Biomed Chapter 1 Vocab

Acute Infectious Disease

An illness with sudden onset that has an intense but short effect on the body

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Healthcare reform legislation signed into law by president Barack Obama in March 2010 with a goal of increasing access to health insurance while controlling healthcare costs.

American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)

Professional organization of primary care physicians who provide medical care for all ages. The academy supports family physicians through networking and continuing education and serves as an advocate through state and federal legislation.

American Hospital Association (AHA)

A national industry trade group that supports hospitals, healthcare systems, and health networks as well as the communities served.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA)

Application of behavioral sciences in school and clinics to improve behavioral problems and facilitate learning; part of treatment for autism spectrum disorder.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The use of computers and technology to simulate intelligent behavior and critical thinking; one example of AI is predicting the spread of infectious diseases in a population.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

Group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges.

Avian (Bird) influenza

Strains of influenza virus that normally affect birds, including poultry but can sometimes pass to humans.

Birth defects

Structural changes in organs or other body parts in infants at birth; surgery may be required to improve function. Common birth defects or structural changes of the heart.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Branch of the federal government that tracks the health of the nation and provides support to identify causes of epidemics and foodborne illnesses.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Innovation programs

Agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that manages Medicare and Medicaid and strives to ensure effective, up-to-date Health Care coverage and to promote quality care for beneficiaries.

Chronic disease

A disease that is long in duration, reoccurs frequently, and progresses slowly.

Clinical care

Service provided to an individual, group, or community to benefit their health status.

Clinical preventative services

Guidelines for primary care providers to use in screening and counseling patients to prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and infectious disease.

Congenital malformation

A physical defect of an organ or body part that is present in the infant at birth.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

One of a group of viruses that causes respiratory illness in animals and humans. Beginning in 2019 the virus resulted in a worldwide pandemic and many deaths.

Discrimination

Discrimination in healthcare refers to the marginalized--those of low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, and those who identify as LGBTQ--who often experience obstacles in obtaining healthcare.

Disparities

Why difference is an access to healthcare or quality of healthcare based on where one lives as well as income, educational level, race, ethnicity, gender expression, or sexual orientation.

Doulas

Individual who provides emotional and physical support for women during pregnancy and childbirth and after the birth of the infant to promote the health and wellbeing of the mother and the infant.

Ebola virus

Causes rare and deadly infection endemic to Africa; the largest Ebola epidemic in history occurred in West Africa in 2014.

Electronic health records (EHRs)

Individual patient health record stored in a computer database for easy access by physicians and other healthcare workers regardless of the setting—clinic, hospital, nursing home, or emergency care center.

Epidemics

An outbreak of disease in a certain geographic area and greater numbers than usual; the most common cause of an epidemic in the United States is influenza (flu).

Equality

Providing the same Healthcare opportunities for everyone—for example, universal immunization for infants and children.

Equity

Removing obstacles to healthcare—for example, providing high quality health care regardless of income and providing transportation or childcare to remove obstacles for prenatal care for women.

Federal Poverty Level (FPL)

A measure of income level issued yearly by HHS used to determine eligibility for Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the cost of premiums for health insurance purchased through Health Exchanges.

Foodborne illness

Illness caused by food contaminated with microscopic organisms (virus, bacteria, or fungus) or toxins released by these organisms; can be caused by improper storage temperatures or inadequate cooking temperatures. Symptoms are typically vomiting and diarrhea.

Globalization

Ease of access to travel and transportation of food products. increases exposure to communicable diseases and foodborne illnesses and adds to challenges and tracking the origin of disease or foodborne illness.

Health information technology (Health IT)

Broad concept that encompasses an array of technologies to record, store, retrieve, protect, share, and analyze health information.

Health behaviors

Actions of individuals that can promote such as eating a healthy diet and participating in regular physical activity. Also, actions that can increase the risk for disease—for example, eating a less than healthy diet, having infrequent physical activity, smoking, excessive use of alcohol or illicit drugs, and risky sexual behavior.

Health disparities

Differences in health outcomes (infant mortality or longevity) because of differences in race, ethnicity, immigration status, income, education, or employment.

Health equity

When everyone has the same opportunity to be as healthy as possible because the obstacles (income, employment, education, gender expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, immigration status, age) that prevent discrimination and lack of healthcare access are addressed.

Health outcomes

Health status of an individual or community as a result of preventative public health programs or medical intervention.

Human Genome Project

An international research project that sequenced and mapped all human genes and allows prediction of illness and adverse drug response.

Hygiene

Personal behaviors that prevent the transmission of infectious disease by removing microorganisms that can cause infectious diseases of the skin, respiratory tract, or gastrointestinal tract. For example, frequent hand washing and bathing with soap and water.

Immunizations

Public health measures to immunize by vaccination to prevent the spread of infectious diseases within a population. For example, the flu vaccine in adults and measles, mumps, and hepatitis A and B vaccines in children.

Infant Mortality

The number of deaths in children less than 1 year of age per 1,000 live births; reflects the quality of health care.

Infectious disease

Illness caused by pathogenic viruses, fungi, or bacteria and transmitted by person-to-person contact or through a vector such as an infected mosquito (e.g. malaria or West Nile virus)

Life expectancy

Represents the average number of years of life that could be expected if current death rates were to remain constant; used as a gauge of the overall health of a population.

Lifestyle

Behaviors that impact the incidents and development of a disease—for example, diet, physical activity, sexual activity, and the use of alcohol, illegal drugs, and cigarettes.

Longevity

The length of human life; longevity usually refers to living past the estimated life expectancy or the average age of death.

Low birth weight

Infants weighing less than 2,500 grams (5 pounds, 8 ounces) compared to the average birth weight of 8 pounds (3,629 grams); more likely to occur in infants born before 37 weeks with complications requiring admission to a neonatal intensive care unit.

Mortality

Causes and rates of death in a population; monitoring mortality over time is used to develop policies to improve health outcomes.

Medical technology

The procedures, equipment, and processes by which medical care is delivered.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

A strain of the S. aureus bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics. In community settings, MRSA is usually confined to the skin; In medical facilities, MRSA causes life-threatening bloodstream and surgical site infections and pneumonia.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Agency of the HHS that conducts research to discover causes and treatments for diseases.

Opioid use disorder

A mental illness and brain disorder caused by addiction to drugs used to relieve pain such as morphine or synthetic opioids.

Pandemic

When an infectious disease affects large numbers of people and spreads around the world. The covid-19 virus increased in numbers in China (epidemic) but when the virus, and illness caused by the virus, spread around the world causing many deaths, the outbreak was considered a pandemic.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Refers to wearing face masks, gowns, and gloves in a healthcare setting to prevent the transmission of infectious disease.

Preterm birth

A birth that occurs before 37 weeks' gestation; can be caused by lack of prenatal care, underlying disease in the mother or multiple births. Preterm infants often need additional support, including care in a neonatal intensive nursery because of immature organ systems.

Sepsis

An inflammatory response to series and widespread infection; the response causes damage to organ systems and can cause shock and death.

Social and economic factors

Lack of access to stable housing, nutritious food, employment, education, personal safety, and personal or family support.

Social determinants of health (SDOH)

The conditions under which people are born, live, work, and age. Lack of access to stable housing, nutritious food, employment, education, reliable transportation, and personal safety influences access to quality health care.

Spanish Flu (1918 flu)

Pandemic caused by a deadly H1N1 influenza a virus that lasted two years, spread worldwide, and caused many deaths.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Sudden unexplained death in an infant younger than 1 year of age, usually between 1 and 4 months of age.

Telehealth

Healthcare appointments delivered by the clinician through telecommunication technologies. Also, communicating appointment reminders, visit summaries, and laboratory and diagnostic results through an electronic record.

Value-based care

Paying providers of healthcare based on the quality of care instead of the volume or number of patients treated or the number of treatment procedures.

Viral gastroenteritis

Infection of the digestive tract caused by virus transmitted between individuals. The most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in humans is the norovirus with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.

Universal vaccination

Public health programs to prevent communicable diseases through vaccination programs of children, adolescents, and adults. Immunization programs for children have eliminated most childhood infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, meningitis, Hepatitis A and B, and polio. Immunizations prevent bacterial pneumonia, shingles, and influenza.

World Health Organization (WHO)

Agency of the United Nations that directs and coordinates international health within the United Nations' system.

Zoonotic diseases

The spread of harmful microorganisms (virus, bacteria, parasites, fungi) between animals and people. An example is avian flu that is spread between birds or poultry and humans.