTA	National E-Health Transition Authority
NHCCN	National Health Call Centre Network
NHFB	National Health Funding Body
NHHN	National Health and Hospital Network
NHPA	National Health Performance Authority
NHS	National Health Survey
NIS	National Immunisation Strategy
NTS	National Tobacco Strategy
NTYC	National Tobacco Youth Campaign
OATSIH	Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
OECD	Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
OHS	Office of Hearing Services
PBAC	Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee
PBPA	Pharmaceutical Benefits Pricing Authority
PBS	Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
PCEHR	Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record
PET	Positron Emission Tomography
PIP	Practice Incentives Program
QAAMS	Quality Assurance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medical Services
RFDS	Royal Flying Doctor Service
SCoH	Standing Council on Health
STI	Sexually Transmissible Infections
TGA	Therapeutic Goods Administration
WHO	World Health Organization

Glossary

Acute Care	Short-term medical treatment, usually in a hospital, for patients with an acute illness or injury, or recovering from surgery. Acute illness/injury is one that is severe in its effect or approaching crisis point, for example acute appendicitis.
Allied Health Care	A group of medically-prescribed health care services, such as occupational therapy, speech pathology and physical therapy, provided by licensed professionals.
Antenatal	The period prior to birth.
Audiologist	An allied health professional specialising in the science of hearing, who provides services that include: evaluation of hearing function to detect hearing impairment; determination of the anatomical site and cause of hearing impairment; and selection of appropriate treatment and rehabilitation.
Bio-statistics	The application of statistics to biology, medicine, nursing, and other health related professions.
Blood Borne Viruses	Viruses that are transmitted through contact between infected blood and uninfected blood.
Cardiopulmonary Disease	Any disease of the heart (cardio) or lungs (pulmonary). Includes heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure.
Cervical cancer	A cancer of the cervix, often caused by human papillomavirus, which is a sexually transmissible infection.
Chemotherapy	The treatment of disease by chemical agents, for example the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells.
Chlamydia infection	A sexually transmissible infection caused by a bacterium, Chlamydia.
Chronic Disease	The term applied to a diverse group of diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis (to name a few), that tend to be long-lasting and persistent in their symptoms or development. Although these features also apply to some communicable diseases (infections), the general term chronic diseases is usually confined to non-communicable diseases.
Closing the Gap	COAG Closing the Gap initiatives designed to close the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation.
Cochlear Implant	A device consisting of a microphone, signal processor, external transmitter, and implanted receiver; the receiver is surgically implanted under the skin above and behind the ear. The implant allows new sound information to be transmitted to the brain and restores a limited sense of hearing.
Computed Tomography Scanning	An imaging method that uses computer processing to generate an image of tissue density in a ‘slice’ through the body. The images are spaced at 5 to 10 mm intervals allowing an anatomical cross-section of the body to be constructed.
Communicable Disease	Illnesses caused by microorganisms and transmitted from an infected person or animal to another person or animal.
Dementia	A general and worsening loss of brain power such as memory, understanding and reasoning.
Diabetes	Refers to a group of syndromes caused by a malfunction in the production and release of insulin by the pancreas leading to a disturbance in blood glucose levels. Type 1 diabetes is characterised by the abrupt onset of symptoms, usually during childhood; and inadequate production of insulin requiring regular injections to regulate insulin levels. Type 2 diabetes is characterised by gradual onset commonly between 50 and 60 years old; and is usually able to be regulated through dietary control.
Ecstasy	A synthetic hallucinogenic and euphoric drug, used illicitly as a stimulant.
eHealth	Application of internet and other related technologies in the health care industry to improve the access, efficiency, effectiveness and quality of clinical and business processes utilised by health care organisations, practitioners, patients and consumers to improve the health status of patients.
Epidemiology	The study of the determinants (risk factors) and distribution of disease among populations.
Faecal occult blood test	A test that detects tiny amounts of blood, often released from bowel cancers or their precursors (polyps or adenomas) into the bowel motion.
Generic	When referring to a drug, ‘generic’ means not covered by a trademark; where a drug is marketed under its chemical name without advertising.
Gene technology	Gene technology involves techniques for understanding the expression of genes and taking advantage of natural genetic variation for the modification of genetic material. It does not include sexual reproduction or DNA crossover.
Gonorrhoea	A sexually transmissible infection caused by a bacterium, Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Haemophilia	An inherited disorder of blood clotting in which one of the essential clotting factors is deficient. The deficiency in clotting factor produces a wide range of bleeding episodes, usually into the joints or muscles.
Hepatitis A (infectious hepatitis)	An acute but benign form of viral hepatitis transmitted by ingesting food or drink that is contaminated with fecal matter.
Hepatitis B (serum hepatitis)	An acute (sometimes fatal) form of viral hepatitis transmitted by sexual contact, by transfusion or by ingestion of contaminated blood or other bodily fluids.
Hepatitis C	A blood borne viral disease that can result in serious liver disease such as cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Hepatitis C is usually transmitted by parenteral means (as injection of an illicit drug or blood transfusion or exposure to blood or blood products).
Herpes Simplex Virus	Virus that causes cold sores and fever blisters in and around the mouth.
Individual Healthcare Identifiers	The information technology services that will enable the unique identification of each individual consumer of health care in Australia to: increase the integrity of identification of electronic health information records and communications; and enable accurate retrieval, discovery and recording of health information.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging	A non-invasive nuclear medicine technology that uses strong magnetic fields and radio frequency pulses to generate sectional images of the body. The image gives information about the chemical makeup of the tissues, allowing, for example, normal and cancerous tissues to be distinguished.
Mammographic screening	An X-ray of the breast. May be used to assess a breast lump or as a screening test in women with no evidence of cancer.
Measles	An acute, contagious viral disease, usually occurring in childhood and characterized by eruption of red spots on the skin, fever, and catarrhal symptoms. Also called rubeola.
Melanoma	A tumour arising from the skin, consisting of dark masses of cells with a tendency to metastasis. It is the most aggressive form of skin cancer.
Memorandum of Understanding	A written but noncontractual agreement between two or more agencies or other parties to take a certain course of action.
Meningococcal disease	The inflammation of meninges of the brain and the spinal cord caused by meningococcal bacteria which invade the body through respiratory tract. The infection develops quickly and is often characterised by fever, vomiting, an intense headache, stiff neck and septicemia (an infection in the bloodstream).
Methamphetamines	A drug that stimulates the central nervous system and is highly addictive.
Mumps	An acute, inflammatory, contagious disease caused by a paramyxovirus and characterised by swelling of the salivary glands, especially the parotids, and sometimes of the pancreas, ovaries, or testes. This disease mainly affects children and can be prevented by vaccination.
Oncology	The study, knowledge and treatment of cancer and tumours.
Otitis media	Inflammation of the middle ear.
Outcomes	As used in the Australian Government’s Outcomes Framework, are the results, consequences or impacts of Government actions on the Australian community.
Palliative Care	Care provided to achieve the best possible quality of life for patients with a progressive and far-advanced disease, with little or no prospect of cure.
Pandemic	An epidemic affecting a wide geographic area.
Papanicolau test	A screening test for cancer of the cervix. Also called pap smear test.
Pathology Services	The study and diagnosis of disease through the examination of organs, tissues, cells and bodily fluids. Pathology services provide a range of important diagnostic support services to help hospital staff and general practitioners diagnose and treat diseases and other medical conditions.
Performance Indicators	Indicators which are used to measure agency effectiveness in achieving the Government’s objectives.
Perinatal	The period shortly before and after birth. The term ‘perinatal’ generally describes the period between the 20th week of gestation and one to four weeks after birth.
Pertusis (Whooping cough)	An acute, highly contagious respiratory disease characterised by paroxysmal coughing that ends in a loud whooping inspiration. It occurs primarily in infants and in children less than 4 years of age who have not been immunized. It is caused by a bacillus Bordetella pertussis.
Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements	Statements prepared by portfolios to explain the Additional Estimates Budget appropriations in terms of outcomes and outputs.
Portfolio Budget Statements	Statements prepared by portfolios to explain the Budget appropriations in terms of outcomes and outputs.
Positron Emission Tomography	A nuclear medicine technology that uses short-lived radioisotopes to enable the non-invasive imaging of metabolic functions within the body. The technology’s main application is in the staging of various cancers and the monitoring of cancer therapies.
Primary Care	Provides the patient with a broad spectrum of care, both preventive and curative, over a period of time and coordinates all of the care the person receives.
Psycho-geriatric	A term describing either age-related or life-long mental health illnesses, and diseases of the brain which tend to predominantly affect older people, such as Alzheimer’s or Dementia.
Radiation Oncology (Radiotherapy)	The study and discipline of treating malignant disease with radiation. The treatment is referred to as radiotherapy or radiation therapy.
Remote	The term ‘Remote’ is used for centres with a population up to 4,999, as identified by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Rubella (German Measles)	A highly contagious viral disease which spreads through contact with discharges from the nose and throat of an infected person. Although rubella causes only mild symptoms of low fever, swollen glands, joint pain and a fine red rash in most children and adults, it can have severe complications for women in their first trimester of pregnancy. Complications include severe birth defects or death of the fetus.
Rural	Rural includes centres with populations between 5,000 and 99,999 as identified by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Stent	A device or mould of a suitable material used to provide support for a tubular structure within the body, such as arteries, oesophagus, or urinary tract.
Stoma	Artificial body opening in the abdominal region, for the purpose of waste removal.
Syphilis	A chronic infectious disease caused by a spirochete (Treponema pallidium). It is either sexually transmitted or passed from mother to child in utero, and progresses through three stages characterised respectively by local formation of chancres, ulcerous skin eruptions, and systemic infection leading to general paresis.
Tetanus	An acute, often fatal disease characterised by spasmodic contraction of voluntary muscles, especially those of the neck and jaw, and caused by the toxin of the bacillus Clostridium tetani, which typically infects the body through a deep wound. Also called lockjaw.
Tumour	An abnormal growth of tissue in which cell multiplication is uncontrolled and occurs faster than normal tissue growth.
Varicella (Chicken pox)	A very contagious disease, an affected child or adult may develop hundreds of itchy, fluid-filled blisters that burst and form crusts. Varicella is caused by a virus, varicella-zoster.
Viral Hepatitis	Inflammation of the liver caused by a virus.

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