Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Abnormal result
- A test result that falls outside the expected normal range, or that otherwise needs review, action or follow-up.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Clinical code
- A standard term or number entered in a patient's record so that a diagnosis, result or action is recorded consistently and can be searched for.
- Computed tomography (CT)
- A scan that uses X-rays taken from many angles to build detailed cross-sectional images of the inside of the body.
- Critical (panic) result
- A test result that signals a risk of serious, imminent harm and needs urgent clinical review and contact with the patient the same day.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that sets the rules for how personal information must be collected, stored and used.
- Did not attend (DNA)
- A patient who did not come to a booked appointment or a requested test.
- Duty clinician
- The clinician on shift who handles urgent matters, including critical results, when the usual clinician is not available.
- Failsafe
- A back-up checking system that makes sure every requested test is returned, reviewed and acted upon, and flags any result that is outstanding, overdue or never received.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers doctors in the UK and sets the standards of professional practice they must meet.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A doctor who provides general medical care to patients in the community.
- Good medical practice (2024)
- The General Medical Council's core guidance setting out the professional standards expected of all doctors.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations that set the fundamental standards of safety and quality that care providers in England must meet.
- Imaging
- Tests that produce pictures of the inside of the body, such as X-rays, ultrasound and scans.
- Incidental finding
- An unexpected finding, usually on a scan, that is unrelated to the reason the test was originally requested.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- A scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves, rather than X-rays, to create detailed images of organs and tissues.
- Nominated deputy
- A named clinician who reviews and acts on results in place of a requesting clinician who is absent.
- Normal result
- A test result within the expected range, or one the clinician judges needs no further action.
- Pathology
- The laboratory testing of samples such as blood, urine or tissue to help diagnose and monitor illness.
- Reference range
- The range of values a laboratory considers normal for a particular test in most healthy people.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment)
- The regulation requiring care to be provided in a safe way, including by assessing and managing risks to patients.
- Regulation 17 (Good governance)
- The regulation requiring providers to have effective systems to monitor, assess and improve the quality and safety of the service.
- Requesting clinician
- The clinician who ordered a test and who is mainly responsible for reviewing and acting on its result.
- Safety-net advice
- Clear guidance given to a patient on what symptoms to watch for and what to do, and when, if their condition changes or does not improve.
- SNOMED CT
- The standard set of clinical terms used in electronic patient records so that information is recorded consistently and can be shared and searched.
- Standard operating procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step instruction describing how a particular task or process should be carried out consistently and safely.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Welfare check
- A visit, often by the emergency services, to check on the safety and wellbeing of a person who cannot be contacted and may be at risk.