| quality assurance | Programs of regular assessment of medical and nursing activities to evaluate the quality of medical care. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| quality assurance, health care | Activities and programs intended to assure or improve the quality of care in either a defined medical setting or a program. The concept includes the assessment or evaluation of the quality of care; identification of problems or shortcomings in the delivery of care; designing activities to overcome these deficiencies; and follow-up monitoring to ensure effectiveness of corrective steps. (12 Dec 1998) |
| quality control | In biotechnology, quality control is essential to ensure purified protein pharmaceuticals are indeed pure and that they are intact and maintain their biological activity. (14 Nov 1997) |
| 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) |
| environmental quality objective | This is a regulatory value defining the quality to be aimed for in a particular aspect of the environment. Unlike an environmental quality standard, an EQO is not usually expressed in quantitative terms and cannot be enforced legally. (09 Oct 1997) |
| environmental quality standard | This regulatory value defines the maximum concentration of a potentially toxic substance which can be allowed in an environmental compartment, usually air (air quality standard - AQS) or water, over a defined period. (09 Oct 1997) |
| acromioclavicular joint | The joint formed by the acromion of the scapula and the acromial extremity of the clavicle. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ankle joint | The joint that is formed by the inferior articular and malleolar articular surfaces of the tibia, the malleolar articular surface of the fibula, and the medial malleolar, lateral malleolar, and superior surfaces of the talus. (12 Dec 1998) |
| anterior intraoccipital joint | Cartilaginous union in the newborn between the lateral and the basilar portions of the occipital bone. Synonym: synchondrosis intraoccipitalis anterior, anterior intraoccipital joint. (05 Mar 2000) |
| arthrodial joint | A synovial joint in which the opposing surfaces are nearly planes and in which there is only a slight, gliding motion, as in the intermetacarpal joints. Synonym: articulatio plana, arthrodia, arthrodial articulation, arthrodial joint, gliding joint. (05 Mar 2000) |