Jargon Busters
This list of acronyms and terms has been designed to assist consumers, carers and community members as well as health
professionals to navigate the complex language of the health sector.
Acronym
ACCHO
ACHS
Full
details
Australian
Council of
Health Care
Standards
ACM
ACSQHC or
The
Commission
Adverse
event
ALO
AHPRA
AMA
Australian
Commissio
n on Safety
and Quality
in Health
Care
Plain language explanation
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Independent not for profit organisation dedicated to improving quality in health care. It
represents governments, consumers and peak health bodies throughout Australia
http://www.achs.org.au/Home/
Australian College of Midwives – professional association for Midwives. Consumer membership
also welcome. ACM conducts a Peer Review process for Midwives – Midwifery Practice Review,
with a Midwife and a Consumer Reviewer.
http://www.midwives.org.au/
The Commission was established by the Australian, State and Territory Governments to develop
a national strategic framework and associated work program that will guide its efforts in
improving safety and quality across the health care system in Australia.
An incident in which harm results to a person receiving health care
Aboriginal
Liaison
Officer
The
Australian
Health
Practitioner
Regulation
Agency
Australian
Often in public hospitals to provide support to Aboriginal patients
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency is the organisation responsible for the
implementation of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme across Australia, in
partnership with 14 national registration boards.
Includes the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
The Australian Medical Association represents the registered medical practitioners (doctors) and
Medical
Association
AMSSU
ATSI
CAC
CALD
Carer
CCC
CHF
Clinical
Governance
Community
Advisory
Committee
Culturally
and
Linguisticall
y Diverse
Consumers
Health
Forum of
Australia
medical students of Australia.
http://www.ama.com.au/about/introducing-the-ama
Aboriginal Maternity Services Support Unit.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
This refers to committees made up of consumers and community members, whose role is to
advise the boards of public health services on consumer participation and to advocate on behalf
of consumers to the board.
See below the CAC details where available of metropolitan public hospitals offering maternity
care. There
Armadale Health CAC: 9391 2101 http://www.ahs.health.wa.gov.au/
Bentley Hospital 9334-365 http://www.health.wa.gov.au/bhs/frameset.html
Joondalup http://www.joondaluphealthcampus.com.au/Our-Community/community_board.aspx
Kaleeya Hospital – no CAC listed Tel 9319 0300
King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women (KEMH, includes Family birth Centre)
http://www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/general/csu/cac.htm
http://www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/brochures/consumers/wnhs0478b.pdf
Osborne Park - http://www.oph.health.wa.gov.au/CAC/index.html
Rockingham Hospital - no detailed website - 9599 4000
http://www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/having_a_baby_in_WA/rockingham.htm
Swan Districts Hospital – no detailed website - 9347 5244
http://www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/having_a_baby_in_WA/swan.htm
Private hospitals do not appear to have CACs but will usually have a Customer Quality
Coordinator or similar role
Refers to a range of different culture and language groups represent in the population who
identify as having particular cultural or linguistic affiliations by virtue of their place of birth,
ancestry, ethnic origin religion
A person who provides unpaid care to a consumer or patient of the health service
Consumers, Carers and Community members
peak organisation providing leadership in representing the interests of Australian healthcare
consumers
http://www.chf.org.au/
Is a framework through which clinicians and health service mangers are jointly accountable for
patient safety and quality care.
Clinical
handover
The transfer of professional responsibility and accountability for some or all aspects of care for a
patient or group of patient to another person or professional group on a temporary or
permanent basis
A health care provider trained as a health professional and providing health care.
Group of people who have interest in the development of an accessible effective and efficient
health and aged care service that best meets their needs
A current or potential user of the health service
A person who has an interest in the development of an accessible effective and efficient health
and aged care service that best meets their needs
A person who is appointed as a representative of a membership organisation and acts as a
consumer advocate for the organisation
Clinician
Communities
Consumer
Consumer
advocate
Consumer
representativ
e
Cultural
Competence
Cultural
responsivene
ss
DOH
ED
e-health
EQUIP
A set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and polices that come together in a system, agency or
health professionals that enable that system agency or health professionals to work effectively in
cross cultural situations (Cross et. Al. 1989)
The capacity to respond to the health care issues of diverse communities
Departmen
t of Health
Emergency
Departmen
t
Electronic
Health
Records
Evaluation
and Quality
Improveme
nt Program
Refers to the Western Australian Department of Health and includes Metropolitan and Regional
Health – Hospital and Community services, Public Health, Mental Health, Dental Services,
Aboriginal Health and Drugs and Alcohol Services. A chart is being developed to note where
maternity services are managed in the public health system and to highlight opportunities to be
involved
http://www.health.wa.gov.au/about/
eHealth will deliver a shared electronic medical record. Various care providers will be able to
directly and securely have access to medical information about a patient.
The Australian Council Healthcare Standards Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program
(EQuIP) was launched in 1996 providing healthcare organisations with an organisation-wide
framework to deliver a consumer-centred service.
http://www.achs.org.au/EQUIP4/
Eligible
Midwife
HADSCO
Health and
Disability
Complaints
Services
Office
Health
Literacy
HCC
HIC
Health
Consumers’
Council
Health
Issues
Centre
Infection
control
Informed
Consent
Length of
stay
MDS
MISJC
nehta
NGO
National
eHealth
Transition
Authority
Midwife who has undertaken the processes to become Eligible. Can obtain a Medicare Provider
Number offering rebates to clients. Can also prescribe some medications and order diagnostic
tests. Still a very new initiative primarily affecting midwives in private practice.
http://www.midwivesaustralia.com.au/?page_id=652
This is an independent statutory authority providing impartial assistance to negotiate and
conciliate health and disability complaints.
https://www.hadsco.wa.gov.au/home/
The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic
health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions (US Department of
Health)
An independent, not for profit organisation established 1994, advocating for patients in Western
Australia. It offers a unique perspective on health policy and service delivery matters.
http://www.hconc.org.au
Health Issues Centre is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that began in 1985 to
promote equity and consumer perspectives in the Australian health system
www.healthissuescentre.org.au
Actions to prevent the spread of pathogens between the people in a health care setting
Informed consent, in a health care setting, is the procedure whereby patients (clients) consent
to, or refuse, an intervention based on information provided by a health care professional
regarding the nature and potential risks (consequence and likelihood) of the proposed
intervention (Coy, 1989).
Duration of hospital stay, calculated by subtracting the date the patient is admitted from the day
of separation.
Minimum Data Set – the minimum data required to be input into a system to allow for reporting
on health care
Maternity Inter-Jurisdictional Committee not-for-profit company established by the Australian, State and Territory governments to
develop better ways of electronically collecting and exchanging health information
https://nehta.org.au/aht/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Non government organisation - refers to a legally constituted, organization with no participation
or representation of any government. In most cases NGOs are funded totally or partially by
Non clinical
staff
NMHS
Open
Disclosure
Palliative
Care
Patient
Patient-days
PIMC
Point of care
Primary
Health
Private
Hospital
Private
Patients
QIC
QICSA
governments, but the NGO maintains its non-governmental status and excludes government
representatives from membership in the organization.
Other staff working in a health service organisation who are not proving clinical care, this may
include receptionists, porters, clerks
North Metropolitan Health Service. Joondalup, Osborne Park, Swans, KEMH and the Community
Midwifery Program, Women’s and Newborns Health Service
http://www.nmahs.health.wa.gov.au/
The open discussion of incidents that resulted in harm to a patient while receiving heath care.
http://www.safetyandquality.health.wa.gov.au/involving_patient/open_disclosure.cfm
Palliative care is the specialised care of people with a terminal illness and aims to achieve the
best quality of life, both for the person who is dying and their family
A person receiving health care
The number of full or partial days of stay for patients who were admitted for an episode of care
and who underwent separation during the reporting period. A patient who is admitted and
separated on the same day is allocated 1 patient-day.
Perinatal Infant Mortality Committee
http://www.health.wa.gov.au/publications/documents/perinatal/13th_report_perinatal_infant_m
ortality_2005-7.pdf
Refers to the time and location where an interaction between a patient and clinician occurs for
the purpose delivering care
Health care that is provided by a health care professional in the first contact of a patient with the
health care system e.g. General Practitioners
http://www.healthnetworks.health.wa.gov.au/network/future.cfm
A privately owned and operated institution, catering for patients who are treated by a doctor of
their own choice. Patients are charged fees for accommodation and other services provided by
the hospital and relevant medical and paramedical practitioners. Includes private freestanding
day hospital facilities.
Persons admitted to a private hospital; or persons admitted to a public hospital who decide to
choose the doctor(s) who will treat them and to have private ward accommodation. This means
they will be charged for medical services, food and accommodation.
Quality Improvement Council - grants accreditation to health and community services
organisations
http://www.qic.org.au/index.html
Quality Improvement and Community Service Accreditations
Quality
Quality and
Safety
Quality in
Health care
RACS
RANZCOG
RAP
RCA
RCT
RTO
Safety
SCOH
Sentinel
event
Separation
SMHS
SOSU
WAPMHU
WNHN
Root Cause
Analysis
This organisation provides support for health and community services under license for the
Quality Improvement Council.
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/aipc/qicsa/
Doing the right things for the right people at the right time and doing them right the first time
(Department of Human Services 2009)
These terms are often used together and refer to a health services ability to delivers quality and
safe health care
Consist of a number of attitudes that may include: appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency,
safety, access, consumer participation, clinical performance and evaluation
Royal Australian College of Surgeons
Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Reconciliation Action Plan
Root cause analysis is a process analysis method, which can be used to identify the factors that
cause adverse events
Randomised Controlled Trail
Registered Training Organisation
A state in which risk has been reduced to an acceptable level ( Department of Human Services,
2009)
Standing Council on Health – Health Ministers across Australia
Sentinel Events are events that occur independently of a patient's condition commonly reflect
hospital system and process deficiencies; and result in unnecessary outcomes for patients.
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/clinrisk/sentinel/ser.htm
Occurs any time a patient leaves or signs out
Southern Metropolitan Health Service – includes Kaleeya, Rockingham, Armadale, and the
forthcoming Fiona Stanley Hospital.
http://www.southmetropolitan.health.wa.gov.au/
Statewide Obstetric Support Unit: information, liaison, support for maternity services across
Western Australia
WA Perinatal Mental Health Unit – includes the Mother and Baby Unit in Subiaco.
http://www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/health/emotional_health/index.htm
Womens and Newborns Health Network - Health Networks in WA were established after a major
review of health services in 2003 with the aim of enabling a new focus across all clinical
disciplines towards prevention of illness and injury and maintenance of health. Anyone with an
interest in improving health in WA can join a Network including consumers, doctors, nurses,
WNHS
midwives, allied health professionals, carers and policy makers. The major functions of Health
Networks are to plan and develop:
 evidence based policy and practice
 statewide clinical governance
 transformational leadership and engagement
 strategic partnerships
 evaluation and monitoring systems
http://www.healthnetworks.health.wa.gov.au/network/womens.cfm
Womens and Newborns Health Services, a division of NMHS. Comprises of KEMH maternity and
gynaecology services, Women’s Health Centres, Sexual Assault Resource Centres, WA Perinatal
Mental Health Unit
http://wnhs.health.wa.gov.au/services/
For more acronyms and terms see Department of Health and Ageing
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/Glossary
Update Thursday, 11 October 2012