Glossary

Accreditation

Accreditation is self-assessment and external peer review process used by the healthcare
organizations to accurately assess their level of performance in relation to established standards and to
implement ways to continuously improve the healthcare system

Accreditation assessment

The evaluation process for assessing the compliance of an organization with the applicable
standards for determining its accreditation status

Advance life support

Emergency medical care for sustaining life, including defibrillation, airway management, and
drugs and medications

Adverse drug event

Adverse event: Any untoward medical occurrence that may present during treatment with a
pharmaceutical product but which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment

Adverse drug reaction: A response to a drug which is noxious and unintended and which occurs
at doses normally used in man for prophylaxis, diagnosis or therapy of disease or for the modification of
physiological functions

Therefore ADR= Adverse event with a causal link to a drug

Adverse event

Any injury related to medical management, in contrast to complications of disease. Medical

management includes all aspects of care, including diagnosis and treatment, failure to diagnose or treat
and the systems and equipment used to deliver care. Adverse events may be preventable or non-
preventable. (WHO draft guidelines for Adverse Event Reporting and Learning Systems)

Ambulance

A patient carrying vehicle having facilities to provide unless otherwise indicated at least basic life
support during the process of transportation of patient. There are various types of ambulances that
provide special services viz. Coronary care ambulance, Trauma ambulance, Air ambulance, etc.

Anesthesia

Loss of bodily sensation with or without loss of consciousness

Anesthesia Death

It is defined as death occurring within 24hrs of administration of anesthesia due to cases related
to anesthesia. However, death may occur even afterwards due to the complications
Assessment

All activities including history taking, physical examination, laboratory invesgi