Risk Of Malignancy Index: From 1 Different Sources
(RMI) a scoring system that combines ultrasound findings, menopausal status and age, and serum CA125 levels to give an estimate of the risk of malignancy in a woman with a mass in the Fallopian tubes or ovaries. If the total RMI score is <200 the risk of malignancy is considered to be low. If the total RMI score is >200 the chances of malignancy are raised and management should be planned with a gynaecological oncologist.
An aspect of personal behaviour or lifestyle, an environmental exposure, or an inborn or inherited characteristic, which, on the basis of scientific evidence, is known to be associated with health-related condition(s) considered important to prevent.... risk factor
Body Mass Index (BMI) provides objective criteria of size to enable an estimation to be made of an individual’s level or risk of morbidity and mortality. The BMI, which is derived from the extensive data held by life-insurance companies, is calculated by dividing a person’s weight by the square of his or her height (kilograms/ metres2). Acceptable BMIs range from 20 to 25 and any ?gure above 30 characterises obesity. The Index may be used (with some modi?cation) to assess children and adolescents. (See OBESITY.)... body mass index
The function of identifying and assessing problems that could occur and bring about losses legally, clinically or financially.... risk management
See RISK REGISTER.... at-risk register
The probability that an event will occur.... risk
The qualitative or quantitative estimation of the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to specified health hazards or from the absence of beneficial influences.... risk assessment
The process of analysing and comparing, on a single scale, the expected positive (benefits) and negative (risks, costs) results of an action, or lack of an action.... risk-benefit analysis
In anticancer therapy, this is the ratio of a dose of the treatment agent that damages normal cells to the dose necessary to produce a determined level of anticancer activity. The index shows the e?ectiveness of the treatment against the cancer.... therapeutic index
The probability of an event in a population as contrasted with relative risk. See “relative risk”.... absolute risk
A measure of treatment effect that compares the probability (or mean) of a type of outcome in the control group with that of a treatment group.... absolute risk reduction
A risk that has minimal detrimental effects or for which the benefits outweigh the potential hazards.... acceptable risk
In a total population, the proportion of disease incidence, or risk of the disease, that can be attributed to exposure to a specific risk factor; the difference between the risk in the total population and the risk in the unexposed group.... attributable risk
Initially driven by anxiety about the possibility of medical negligence cases, clinical risk management has evolved into the study of IATROGENIC DISEASE. The ?rst priority of risk managers is to ensure that all therapies in medicine are as safe as possible. Allied to this is a recognition that errors may occur even when error-prevention strategies are in place. Lastly, any accidents that occur are analysed, allowing a broader understanding of their cause. Risk management is generally centred on single adverse events. The threat of litigation is taken as an opportunity to expose unsafe conditions of practice and to put pressure on those with the authority to implement change. These might include senior clinicians, hospital management, the purchasing authorities, and even the Secretary of State for Health. Attention is focused on organisational factors rather than on the individuals involved in a speci?c case.... clinical risk management
A characteristic of an individual, population or environment which is subjected to measurement and can be used to describe one or more aspects of the health of an individual or population (quality, quantity and time). A health index comprises a number of indicators.... health indicator / index
The process of gathering, analysing and comparing an individual’s prognostic health characteristics with a standard age group, thereby predicting the likelihood that a person may develop a health problem.... health risk appraisal
A chemical, psychological, physiological, social, environmental or genetic factor or conditions that predisposes an individual to the development of a disease or injury.... health risk factor
A composite index that measures the overall achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development— longevity, knowledge and a decent standard of living. It is measured by life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted income per capita in purchasing power parity (PPP) US dollars. The HDI is a summary, not a comprehensive measure of human development.... human development index (hdi)
In epidemiology and related sciences, this word usually means a rating scale, e.g. a set of numbers derived from a series of observations of specified variables.... index
A monthly publication produced by the National Library of Medicine in the USA. The publication indexes leading biomedical literature from throughout the world. Indexing is by author and by subject.... index medicus
More than one risk factor for the development of a disease or other outcome is present and their combined presence results in an increased risk. The increased risk may be due to the additive effects of the risks associated with the separate risk factors, or to synergism.... multiple risk / causation
The ratio of the risk of disease or death among the exposed to the risk among the unexposed; this usage is synonymous with risk ratio.... relative risk
An approach consisting of identifying and devoting more care to individuals or groups who, for biological, environmental or socioeconomic reasons, are at special risk of having their health impaired, contracting a specific disease, or having inadequate attention paid to their health problems.... risk approach
The practice of bringing several risks together for insurance purposes in order to balance the consequences of the realization of each individual risk.... risk pooling
Risk rating means that high-risk individuals will pay more than the average premium price.... risk rating
The practice of singling out or disaggregating a particular risk from a pool of insured risks.... risk selection
The distribution of financial risk among parties furnishing a service. For example, if a hospital and a group of medical practitioners form a corporation to provide health care at a fixed price, a risk-sharing arrangement would entail both the hospital and the group being held liable if expenses were to exceed revenues.... risk sharing
the number of *apnoea episodes per hour of sleep.... apnoea index
the volume of blood pumped from the heart’s left ventricle divided by body surface area, expressed as litres per minute per square metre (l/min/m2). It is determined by heart rate and stroke volume index (the volume of blood pumped by the heart with each beat), and provides a normal range (2.5–4.0 l/min/m2) regardless of the size of the patient.... cardiac index
a measure of the shape of a skull, commonly used in *craniometry: the ratio of the greatest breadth, multiplied by 100, to the greatest length of the skull. See also brachycephaly; dolichocephaly.... cephalic index
measurement of the resistance of the cervix during the passage of a series of metal (Hegar) dilators. Lack of resistance in a nonpregnant women may suggest cervical weakness when she has experienced a previous second-trimester pregnancy loss or if she has had previous surgery to the cervix, and may indicate *cervical cerclage in the event of future pregnancies.... cervical resistance index
(DLQI) a validated questionnaire designed by Finlay in 1994 to assess the impact of skin diseases on psychological and social wellbeing. It is the most common *quality of life tool used as an endpoint in dermatology clinical trials. DLQI scores of more than 10 (indicating a severe impact on life) are required before biological treatments for psoriasis may be administered in the UK.... dermatology life quality index
an assessment tool that predicts a ten-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease based on gender, age, total and HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking, thereby enabling preventative treatment. It does not incorporate the presence of diabetes or familial history of cardiovascular disease into the scoring.... framingham risk score
an international index, published by the World Health Organization, that grades the degree of recovery after serious injury.... functional recovery index
the proportion of cells in a sample of tissue that are producing DNA. Cells that are synthesizing DNA take up tritiated thymidine, which shows up on an autoradiograph (see autoradiography) of the sample.... labelling index
the proportion of cells in a tissue that are dividing at a given time.... mitotic index
(PI) the ratio of the pressure in the posterior tibial artery to that in the brachial artery, which reflects the degree of arterial obstruction in the artery of the lower limb.... pressure index
(PASI) a semiobjective severity score for psoriasis, including measurement of surface area affected and the degree of erythema, induration, and scale. It is commonly used in clinical trials and to ration expensive treatments for psoriasis. Severe disease equates to scores over 10 and it is often interpreted with the *dermatology life quality index (DLQI) score.... psoriasis area severity index
(GI) a ranking system measuring the effect carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion has on blood glucose levels. Glucose is used as the standard reference value (50 g glucose has a GI of 100). A portion of food containing 50 g CHO is ingested and the effect on blood glucose levels measured over a three-hour period and compared with the effect of 50 g of glucose. Foods with a low GI (<60), such as apples, yoghurt, and beans, are slowly absorbed, causing a lower and more prolonged increase in blood glucose levels, than foods with a high GI (>70), e.g. white bread, white rice, and potatoes. Low GI foods help with diabetes control and may be beneficial in the treatment of *polycystic ovary syndrome. The glycaemic load (GL) also takes into account the amount of food that is eaten: GL = (g CHO in food portion eaten × GI)/100.... glycaemic index
Health Encyclopedia