| CQI/TQM | continuous quality improvement/total quality management |
|---|---|
| QA | quality assessment; quality assurance |
| QC | quality characteristics; quality control; quinine colchicine |
| QI | quality improvement; quality indicator |
| TW | tap water; terminal web; test weight; total body water; travelling wave |
acute angle
| quality control chart | A chart illustrating the allowable limits of error in laboratory test performance, the limits being a defined deviation from the mean of a control serum, most commonly ±2 SD. See: quality control. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| quality factor | <radiobiology> (Q) A multiplying factor used with absorbed dose to convert to dose equivalent and therefore to express the radiation's effectiveness in causing biological effects. (16 Dec 1997) |
| quality indicators, health care | Norms, criteria, standards, and other direct qualitative and quantitative measures used in determinng the quality of health care. (12 Dec 1998) |
| quality of health care | The levels of excellence which characterise the health service or health care provided based on accepted standards of quality. (12 Dec 1998) |
| quality of life | Refers to the level of comfort, enjoyment, ability to pursue daily activities. Often used in discussions of treatment options. (16 Dec 1997) |
| total quality management | The application of industrial management practice to systematically maintain and improve organization-wide performance. Effectiveness and success are determined and assessed by quantitative quality measures. (12 Dec 1998) |
| air pollutants, environmental | Air pollutants which affect environmental conditions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| carcinogens, environmental | Carcinogenic substances that are found in the environment. (12 Dec 1998) |
| national environmental policy act | A federal law enacted in 1969 that requires all federal agencies to consider and analyse the environmental impacts of any proposed action. NEPA requires an environmental impact statement for major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the environment. NEPA requires federal agencies to inform and involve the public in the agency's decision making process and to consider the environmental impacts of the agency's decision. (05 Dec 1998) |
| draft environmental impact statement | (DEIS) A draft statement of environmental effects. Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act requires a DEIS for all major federal actions. The DEIS is released to the public and other agencies for comment and review. (05 Dec 1998) |
| environmental assessment | (EA) A public document that analyzes a proposed federal action for the possibility of significant environmental impacts. The analysis is required by NEPA. If the environmental impacts will be significant, the federal agency must then prepare an environmental impact statement. (05 Dec 1998) |
| environmental exposure | The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents in the environment or to environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms, or toxic chemicals. (12 Dec 1998) |
| environmental health | The science of controlling or modifying those conditions, influences, or forces surrounding man which relate to promoting, establishing, and maintaining health. (12 Dec 1998) |
| environmental illness | A polysymptomatic condition believed by clinical ecologists to result from immune dysregulation induced by common foods, allergens, and chemicals, resulting in various physical and mental disorders. The medical community has remained largely skeptical of the existence of this "disease", given the plethora of symptoms attributed to environmental illness, the lack of reproducible laboratory abnormalities, and the use of unproven therapies to treat the condition. (12 Dec 1998) |
| environmental impact statement | (EIS; FEIS) A statement of the environmental effects of a proposed action and of alternative actions. Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires an EIS for all major federal actions. (05 Dec 1998) |