HSC Health and Movement Science

Health status

The overall level of health experienced by an individual or population, measured using indicators such as morbidity, mortality, life expectancy and burden of disease.

Epidemiology

The study of the distribution, patterns, causes and effects of health-related states or events within populations.

Morbidity

The level of illness, disease, injury or disability within a population.

Mortality

The number or rate of deaths in a population during a specified period.

Infant mortality rate

The number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given year.

Life expectancy

The average number of years a person of a given age and sex is expected to live if current death rates continue.

Incidence

The number or rate of new cases of a condition occurring in a population during a specified period.

Prevalence

The total number or proportion of existing cases of a condition in a population at a particular time or over a period.

Burden of disease

The combined impact of living with illness or disability and dying prematurely, commonly measured in DALYs.

Disability-adjusted life year (DALY)

One year of healthy life lost due to premature death or living with illness, injury or disability.

Years of life lost (YLL)

The fatal component of burden of disease: years lost because a person dies earlier than expected.

Years lived with disability (YLD)

The non-fatal component of burden of disease: healthy years lost while living with illness, injury or disability.

Risk factor

A characteristic, exposure or behaviour that increases the likelihood of disease, injury or poor health.

Protective factor

A characteristic, condition or behaviour that reduces exposure or vulnerability to poor health outcomes.

Health behaviour

An action, belief or practice that influences an individual's health and wellbeing.

Risky health behaviour

A behaviour that increases the likelihood of injury, illness, disability or premature death.

Health inequity

An avoidable, unfair and systematic difference in health outcomes or access between population groups.

Health inequality

A measurable difference in health status or access between individuals or groups, whether fair or unfair.

Socioeconomic status (SES)

A person's or group's social and economic position, commonly reflected by income, education and occupation.

Social determinants of health

The social and economic conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age that shape health opportunities and outcomes.

Biomedical determinants

Body-related factors that influence health, including genetics, blood pressure, blood cholesterol and body weight.

Environmental determinants

Features of natural and built environments that influence health, such as air quality, climate, housing, transport and remoteness.

Cultural determinants

Cultural values, identity, language, practices and connection to community or Country that shape health and healthcare experiences.

Chronic condition

A long-lasting health condition that usually develops gradually and requires ongoing management.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)

A group of conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Coronary heart disease (CHD)

A condition in which narrowed or blocked coronary arteries reduce blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle.

Atherosclerosis

The build-up of fatty plaque within artery walls, causing narrowing and reduced blood flow.

Cancer

A group of diseases involving uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells.

Diabetes mellitus

A chronic condition in which blood glucose remains too high because insulin is absent, insufficient or ineffective.

Dementia

A group of progressive conditions causing decline in memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform daily activities.

Mental ill-health

A disturbance in thoughts, feelings or behaviour that causes distress or reduced functioning.

Comorbidity

The presence of two or more diseases or health conditions in the same person at the same time.

Avoidable mortality

Deaths that could potentially be prevented through effective public health action or timely, high-quality healthcare.

Self-assessed health status

An individual's rating of their own health, commonly ranging from excellent to poor.

Quality of life

An individual's perception of their physical, mental, social and functional wellbeing.

Population group

A section of the population sharing characteristics relevant to health, such as age, sex, culture, disability, SES or location.

Rural and remote health

The health experiences of people living outside major cities, shaped by distance, workforce shortages, service access and socioeconomic conditions.

Culturally safe healthcare

Healthcare that respects identity and culture and is experienced by the patient as free from racism, discrimination and power imbalance.

Healthcare system

The network of people, services, organisations and funding arrangements that prevent, diagnose, treat and manage illness and promote health.

Primary healthcare

First-contact, accessible and ongoing care provided in the community, including general practice, pharmacy and community health services.

Secondary healthcare

Specialist care generally accessed following referral from a primary healthcare provider.

Tertiary healthcare

Highly specialised and complex care delivered by advanced facilities and specialist teams.

Public hospital

A government-funded hospital providing free treatment to eligible public patients under Medicare arrangements.

Private hospital

A privately owned and managed hospital largely funded through patient fees and private health insurance.

General practitioner (GP)

A doctor who provides primary, comprehensive and continuing care, including diagnosis, treatment, prevention and referral.

Allied health professional

A university-qualified health professional who provides specialised prevention, diagnosis, treatment or rehabilitation outside medicine and nursing.

Public health

Services and actions designed to prevent illness, detect risk early or reduce disease progression.

Preventive healthcare

Population-focused action that prevents disease, protects health and promotes wellbeing rather than primarily treating individuals.

Curative healthcare

Healthcare directed at treating and resolving an existing illness, disease or injury.

Rehabilitation

A coordinated process that helps a person regain, maintain or maximise function and participation after illness or injury.

Medicare

Australia's universal public health insurance scheme that subsidises eligible medical services and provides free treatment for public patients in public hospitals.

Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)

The list of professional medical services subsidised by Medicare and the scheduled benefit payable for each service.

Bulk billing

When a provider accepts the Medicare benefit as full payment and the patient pays no out-of-pocket fee for that service.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)

A Commonwealth program that subsidises approved prescription medicines to make them more affordable.

Private health insurance

Voluntary insurance that helps cover treatment as a private patient and selected extras services.

Out-of-pocket cost

The amount a patient pays directly when a service or product is not fully covered by government or insurance.

Medicare levy

A tax contribution used to help fund Medicare, generally calculated as a percentage of taxable income.

Medicare levy surcharge

An additional tax for certain higher-income earners who do not hold appropriate private hospital cover.

Lifetime Health Cover

A policy that adds a loading to private hospital premiums for people who take out cover later in life.

Private health insurance rebate

An income-tested Commonwealth contribution toward eligible private health insurance premiums.

My Aged Care

The Australian Government entry point for information, assessment and access to subsidised aged-care services.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

A national scheme funding reasonable and necessary supports for eligible people with permanent and significant disability.

Aged care

Services that support older people with daily living, health, safety and independence in the home or residential settings.

Equity of access

Fair opportunity to obtain appropriate healthcare according to need, without avoidable barriers.

Accessibility

The extent to which services can be reached and used in terms of location, cost, time, culture, language and disability.

Healthcare effectiveness

The extent to which healthcare achieves desired health outcomes under real-world conditions.

Healthcare efficiency

The extent to which health outcomes are achieved with the best use of available resources and minimal waste.

Healthcare sustainability

The capacity of the healthcare system to remain affordable, adequately staffed and effective over time.

Health expenditure

The total spending on health goods, services, programs, administration and capital.

Opportunity cost

The value of the next-best alternative given up when resources are allocated to one health service or program.

Federal government role

The Commonwealth funds and regulates major national programs such as Medicare, the PBS and aged care and contributes to hospital funding.

State and territory government role

State and territory governments manage public hospitals, ambulance services and many community, mental health and public health programs.

Local government role

Local councils support community health through environmental health, waste management, facilities, planning and local programs.

Non-government organisation (NGO)

A not-for-profit organisation independent of government that provides services, advocacy, education or research.

Person-centred care

Care that respects and responds to a person's needs, preferences, values and circumstances and involves them in decisions.

Continuity of care

Coordinated and consistent care over time and across different providers and settings.

Telehealth

The delivery of healthcare at a distance using telephone, video or digital communication technologies.

My Health Record

Australia's secure online summary of an individual's key health information that can be accessed by authorised healthcare providers.

Electronic prescription

A digital prescription token or record that enables medicine to be dispensed without a paper prescription.

Screening program

A systematic program that tests apparently healthy people to identify risk or disease early.

Immunisation

The process of developing protection against infectious disease, usually through vaccination.

Digital health

The use of digital technologies and data to support health, healthcare delivery, research and system management.

Health technology

A tool, device, medicine, procedure or system used to prevent, diagnose, monitor or treat health conditions.

Diagnostic technology

Technology used to identify or confirm disease, injury or abnormal function.

Medical imaging

Technologies that create images of body structures or functions, such as X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound.

Pathology

The examination of blood, tissue or other specimens to diagnose and monitor disease.

Genetic testing

Analysis of DNA to identify variants associated with inherited conditions, disease risk or treatment response.

Epigenetics

The study of changes in gene expression caused by chemical modifications that do not alter the DNA sequence.

Precision medicine

Healthcare tailored to an individual's genetic, biological, environmental and lifestyle characteristics.

Minimally invasive surgery

Surgery performed through small incisions using specialised instruments and imaging.

Robotic surgery

Computer-assisted surgery in which a surgeon controls robotic instruments for highly precise movements.

Clinical decision support

Digital tools that provide health professionals with patient-specific information, prompts or recommendations.

Artificial intelligence in healthcare

Computer systems that perform tasks such as recognising patterns, predicting risk or supporting clinical decisions.

Assistive technology

Devices or systems that maintain or improve functioning and independence for people with disability or age-related needs.

Wearable technology

Body-worn digital devices that collect and often transmit health or performance data.

Remote patient monitoring

Collection and transmission of patient health data from outside traditional clinical settings.

Regenerative medicine

Treatments that repair, replace or regenerate damaged cells, tissues or organs.

Smart implant

An implanted medical device that senses, records or responds to biological information.

Big data

Extremely large, complex and rapidly generated datasets that require advanced technologies to store, combine and analyse.

Data linkage

The process of connecting records about the same person, service or event from different datasets.