Incidence monitoring and reporting Health Dictionary

The number of cases of disease, infection or some other event having their onset during a prescribed period of time. It is often expressed as a rate (for example, the incidence of cardiovascular disease per 1000 population aged 65-74 years during a specified year). Incidence is a measure of morbidity or other events that occur within a specified period of time. See also “prevalence”.... incidence

A quotient, with the number of cases of a specified disease diagnosed or reported during a stated period of time as the numerator, and the number of persons in the population in which they occurred as the denominator.... incidence rate

The ratio of the number of new cases of the disease and the amount of population-time of follow-up (e.g. person-year) of the disease-free population.... average incidence density

The proportion of number of newly detected cases that developed during follow-up by the number of disease-free subjects at the start of follow-up.... cumulative incidence

Electronically driven equipment that will constantly monitor the physiological status of patients and the effects of medical intervention on that status. Such devices should relieve hospital sta? of time-consuming ‘human monitoring’ procedures and in some instances will enable patients to carry monitoring devices during their daily living activities. An example would be the regular assessment of blood-sugar concentration in subjects with DIABETES MELLITUS or the routine checking on the blood or tissue concentrations of administered drugs.... electronic monitoring devices

A system under which medical practitioners or other health professionals are required by law to inform health authorities when a specified event occurs (i.e. a medical error or the diagnosis of a certain disease). See also “incidence monitoring and reporting”.... mandatory reporting

Continuous process of observing and checking.... monitoring

A medical error reporting system where the reporter chooses to report an error in order to prevent similar errors from occurring in the future. See also “medical error”; “malpractice”; “monitoring and incidence reporting”.... voluntary reporting

The use of an instrument to record and/or listen to an unborn baby’s heartbeat during pregnancy and labour. Monitoring is carried out at intervals throughout pregnancy if tests indicate that the placenta is not functioning normally or if the baby’s growth is slow. During labour, monitoring can detect fetal distress, in which oxygen deprivation causes abnormality in the fetal heart-rate.

The simplest form of fetal heart monitoring involves the use of a special fetal stethoscope. Cardiotocography, a more sophisticated electronic version, makes a continuous paper recording of the heartbeat together with a recording of the uterine contractions. The heartbeat is picked up either externally by an ultrasound transducer strapped to the mother’s abdomen or, as an alternative during labour, internally by an electrode attached to the baby’s scalp that passes through the vagina and cervix.... fetal heart monitoring