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A membership service run and supported by MedilinkWM for private companies working in the life sciences sectors has been expanded to include products and services for manufacturers and suppliers to the assisted living market.
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Collaboration the future for assisted living market
The debate over the future of health and social care provided to the elderly and those living with long-term conditions gathered pace last week with Gordon Brown promising a 'personalised revolution' in his major pre-election speech, and the Personal Care Bill getting its third reading in the House of Commons.... more
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AboutDefinitions and Glossary of Terms
Definitions and Glossary of Terms
| Assisted Living | Encumbers assistive technology and vital signs monitoring as an umbrella term to describe residential care facilities designed to support older and disabled residents |
| Assistive Technology | Electronic Based / enabled Assistive Technology to enable people and patients to maintain their well being and to facilitate them with their daily tasks that they may not of been able to undertake due to physical or mental impairments. |
| Remote Diagnostics |
A term used by Healthcare professionals to describe home based vital signs and occupancy monitoring solutions |
| Smart Housing |
This term is used to describe housing which incorporates technology to automate common functions within the home environment. For example the remote control of lighting, door entry, window automation, keyless entry and the integration of IT networks and media distribution within the home |
| Telecare | Passive monitoring to ensure well being this may be set against data and records for the individual. Thereby informing relevant individuals either clinical or family if anything is amiss or untoward happens to an individual. It might also review a patients actions against set paramaters and advise them accordingly. E.g. the need to take tablets but the pill bottle has not been opened to day. Or that the individual has not moved perhaps because they are unwell or have had an accident. Telecare systems are usually supplied and maintained by social services and local authorities |
| Tele Diagnostics | The ability to take samples or vital signs and give a prognosis. E.g. Relay of blood oxyimetry, ECG, blood pressure to an intelligent remote collection and perform analysis to predict problems or issue warnings to an individual or to clinicians or carers should anything go outside parameters set for that individual. In hospital settings it relates to remote reporting of digital Xrays, CT scans and MRI data by Radiographers / Doctors anywhere in the world |
| Tele Health | Remote monitoring through patients recording vital signs. E.g. looking at food consumption and activity and reviewing this against their blood sugar levels to advise on insulin administration and dosage. This may be applied to items that are used for individuals of families that are trying to maintain a healthy life and lifestyle so as not require medical intervention. This is a growing consumer led area and one that health services wish to encourage so that the public do not require their services or so that patients can maintain their life style with minimal clinical intervention |
| Tele Medicine | Term used to cover the medical intervention, monitoring & remote diagnosis by Clinicians, Nurses and GPs etc. This is a new and growing area as health services with high demands on services and personnel wish to continue delivering high levels and quality of care but when and where needed. They for see this technology allowing them to put in place systems to help people maintain their health and for the system to advise when things begin to slip so that small changes can be made to medication or advice given before it becomes a large and possibly costly procedure or intervention or in the worst case unrecoverable |
| TeleMed | As above but often used as a catch all by commentators |
The table below lists some of the most common abbreviated terms.
| ABHI | Association of British Healthcare Industries | |
| AHRC | Arts and Humanities Research Council | |
| AIME | Association of Institutions with interests in Medical Engineering | |
| AWM | Advantage West Midlands | |
| AXREM | Association of Healthcare Technology Providers for Imaging, Radiotherapy & Care | |
| BBSRC | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council | |
| BHTA | British Healthcare Trade Association | |
| BIVDA | British In Vitro Diagnostics Association | |
| BSI | British Standards Institution | |
| C.Dif | Clostridium difficile (Healthcare Assoc Infection) | |
| CASE | Collaborative Award in Science and Engineering | |
| CCRN | Comprehensive Clinical Research Network (Part of NIHR) | |
| CDRH | Center for Devices and Radiological Health (Part of the FDA) | |
| CDS | Clinical Decision Support | |
| CEN | European Standards Body | |
| CHID | Centre for Healthcare Innovation and Development | |
| COG | Cluster Opportunity Group | |
| COREC | The Central Office for Research Ethics Committees | |
| COWS | Computers On Wheels | |
| CPD | Continuing Professional Development | |
| CPOE | Computerised Practitioner Order Entry systems | |
| DBERR | Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform | |
| DFID | Department for International Development | |
| DH | Department of Health | |
| DIUS | Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills | |
| DTC | Diagnosis and Treatment Centre | |
| ECRI | Emergency Care Research Institute | |
| EDMA | European Diagnostics Manufacturers Association | |
| EHR | Electronic Health Record | |
| eMDR | Electronic Medical Device Reporting (USA) | |
| EMS | Emergency Medical Systems | |
| EPSRC | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | |
| ERDF | European Research Development Fund | |
| ESRC | Economic and Social Research Council | |
| FARADAY | A multidisciplinary Faraday Research Partnership | |
| FDA | Food and Drug Administration (USA) | |
| GHTF | Global Harmonisation Task Force | |
| HCAi | Healthcare Associated Infections (Sometimes Just HCA) | |
| HDTi | Health Design and Technology Institute | |
| HIT | Health Information Technology | |
| HITF | Healthcare Industries Task Force | |
| HPC | Healthcare Purchasing Consortium | |
| HTA | Health Technology Assessment | |
| HTD | Health Technology Devices | |
| i4i | Invention for Innovation Programme | |
| IEC | International Electrotechnical Commission (Regulatory Standards Body) | |
| ImechE | Institution of Mechanical Engineers | |
| IMRC | Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre | |
| IP | Intellectual Property | |
| IPR | Inellectual Property Rights | |
| ISO | International Standards Organisation | |
| IVD | In Vitro Diagnostics | |
| KEG | Knowledge Exchange Group | |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicators | |
| KTN | Knowledge Transfer Network | |
| KTP | Knowledge Transfer Partnership | |
| LIFT | Local Improvement Finanace Trust (NHS Programme) | |
| LLUK | Lifelong Learning Skills Council | |
| LSC | Learning and Skills Council | |
| MAS | Manufacturing Advistory Service | |
| MDD | Medical Devices Directive | |
| MEMS | Micro Electro Mechanical Systems | |
| MHRA | Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency | |
| MRC | Medical Research Council | |
| MRSA | Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. (Healthcare Assoc Infection) | |
| NDA | Non-Disclosure Agreement | |
| NERC | Natural Environment Research Council | |
| NHS PASA | NHS Purchasing & Supply Agency | |
| NICE | National Institute for Clinical Excellence | |
| NIHR | National Institute for Health Research | |
| NPfIT | The National Programme for IT | |
| NPSA | National Patient Safety Agency | |
| NSF | National Service Framework | |
| NUTS | Nomenclature of Territoral Units for Statistics | |
| Objective 2 | Refers to areas that are eligble for government funding for regeneration | |
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacturer | |
| OTC | Over the Counter | |
| PCT | Primary Care Trust | |
| PCT/SHA | Primary Care Trust / Strategy Health Authority | |
| QMS | Quality Management System | |
| R&D | Research & Development | |
| RCUK | Research Councils UK | |
| RDA | Regional Development Agency | |
| REACH | Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances | |
| RFID | Radio Frequency Identification Device | |
| SBRI | Small Business Research Initiative | |
| SIC | Standard Industrial Classification | |
| SIG | Special Interest Group | |
| SME | Small to Medium Enterprise | |
| STFC | Science and Technology Facilities Council | |
| TAP | Trade Access Programme (UKTI) | |
| TIC | Technology Innovation Centre | |
| TSB | Technology Strategy Board | |
| TTO | Technology Transfer Organisation | |
| UDI | Unique Device Identifier | |
| UK CRC | Clinical Research Collaboration | |
| UKTI | UK Trade and Investment | |
| UMDNS | Universal Medical Device Nomenclature System | |
| WEEE | Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment |
