Uk National Screening Committee: From 1 Different Sources
(NSC) the body responsible for advising the NHS, the ministers of the UK government, and the three devolved governments in the UK about all aspects of screening. The NSC also has responsibility for overseeing all noncancer screening programmes in the NHS in England and monitoring their quality and effectiveness. It was formed in 1996 and became part of *Public Health England in 2013. See screening test.
National Screening Committee website: contains detailed notes on all screening programmes the committee has considered and the rationale for the decisions the committee has made
A committee that can have a number of roles in relation to ethics. For example, it may develop policy relative to the use and limitation of treatment; serve as a resource for individuals and their families regarding options for terminal illness; or assess research projects with respect to the appropriate application of ethical principles.... ethics committee
The use of procedures and measures to identify and differentiate apparently well persons who have a disease or condition or a high risk thereof from those who probably do not have the disease or condition.... screening
The screening of apparently healthy people to identify those who may have treatable diseases. Cervical smears are done when screening women to detect if they have cancer or precancer of the neck of the womb (cervix). Newborn babies are screened for hip dislocation. Screening tests are not designed to diagnose individual persons, but rather to divide a population into a large number at low risk and a small number at high risk of a condition. This allows clinicians to concentrate on a sub-section of the population. All screening tests produce false negative and false positive results, a problem often misunderstood by those at the receiving end. Factors to be assessed when planning screening procedures include the severity, frequency and distribution of the disease, and the availability and e?ectiveness of treatment. Convenience, safety, sensitivity and cost should also be assessed. In the United Kingdom the government has supported the extension of screening procedures for breast cancer, cervical cancer, hypertension and diabetes. (See PREVENTIVE MEDICINE.)... screening test
A set of investigations aimed at the early detection of breast cancer. It includes self-screening by monthly examination of the breasts, and formal programmes of screening by palpation and mammography in special clinics. In the UK the NHS o?ers regular mammography examinations to all women between 50 and 64 years of age; in 1995–6, 1.1 million women were screened – 76 per cent of those invited. More than 5,500 cancers were detected – 5.3 per 1,000 women screened.... breast screening
An independent advisory committee – launched in 1971 in the United Kingdom – composed of doctors, pharmacists and other specialists. It advises the MEDICINES CONTROL AGENCY in the UK on the safety, e?cacy and pharmaceutical quality of MEDICINES for which licences are sought and also reviews reports of ADVERSE REACTIONS TO DRUGS, including spontaneous ‘Yellow Card’ reports from doctors or pharmacists who suspect that a patient has suffered an adverse reaction from a medicine. Its predecessor, the Committee for Safety of Drugs, was set up in 1963 in response to the THALIDOMIDE disaster.... committee on safety of medicines (csm)
This body manages regional TRANSFUSION centres. Among its aims are the maintenance and promotion of blood and blood products based on a system of voluntary donors; implementing a cost-e?ective national strategy for ensuring adequate supplies of blood and its products to meet national needs; and ensuring high standards of safety and quality.... national blood authority
This was set up under the CARE STANDARDS ACT 2000 as an independent regulator in respect of homes for the elderly, the disabled and children in the state and private sectors in the UK.... national care standards commission
This National Health Service initiative went online in November 2000. It aims to provide health professionals with easy and fast access to best current knowledge from medical journals, professional group guidelines, etc. Unbiased data can be accessed by both clinicians and the public.... national electronic library for health
Information, usually in the form of indicators, a country may collect on its health expenditures. Indicators may include total health expenditure, public expenditure, private expenditure, out-of-pocket expenditure, tax-funded and other public expenditure, and social security expenditure.... national health accounts
See “health policy”.... national health policy
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service was created by Act of Parliament and inaugurated on 5 July 1948. Its original aim was to provide a comprehensive system of health care to everyone, free at the point of delivery. Scotland had its own, similar legislation, as did Northern Ireland. The service is funded by National Insurance contributions and from general taxation, with a small amount from patient charges. The structure, functioning and ?nancing of the NHS have been – and still are – undergoing substantial changes.... national health service (nhs)
A National Health Service body intended to combat the increasing threat from infectious diseases and biological, chemical and radiological hazards. Covering England, the agency includes the Public Health Laboratory Service, the National Radiological Protection Board, the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, and the National Focus Group for Chemical Incidents.... national infection control and health protection agency
National Listening Library is a charity which produces recorded books for handicapped people who cannot read, with the exception of the blind who have their own separate organisation, the Royal National Institute for the Blind. (See also CALIBRE.)... national listening library
A broad intersectoral master plan for attaining national health goals through implementation of a strategy. It indicates what has to be done, who has to do it, during what time-frame, and with what resources. It is a framework leading to more detailed programming, budgeting, implementation and evaluation. It specifies, in operational terms, the steps to be taken in accordance with the strategy, keeping in mind the various objectives and targets to be attained and the programmes for attaining them.... national plan of action
Based on national health policy, a set of decisions that includes the broad lines of action required in all sectors involved to give effect to the national health policy and indicates the problems and ways of dealing with them.... national strategy
This is an executive agency of the UK government formed by an amalgamation in 1990 of the Central Statistical O?ce and the O?ce of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS). The ONS compiles and publishes statistics on national and local populations, including their social and economic situation and contributions to the country’s economy. It also records the demographic patterns of births, marriages and deaths, including the medical cause of death. The former OPCS organised a national ten-yearly census and ONS is carrying on this activity. The census is based on the actual presence of individuals in a house or institutions on a given night. The ?gures provide government departments and local authorities with information for planning services.... office for national statistics (ons)
The Committee for safety of medicines was set up in 1963 after the thalidomide disaster. It is an advisory committee which examines drugs before clinical trials, before a product licence is granted, and when passed for marketing. A product cannot be tested in the human body without the company holding a clinical trial certificate. A product licence is renewable after five years. ... committee on safety of medicines
Prenatal screening of fetal abnormalities may be the result of screening tests carried out on most or all pregnant women, or as the result of speci?c diagnostic tests performed to detect speci?c conditions. Prenatal diagnosis is important as it will identify babies who might need medical or surgical treatment before or soon after birth. In addition, it may also detect severe abnormalities for which parents might decide to have a therapeutic ABORTION.
ULTRASOUND scanning is probably the most widely used diagnostic tool in obstetric practice. It can detect structural abnormalities such as SPINA BIFIDA and CLEFT PALATE and even cardiac and renal problems. A series of scans can assess whether the baby is growing at a normal rate; ultrasound may also be used to assist with other diagnostic tests (e.g. AMNIOCENTESIS – see below).
Tests on the mother’s blood can also diagnose fetal abnormalities. Alphafetoprotein (AFP) is produced by babies and ‘leaks’ into the AMNIOTIC FLUID and is absorbed by the mother. In spina bi?da and other neural-tube defects there is increased leakage of AFP, and a blood test at 16 weeks’ gestation can detect a raised level which suggests the presence of these abnormalities.
The triple test, also performed at 16 weeks, measures AFP and two hormones – HUMAN CHORIONIC GONADOTROPHIN and unconjugated OESTRADIOL – and is used in diagnosing DOWN’S (DOWN) SYNDROME.
Amniocentesis involves inserting a needle through the mother’s abdominal wall into the uterus to remove a sample of amniotic ?uid at 16–18 weeks. Examination of the ?uid and the cells it contains is used in the diagnosis of Down’s syndrome and other inherited disorders. The test carries a small risk of miscarriage.
Chorionic villus sampling may be used to diagnose various inherited conditions. A small amount of tissue from the developing PLACENTA is removed for analysis: this test has the advantages of having a lower incidence of miscarriage than amniocentesis and is carried out at an earlier stage (9–13 weeks).
Analysis of a blood sample removed from the umbilical cord (cordocentesis) may diagnose infections in the uterus, blood disorders or inherited conditions.
Direct observation of the fetus via a viewing instrument called a fetoscope is also used diagnostically and will detect structural abnormalities.
Most tests have a recognised incidence of false positive and negative results and are therefore usually cross-checked with another test. Counselling of the parents about prenatal tests is important. This allows them to make an informed choice which may not necessarily involve terminating the pregnancy if an abnormality is found. (See PREGNANCY AND LABOUR.)... prenatal screening or diagnosis
Tests to detect early signs of cancer in groups of people who are susceptible to cancer because of their age, occupation, lifestyle, or genetic predisposition. Tests for cancers of the cervix (see cervical smear test), breast (see mammography), bladder, and colon have proven to be effective.... cancer screening
(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
*screening tests to detect the presence of precancerous changes in the cervix (neck) of the uterus (see cervical intraepithelial neoplasia). *Cervical smears are the standard first-line screening tools in most countries: screening programmes based on the traditional Papanicolaou (Pap) test have been mostly superseded by *liquid-based cytology. *Colposcopy is indicated when abnormal cells (*dyskaryosis) are detected.... cervical screening
a screening tool for young people under the age of 21 to identify alcohol and drug use. The first part consists of three questions about drug or alcohol use over the past year. Participants giving positive answers to two or more questions proceed to the second part (from which the name derives), which contains six questions with the key words car, relax, alone, family/friends, forget, trouble, used to assess the need for further input.... crafft screening test
Est. 1864. The oldest and only body of professional medical herbalists, now known as phytotherapists, in Europe. Membership by examination after completion of course of training. A stipulated period of clinical practice must be completed before the final examination is taken.
Members are directly involved with patient-care, carrying full responsibility for their recommendations, prescribing medication suitable to the individual biological requirements of each patient. Their role includes patient-counselling, health education and research.
Official recognition of the Institute, indicating its growing importance in the field of medicine came with the historic Grant of Arms by Her Majesty’s College of Heralds. Members regard this as evidence that the Royal Charter of King Henry VIII still stands and that there is no monopoly in healing the sick. See: HENRY VIII, HERBALISTS’ CHARTER.
The Institute played a major role in winning vital concessions for the survival of the herbalist in the passage through Parliament of the Medicine’s Bill. See: MEDICINE’S ACT, 1968.
In connection with the NIMH degree courses in herbal medicine are available at a London University, and Exeter University.
The Institute provides professional indemnity cover for its members, and is engaged in a series of clinical trials to evaluate traditional remedies.
All members are required to adhere to a strict professional Code of Ethics and are entitled to carry after their names the letters of qualification: MNIMH or FNIMH.
Members have a key role in preventative medicine and health promotion in their contribution to improvement of the nation’s health.
Address: 56 Longbrook Street, Exeter EX4 6AH, from which a list of members is obtainable. ... national institute of medical herbalists
(LMC) a group of representatives of the general practitioners working in a defined geographical area. There are separate LMCs for each area, and the members speak on behalf of the local practitioners by whom they are elected. Similar arrangements and responsibilities apply for dentists, pharmacists, and optometrists practising in the NHS outside hospitals.... local medical committee
see MUST.... malnutrition universal screening tool
see local medical committee.... medical committee
see census; Office for National Statistics.... national census
(NCAS) see Practitioner Performance Advice.... national clinical assessment service
see NICE.... national institute for health and care excellence
(in Britain) a compulsory scheme of insurance under the terms of which employers and employees make joint contributions so that those who have contributed for a qualifying period may claim national insurance benefits in times of sickness, injury, maternity leave, unemployment, and retirement; self-employed persons pay all their own contributions. Those who do not qualify under the terms of this insurance scheme may also receive financial payments in times of need, but only subject to a means test.... national insurance
(NPSA) formerly, a special health authority that led and coordinated work to improve all aspects of patient safety in England. The NPSA comprised three divisions: the National Reporting and Learning Service, the National Research Ethics Service, and the National Clinical Assessment Service. It closed in 2012, with its key functions transferred to *NHS England. In 2016 the same functions were transferred from NHS England to the newly formed *NHS Improvement.... national patient safety agency
(NSFs) formerly, national standards of care published for a variety of conditions and patient groups (the first were for coronary heart disease and mental health). NSFs were ten-year programmes designed to improve, and reduce variations in, the quality of care by defining long-term strategies for delivery of the standards and by setting specific goals. The NSFs were dropped in the reform of the NHS after 2010 and subsequent establishment of *NHS England.... national service frameworks
(NS-SEC) an occupational classification of the national population that was developed to replace older systems based on social classes and socio-economic groups. The groupings are intended to stratify the population according to different forms of employment: households are classified according to the occupation of the household reference person (the person renting, owning, or otherwise responsible for accommodation). The NS-SEC is used for official surveys and statistics, including the *census. The analytic version of the classification has eight classes and is the version used for most analyses.... national statistics socio-economic classification
*screening tests carried out on newborn babies to detect diseases that appear in the neonatal period, such as phenylketonuria (see Guthrie test). If these diseases are detected early enough, treatment may be instigated before any irreversible damage occurs to the baby.... neonatal screening
*screening tests carried out to estimate the risk of chromosomal or other abnormalities being present in a developing fetus. They include blood tests to measure levels of *human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), *PAPP-A, *alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), inhibin (see activin), and *unconjugated oestriol (uE3) (see also triple test) and also ultrasound scanning for the presence of soft markers (see ultrasound marker; nuchal translucency scanning). If the results indicate a high risk of abnormalities being present, a diagnosis may be confirmed by more invasive procedures (see prenatal diagnosis).... prenatal screening
see ethics committee.... research ethics committee
the use of an image intensifier to produce *real-time imaging during an X-ray examination on a TV monitor. It is widely used in angiography and *interventional radiology to guide procedures. See videofluoroscopy.... x-ray screening
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