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="Hazard ratio"> <h2 class="h4">Hazard ratio</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>The hazard or chance of an event occurring in the treatment arm of a study as a ratio of the chance of an event occurring in the control arm over time.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health economics"> <h2 class="h4">Health economics</h2> <div class="media-body"> Study or analysis of the cost of using and distributing healthcare resources. </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health gain"> <h2 class="h4">Health gain</h2> <div class="media-body"> A measured improvement in the health of a person or a population. </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health impact assessment"> <h2 class="h4">Health impact assessment</h2> <div class="media-body"> A combination of procedures, methods and tools used to judge a policy, programme or project. For example, a health impact assessment could be used to determine how a proposal for a new road or new airport runway will affect local people's health. The process involves: gathering information on the areas and communities affected and using various tools to predict how it will impact on health; evaluating the options; and making recommendations to ensure any potential harm is minimised or opportunities to improve health are maximised. Other similar procedures include strategic environmental assessment, sustainability appraisal and environmental impact assessment. </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health inequalities"> <h2 class="h4">Health inequalities</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>The gap in health status and in access to health services between different groups, for example, those with different socioeconomic status or different ethnicity, or populations in different geographical areas. More information on health inequalities can be found on the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health">Department of Health website</a>. See also Health inequities.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health inequities"> <h2 class="h4">Health inequities</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>A health inequity is an unnecessary, avoidable, unfair and unjust difference between the health or healthcare of one person, and that of another. 'Health inequity' should not be used interchangeably with the term 'health inequality' because the differences in health or healthcare that people experience are not necessarily unfair or unjust. Health inequity is concerned with social justice, values or politics, while inequalities in health are a matter of fact. Addressing them can have considerable political implications because of the value judgement involved: not all people will judge the same health difference to be unfair.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health needs assessment"> <h2 class="h4">Health needs assessment</h2> <div class="media-body"> A systematic process used by NHS organisations and local authorities to assess the health problems facing a population. This includes determining whether certain groups appear more prone to illness than others and pinpointing any inequalities in terms of service provision. It results in an agreed list of priorities to improve healthcare in a particular area. </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health promotion"> <h2 class="h4">Health promotion</h2> <div class="media-body"> Giving people the information or resources they need to improve their health. As well as improving people's skills and capabilities, it can also involve changing the social and environmental conditions and systems that affect health. </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health Research Authority"> <h2 class="h4">Health Research Authority</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>This organisation protects the rights of patients, including by regulating the use of data collected within health and social care for research and product development.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health status"> <h2 class="h4">Health status</h2> <div class="media-body"> How healthy a person, group, or population is. This could be assessed by the person or group concerned or by using more objective measures. The judgement is usually based on the person's ability to carry out everyday activities and how free they are from pain. </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health technology"> <h2 class="h4">Health technology</h2> <div class="media-body"> Drugs, medical devices (such as artificial hip joints), diagnostic techniques, surgical procedures and other treatments to improve health or prevent ill health. </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health technology assessment"> <h2 class="h4">Health technology assessment</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>Independent research about the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of healthcare (treatments and tests) for those who plan, provide or have care in the NHS.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health technology evaluations"> <h2 class="h4">Health technology evaluations</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>Products assessed using the early value assessment approach are published as health technology evaluations.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Health-related quality of life"> <h2 class="h4">Health-related quality of life</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>A combination of a person’s physical, mental and social well-being; not merely the absence of disease.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Heterogeneity"> <h2 class="h4">Heterogeneity</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>A term used in meta-analyses and systematic reviews to describe when the results of a test or treatment (or estimates of its effect) differ significantly in different studies. Such differences may occur as a result of differences in the populations studied, the outcome measures used or because of different definitions of the variables involved. It is the opposite of homogeneity.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Hierarchy of evidence"> <h2 class="h4">Hierarchy of evidence</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>Study types organised in order of priority, based on the reliability (or lack of potential bias) of the conclusions that can be drawn from each type.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Highly specialised technologies guidance"> <h2 class="h4">Highly specialised technologies guidance</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>NICE guidance on the use of new and existing highly specialised medicines and treatments within the NHS in England.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Highly Specialised Technologies Programme"> <h2 class="h4">Highly Specialised Technologies Programme</h2> <div class="media-body"> <p>Makes recommendations on the clinical and cost effectiveness of new and existing highly specialised medicines and treatments. It only considers drugs for very rare conditions.</p> </div> </li> <li class="media" id="Homogeneity"> <h2 class="h4">Homogeneity</h2> <div class="media-body"> A term used in meta-analyses and systematic reviews to indicate that the results of studies are similar; the opposite of heterogeneity. Study results are also regarded as homogeneous if any differences could have occurred by chance. </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 class="active"> <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 > <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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