Minority Ethnic Group: From 1 Different Sources
People who share a cultural heritage which is different from the majority ethnic culture. See also “ethnicity”; “culture”.
Psychotherapy in which at least two, but more commonly up to ten, patients, as well as the therapist, take part. The therapist encourages the patients to analyse their own and the others’ emotional and psychological diffculties. Group therapy is also used to help patients sharing the same condition – for instance, alcoholism or compulsive gambling. They discuss their problems for perhaps an hour twice a week and explore ways of resolving them.... group therapy
See BLOOD GROUPS.... abo blood groups
People are divided into four main groups in respect of a certain reaction of the blood. This depends upon the capacity of the serum of one person’s blood to cause the red cells of another’s to stick together (agglutinate). The reaction depends on antigens (see ANTIGEN), known as agglutinogens, in the erythrocytes and on ANTIBODIES, known as agglutinins, in the serum. There are two of each, the agglutinogens being known as A and B. A person’s erythrocytes may have (1) no agglutinogens, (2) agglutinogen A, (3) agglutinogen B, (4) agglutinogens A and B: these are the four groups. Since the identi?cation of the ABO and Rhesus factors (see below), around 400 other antigens have been discovered, but they cause few problems over transfusions.
In blood transfusion, the person giving and the person receiving the blood must belong to the same blood group, or a dangerous reaction will take place from the agglutination that occurs when blood of a di?erent group is present. One exception is that group O Rhesus-negative blood can be used in an emergency for anybody.
| Agglutinogens | Agglutinins | Frequency |
| in the | in the | in Great |
| Group | erythrocytes | plasma | Britain |
| AB | A and B | None | 2 per cent |
| A | A | Anti-B | 46 per cent |
| B | B | Anti-A | 8 per cent |
| O | Neither | Anti-A and | 44 per cent |
| A nor B | Anti-B | |
| | | |
Rhesus factor In addition to the A and B agglutinogens (or antigens), there is another one known as the Rhesus (or Rh) factor – so named because there is a similar antigen in the red blood corpuscles of the Rhesus monkey. About 84 per cent of the population have this Rh factor in their blood and are therefore known as ‘Rh-positive’. The remaining 16 per cent who do not possess the factor are known as ‘Rh-negative’.
The practical importance of the Rh factor is that, unlike the A and B agglutinogens, there are no naturally occurring Rh antibodies. However, such antibodies may develop in a Rh-negative person if the Rh antigen is introduced into his or her circulation. This can occur (a) if a Rh-negative person is given a transfusion of Rh-positive blood, and (b) if a Rh-negative mother married to a Rh-positive husband becomes pregnant and the fetus is Rh-positive. If the latter happens, the mother develops Rh antibodies which can pass into the fetal circulation, where they react with the baby’s Rh antigen and cause HAEMOLYTIC DISEASE of the fetus and newborn. This means that, untreated, the child may be stillborn or become jaundiced shortly after birth.
As about one in six expectant mothers is Rh-negative, a blood-group examination is now considered an essential part of the antenatal examination of a pregnant woman. All such Rh-negative expectant mothers are now given a ‘Rhesus card’ showing that they belong to the rhesus-negative blood group. This card should always be carried with them. Rh-positive blood should never be transfused to a Rh-negative girl or woman.... blood groups
A formal association of three or more health practitioners or other health professionals providing health services. Income from the practice is pooled and redistributed to the members of the group according to some prearranged plan.... group practice
The group of persons for whom an intervention is planned. For example, the targeting of services to particular user groups.... targeting / target population / target group
A category in a classification or typology of clients. Clients can be classified in various dimensions, e.g. by dependency level, by diagnosis.... client group
A group of participants that serves as the basis of comparison when assessing the effects of the intervention of interest that is given to the participants in the treatment group. Depending upon the circumstances of the trial, a control group may receive no treatment, a ‘usual’ or ‘standard’ treatment, or a placebo. To make the comparison valid, the composition of the control group should resemble that of the treatment group as closely as possible.... control group
A system used for payment under prospective payment systems. It classifies treatments by diagnosis, measuring the relative complexity of a hospital procedure and accounting for the resources used in the procedure. The system accounts for principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, surgical procedures, age, sex and presence of complications.... diagnosis-related group
1 Represents classes of hospital patients with similar clinical characteristics. DRGs form a clinical grouping system which describes hospital discharges according to medical condition. 2 A system used for payment under prospective payment systems. It classifies treatments by diagnosis, measuring the relative complexity of a hospital procedure and accounting for the resources used in the procedure. The system accounts for principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, surgical procedures, age, sex and presence of complications.... diagnosis-related group (drg)
A type of group discussion that is designed to elicit information about the wants, needs, viewpoints, beliefs and experiences of the intended audience. Focus groups can aid in better understanding the expressions and terminology commonly used by people in the audience, as well as their attitudes and beliefs about health care. They are useful for helping uncover the reasons behind people’s responses.... focus group
A house in which people have their own rooms but there are communal facilities. Staff may live in to offer support.... group home
See “assisted living facility”.... group senior assisted housing
A face-to-face group judgement technique in which participants generate silently, in writing, responses to a given question/problem; responses are collected and posted, but not identified by author, for all to see; responses are openly clarified, often in a round robin format; further iterations may follow; and a final set of responses is established by voting/ranking.... nominal group technique
Any set of persons within society with particular demographic, economic or social characteristics.... social group
A group of people who share a common bond (e.g. caregivers, patients, families of patients) who come together on a regular basis to share problems and experiences or keep in contact in other ways (e.g. the Internet).... support group
Blood group of people donor can receive blood from... donor’s blood group
(CCGs) self-governing bodies set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, following the abolition of *primary care trusts and *strategic health authorities, to commission most NHS services in England. CCGs are formed of all GP practices within a given geographical area, and all GP practices must belong to a clinical commissioning group. All CCGs have their own constitution and governing body, which (in addition to GPs) must include at least one registered nurse and at least one secondary care specialist doctor. There are currently 195 CCGs in England.... clinical commissioning groups
(in Britain) any of the groups that work with NHS foundation trusts to represent the views of patients and other interested parties in setting the strategic direction of the trust. They are often formed around specific disease categories or patient groups (e.g. deaf patients, children in care).... community interest group
(GBS) a Gram-positive bacterium that causes life-threatening infections in newborn infants following vaginal delivery (see Streptococcus; Lancefield classification). 20% of pregnant women are carriers and have no symptoms; however, *vertical transmission of the bacterium from mother to fetus at the time of delivery may lead to neonatal sepsis, characterized by pneumonia, meningitis, and death in some cases. Antibiotic prophylaxis with penicillin during labour is recommended for women with risk factors or who are known to be carriers.... group b streptococcus
see National Statistics Socio-economic Classification.... socio-economic group
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