| medical errors | Errors or mistakes committed by health professionals which result in harm to the patient. They include errors in diagnosis (diagnostic errors), errors in the administration of drugs and other medications (medication errors), errors in the performance of surgical procedures, in the use of other types of therapy, in the use of equipment, and in the interpretation of laboratory findings. Medical errors are differentiated from malpractice in that the former are regarded as honest mistakes or accidents while the latter is the result of negligence, reprehensible ignorance, or criminal intent. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| refractive errors | Deviations from the average or standard indices of refraction of the eye through its dioptric or refractive apparatus. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| renal tubular transport, inborn errors | Genetically determined disorders of the reabsorptive functions of the kidney with regard to specific nephron segments responsible for specific transport functions, classifiable by proximal nephron function, loop of henle function, and distal nephron function. The transport defects can be selective or nonselective. (12 Dec 1998) |
| medication errors | Errors in prescribing, dispensing, or administering medication with the result that the patient fails to receive the correct drug or the proper dose of the drug in the treatment of his disease. (12 Dec 1998) |
| pyruvate metabolism, inborn errors | Hereditary disorders of pyruvate metabolism. They are difficult to diagnose and describe because pyruvate is a key intermediate in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Some inherited metabolic disorders may alter pyruvate metabolism indirectly. Disorders in pyruvate metabolism appear to lead to deficiencies in neurotransmitter synthesis and, consequently, to nervous system disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |
| diagnostic errors | Incorrect diagnoses after clinical examination or technical diagnostic procedures. (12 Dec 1998) |
| inborn errors of metabolism | Term coined by A. Garrod in 1908 applying to heritable disorders of biochemistry. Examples include albinism, cystinuria (a cause of kidney stones) and phenylketonuria (pku) are a few of the hundreds of inborn errors of metabolism. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fructose metabolism, inborn errors | Inherited abnormalities of fructose metabolism, which include three known autosomal recessive types: hepatic fructokinase deficiency (essential fructosuria), hereditary fructose intolerance, and hereditary fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency. Essential fructosuria is a benign asymptomatic metabolic disorder caused by deficiency in fructokinase, leading to decreased conversion of fructose to fructose-1-phosphate and alimentary hyperfructosaemia, but with no clinical dysfunction; may produce a false-positive diabetes test. (12 Dec 1998) |
| academic medical centres | Medical complexes consisting of medical school, hospitals, clinics, libraries, administrative facilities, etc. (12 Dec 1998) |
| advance medical directives | Advance directives preserve the person's right to accept or reject a course of medical treatment even after that person becomes mentally or physically incapacitated to the point of being unable to communicate those wishes. There ared two basic types of advance directives: (1) a living will, in which the person outlines specific treatment guidelines that are to be followed by health care providers; (2) a health care proxy (also called a power of attorney for healthcare decision making) in which the person designates a trusted individual to make medical decisions in the event that he or she becomes too incapacitated to make such decisions. Advance directive requirements vary greatly from one jurisdiction to another and should therefore be drawn up in consultation with an attorney who is familiar with the laws of the particular jurisdiction. (This entry is based upon material from the National MS Society). (12 Mar 2000) |
| american medical association | Professional society representing the field of medicine. (12 Dec 1998) |
| genetics, medical | A field of human genetics which entails the reliable prediction of certain human disorders as a function of the lineage and/or genetic makeup of any two parents or potential parents. (12 Dec 1998) |
| reference books, medical | Books in the field of medicine intended primarily for consultation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| regional medical programs | Coordination of activities and programs among health care institutions within defined geographic areas for the purpose of improving delivery and quality of medical care to the patients. These programs are mandated under u.s. Public law 89-239. (12 Dec 1998) |
| medical | Pertaining to medicine or to the treatment of diseases, pertaining to medicine as opposed to surgery. (18 Nov 1997) |
| medical anatomy | Anatomy in its bearing upon the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. (05 Mar 2000) |