British Thermal Unit (btu): From 1 Different Sources
An o?cially recognised measurement of heat: a unit is equal to the quantity of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1°Fahrenheit. One BTU is equivalent to 1,055 joules (see JOULE).
A hospital unit equipped and sta?ed to nurse patients who require a high level of technically supported care. Patients are usually moved to such units when they have made satisfactory progress in an INTENSIVE THERAPY UNIT (ITU) and do not require the one-to-one nursing necessary in ITUs. Patients who have undergone major surgery are often transferred from the recovery ward to a high dependency unit until they are well enough to be cared for in a standard ward.... high dependency unit
A specialist ward for the care of acutely ill patients who may be suffering, or who have suffered, a myocardial infarction (heart attack) or another serious cardiovascular disorder.... coronary care unit
Called after the Swedish physicist, this is a measurement of length and equals 1/10,000 of a micrometre, or one-hundred-millionth of a centimetre. It is represented by the symbol Å and is used to give the length of electromagnetic waves.... ångström unit
The o?cially approved name for a medicinal substance used in the UK. A 1992 European Union directive required the use of a Recommended International Non-proprietary Name (rINN) for these substances. Usually the BAN and rINN were identical; where there was a difference, the rINN nomenclature is now used. An exception is adrenaline, which remains the o?cial name in Europe with the rINN – epinephrine – being a synonym.... british approved names (ban)
See APPENDIX 8: PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS.... british dental association
See PHARMACOPOEIA.... british pharmacopoeia
A specialised hospital unit equipped and sta?ed to provide intensive care (see INTENSIVE THERAPY UNIT (ITU)) for patients who have had severe heart attacks or undergone surgery on the heart.... coronary care unit (ccu)
Sometimes called an intensive care unit, this is a hospital unit in which seriously ill patients undergo resuscitation, monitoring and treatment. The units are sta?ed by doctors and nurses trained in INTENSIVE CARE MEDICINE, and patients receive 24-hour, one-to-one care with continuous monitoring of their condition with highly specialised electronic equipment that assesses vital body functions such as heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, temperature and blood chemistry. The average ITU in Britain has four to six beds, although units in larger hospitals, especially those dealing with tertiary-care referrals – for example, neurosurgical or organ transplant cases – are bigger, but 15 beds is usually the maximum. Annual throughput of patients ranges from fewer than 200 to more than 1,500 patients a year. As well as general ITUs, specialty units are provided for neonatal, paediatric, cardiothoracic and neurological patients in regional centres. The UK has 1–2 per cent of its hospital beds allocated to intensive care, a ?gure far below the average of 20 per cent provided in the United States. Thus patients undergoing intensive care in the UK are usually more seriously ill than those in the US. This is re?ected in the shortage of available ITU beds in Britain, especially in the winter. (See CORONARY CARE UNIT (CCU); HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT.)... intensive therapy unit (itu)
A long-term care facility unit with services specifically for persons with particular diseases, disorders or injuries.... special care unit
lx.... the unit of illumination. the abbreviation is
The term applied to a quantity assumed as a standard for measurement. Thus, the unit of insulin is the speci?c activity contained in such an amount of the standard preparation as the Medical Research Council may from time to time indicate as the quantity exactly equivalent to the unit accepted for international use. The standard preparation consists of pure, dry, crystalline insulin. (See APPENDIX 6: MEASUREMENTS IN MEDICINE.)... unit
The unit to which a performance measure is applied (e.g. subjects, patients, clinicians, group of professionals).... unit (of analysis)
Equal parts: Agrimony, Great Burnet, Meadowsweet, Raspberry leaves, Wood Betony. Infuse as domestic tea, as strong and as frequently as desired. ... british herb tea
World-accepted work. New edition published: 1990, fully revised and updated. Over 80 monographs. Official publication of the British Herbal Medicine Association to set and maintain standards of herbal medicine. Does not contain Therapeutic Section and index that appear in the 1983 edition, but describes macroscopical and microscopical characteristics. Quantitative standards, methods of identification, commercial form and source and description of the powdered form. BHP 1990 vol 1 is available from BHMA Publications, PO Box 304, Bournemouth, Dorset, England BH7 6JZ (£35). Abbreviation: BHP. ... british herbal pharmacopoeia
Published six-monthly by the School of Phytotherapy (Herbal Medicine), edited by Hein Zeylstra. Scientific journal for the professional. Enquiries: School of Phytotherapy, Bucksteep Manor, Bodle Street Green, near Hailsham, East Sussex BN27 4RJ, UK. ... british journal of phytotherapy
Provides authoritative standards for the quality of many substances, preparations and articles used in medicine and pharmacy, and includes the monographs of the European Pharmacopoeias. A legally enforceable document throughout the UK, most of the Commonwealth and many other countries, and is an indispensable laboratory handbook for all concerned with the quality of medicines. Published on the recommendation of the Medicines Commission pursuant to the Medicines Act 1968. Published by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London. The most useful BPC for the herbal practitioner is the BPC 1934. ... british pharmacopoeia, the
1990 provides data complementary to each monograph in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1990. Sections on constituents and regulatory status, therapeutic action and indications for use. A valuable text for the practitioner, manufacturer and all involved in herbal medicine. Therapeutic Section records observations and clinical experience of senior practitioners (members of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists). Compiled by the British Herbal Medicine Association Pharmacopoeia Commission which includes scientists, university pharmacognosists, pharmacologists, botanists, consulting medical herbalists, and medical practitioners in an advisory capacity. See abbreviation BHC under preparations. ... british herbal compendium
Before the Medicine’s Bill proceeded to the Statute book to become the Medicine’s Act 1968, so great was the threat to the practice of herbal medicine and sale of herbal preparations, that the profession and trade were galvanised into mobilising opposition. Thus, the British Herbal Medicine Association was formed in 1964. In the ensuing struggle, important concessions were won that ensured survival.
The BHMA is recognised by the Medicines Control Agency as the official representative of the profession and the trade. Its objects are (a) to defend the right of the public to choose herbal remedies and be able to obtain them; (b) to foster research in herbal medicine and establish standards of safety which are a safeguard to the user; (c) to encourage the dissemination of knowledge about herbal remedies, and (d) do everything possible to advance the science and practice of herbal medicine, and to further recognition at all levels.
Membership is open to all interested in the future of herbal medicine, including herbal practitioners, herbal retailers, health food stores, wholesalers, importers, manufacturers, pharmacists, doctors and research workers.
The BHMA produces the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Its Scientific Committee is made up of senior herbal practitioners, university pharmacologists and pharmacognosists. Other publications include: BHMA Advertising Code (1978), Medicines Act Advertising guidelines (1979), the Herbal Practitioner’s Guide to the Medicine’s Act (F. Fletcher Hyde), and miscellaneous leaflets on ‘Herbs and Their Uses’.
The BHMA does not train students for examination but works in close co-operation with the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, and with the European Scientific Co-operative on Phytotherapy.
Chairmen since its inception: Frank Power, 1964-1969; Fred Fletcher-Hyde, 1969-1977; Hugh Mitchell 1977-1986; James Chappelle 1986-1990; Victor Perfitt 1990-.
During the years the association has secured important advantages for its membership, particularly continuity of sale of herbal medicines in health food shops. It continues to maintain vigilance in matterss British and European as they affect manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, prescribing and dispensing.
See: BRITISH HERBAL PHARMACOPOEIA and BRITISH HERBAL COMPENDIUM. ... british herbal medicine association
(BMA) a professional body for doctors and also an independent trade union dedicated to protecting individual members and the collective interests of doctors. It has a complex structure that allows representation both by geographical area of work and through various committees, including the General Practice Committee (GPC), Central Consultants and Specialists Committee, Junior Doctors Committee, and the Medical Students Committee.... british medical association
(BNF) a reference source published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Group twice a year (in March and September). It contains comprehensive information on medications from various sources, including the manufacturer as well as regulatory and professional bodies, resulting in information that is relevant to practice and takes into account national guidelines.... british national formulary
(BSL) see sign language.... british sign language
a unit of heat equal to the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1° Fahrenheit. 1 British thermal unit = 1055 joules. Abbrev.: Btu.... british thermal unit
a major fixed piece of dental equipment to which are attached the dental drills, aspirator, compressed air syringe, and ultrasonic scaler. It is frequently integral with the *dental chair.... dental unit
the numerical unit assigned electronically to each *pixel in a computerized tomography (CT) image, according to its X-ray density. The fixed points on the scale are arbitrarily assigned as ?1000 for air and 0 for water. The CT image is viewed in a ‘window’. The range of Hounsfield units displayed (window width) and the centre point of the range of interest (window level) can be varied by the radiologist in order to observe specific tissues (see windowing). The unit was named after Sir Godfrey Hounsfield (1919–2004), who developed CT scanning in the 1950s. Symbol: HU.... hounsfield unit
(ITU, intensive care unit) a hospital unit designed to give intensive care, provided by specialist multidisciplinary staff, to a selected group of seriously ill patients or to those in need of special postoperative techniques (e.g. those patients undergoing complex heart or lung procedures).... intensive therapy unit
see PICU.... psychiatric intensive care unit
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