Glossary | NICE

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-GB"> <head> <title>Glossary | NICE</title>  <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;600&family=Lora:ital,wght@0,600;1,600&display=swap" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <link href="https://cdn.nice.org.uk/niceorg/css/app.min.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />   <script crossorigin="anonymous" integrity="sha384-1H217gwSVyLSIfaLxHbE7dRb3v4mYCKbpQvzx0cegeju1MVsGrX5xXxAvs/HgeFs" src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.7.1.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script crossorigin="anonymous" integrity="sha384-ez4i72z0XhJqm0ZRoQkpPN0bDV8Kw8PK3n8kjEZsWhRDrfICLd0AGghHJB+vytx0" src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-migrate-3.4.1.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/Themes/NICE.Bootstrap/scripts/head.combined-v1.10.9325.0.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_GB" /> <meta name="x-country" content="gb" /> <meta name="DC.Title" content="Glossary | NICE" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Glossary" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Glossary" /> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#f6f6f6" /> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="//cdn.nice.org.uk/V3/Content/nice/favicon-144.png" /> <meta name="DC.Publisher" content="NICE" /> <meta name="DC.Rights.Copyright" content="All content on this site is NICE copyright unless otherwise stated. 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'&l=' + l : ''; j.async = true; j.src = '//www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=' + i + dl; f.parentNode.insertBefore(j, f); })(window, document, 'script', 'dataLayer', 'GTM-M55QTQ');</script>  <div id="global-nav-header"></div> <div id="printpane"></div> <header class="container "> <div class="zone zone-breadcrumb"> <div class="widget-GlossarySubMenuWidgetBreadcrumb widget-breadcrumb widget-sub-menu-widget widget"> <div class="widget-content"> <div class="container"> <ul class="breadcrumb"> <li><a href="/" data-track="mainbreadcrumb">Home</a></li> </ul> <h1 id="content-start">Glossary</h1> </div> </div> </div></div> </header> <div id="toTop"><span aria-hidden="true" class="icon-nice-chevron-up"></span></div> <main class="layout "> <div class="content content-primary"> <div class="zone zone-content"> <div id="glossary-list-index"> <div class="glossary-main"> <div id="glossary-intro"> <p class="lead">The NICE glossary provides brief definitions and explanations of terms used on the website. The terms describe how NICE works and how its guidance is produced.</p> <p>Our glossary excludes specific clinical and medical terms. If you cannot find the term you are looking for, please <a href="mailto:NICEGlossary@nice.org.uk">email us</a> so that we can consider adding it to the glossary.</p> <p>Some definitions and examples are based on those in the <a href="http://htaglossary.net/HomePage">HTAi consumer and patient glossary</a>, with thanks to Health Technology Assessment International.</p> <p>For terms used in social care, the <a href="http://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/Browse/Informationandadvice/CareandSupportJargonBuster/">Care and Support Jargon Buster</a> from Think Local Act Personal is a useful guide to the most commonly used social care words and phrases, and what they mean.</p> </div> <div id="glossary-list"> <ul class="media-list"> <li class="media" id="Validity"> <h2 class="h4">Validity</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>Whether a test or study actually measures what it aims to measure. Internal validity shows whether a study or test is appropriate for the question, for example, whether a study of exercise among gym members measures the amount of exercise people do at the gym, not simply whether people join. External validity is the degree to which the results of a study hold true in non-study situations, for example, in routine NHS practice. It may also be referred to as the generalisability of study results to non-study populations. For example, the external validity of a study that took place in Spain may be questioned if the results were to be applied to people in Australia.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Very brief intervention"> <h2 class="h4">Very brief intervention</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>A very brief intervention (for example, very brief advice) can take from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. It is mainly about giving people information, or directing them where to go for further help. It may also include other activities such as raising awareness of risks, or providing encouragement and support for change. It follows an 'ask, advise, assist' structure.</p> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content content-secondary"> <div class="zone zone-aside-second"> <ul class="nav nav-glossary"> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=A">A</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=B">B</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=C">C</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=D">D</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=E">E</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=F">F</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=G">G</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=H">H</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=I">I</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=J">J</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=K">K</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=L">L</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=M">M</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=N">N</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=O">O</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=P">P</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=Q">Q</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=R">R</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=S">S</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=T">T</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=U">U</a></li> <li class="active"> <a href="/Glossary?letter=V">V</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=W">W</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=X">X</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=Y">Y</a></li> <li > <a href="/Glossary?letter=Z">Z</a></li> </ul></div> </div>  </main>  <script async="" src="https://cdn.nice.org.uk/niceorg/js/app.js" type="text/javascript"></script>  <script src="https://cdn.nice.org.uk/V2/Scripts/twitter.bootstrap.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="https://cdn.nice.org.uk/V2/Scripts/NICE.bootstrap.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/Modules/Orchard.Resources/scripts/history.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="//cdn.nice.org.uk/V3/Scripts/nice/NICE.EventTracking.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/Themes/NICE.Bootstrap/scripts/niceorg/NICE.TopScroll.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/Themes/NICE.Bootstrap/scripts/foot.combined-v1.10.9325.0.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script> var global_nav_config = { service: "", header: { skipLinkId: "content-start", search: { url: "/search", autocomplete: "/autocomplete?ajax=ajax", query: "", onSearching: window.globalNavSearchingHandler || null }, auth: { environment: "live" }, cookie: false }, footer: true }; </script> <script src="https://cdn.nice.org.uk/global-nav/global-nav.min.js" defer></script> <script src="//cdn.nice.org.uk/cookie-banner/cookie-banner.min.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> $(document).ajaxSend(function (event, jqxhr, settings) { if (settings.url.indexOf("?") >= 0) { settings.url = settings.url + "&ajax=ajax"; } else { settings.url = settings.url + "?ajax=ajax"; } }) if ('ontouchstart' in document.documentElement) { $('body').addClass('touch-screen-device'); } else { $('body').addClass('non-touch-screen-device'); } </script> <div id="global-nav-footer"></div> </body> </html>

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Glossary | NICE