Glossary

Standards for general practices (6th edition)
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    9. Glossary

Glossary

* Terms marked with an asterisk relate to the Point-of-care testing (PoCT) standard.

Term Definition
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status A patient’s response, and the record of that response in the patient’s file, when the practice asks them, ‘Are you of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin?’

The standard response options should be provided verbally or in written form:
  • No
  • Yes, Aboriginal
  • Yes, Torres Strait Islander
For people of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin, both ‘Yes’ boxes should be marked when in written form.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker/Practitioner A member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce. Roles include, but are not limited to:
  • providing clinical functions
  • liaison and cultural brokerage
  • health promotion
  • environmental health
  • community care
  • administration
  • management and control
  • policy development
  • program planning
An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker/Practitioner is often an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person’s first point of contact with the health workforce, particularly in remote parts of the country.
Access The ability of consumers to obtain services, care and treatment from the practice.
Accreditation A formal process to assess a practice’s delivery of healthcare against the RACGP’s Standards for general practices.
Accuracy* A measure of how close the results of a test are to the true value.
Active patient A patient who has attended the practice/service three or more times in the past two years.
Active patient health record The health record of an active patient.
Administrative staff Members of the practice team who provide clerical or administrative services and who do not perform any clinical tasks with patients.
Adverse event or adverse incident Any event or circumstance arising during care that could have led, or did lead to, unexpected actual harm, loss or damage. Incidents include near misses, sentinel events and unsafe acts.
Adverse medicines event An adverse event caused by a medicine. For example, harm that results from the medicine itself (an adverse drug reaction), potential or actual patient harm that comes from errors or system failures associated with the preparation, prescribing, dispensing, distribution or administration of medicines (medication incident).
After-hours service A service that provides care outside the normal opening hours of a general practice, whether or not that service deputises for other general practices, and whether or not the care is provided physically in or outside of the clinic.

Services Australia defines normal and after-hours periods as follows:
Day Normal hours Sociable after-hours Unsociable after-hours
Weekdays 8.00 am – 6.00 pm 6.00–11.00 pm 11.00 pm – 8.00 am
Saturdays 8.00 am – 12.00 noon None Before 8.00 am / After 12.00 noon
Sundays and public holidays None None All day
Allied health professional A health professional (for example, physiotherapist, dietitian, podiatrist) who collaborates with doctors and nurses to provide optimal healthcare for patients. The Australian Government recognises allied health professions that have all the following:
  • a university qualification accredited by a relevant national accreditation body
  • a national professional organisation with clearly defined membership criteria
  • clear national entry-level competency standards and assessment processes
  • autonomy of practice.
Analyte* A chemical substance in a fluid or other specimen from the body that is undergoing analysis.
Analytical performance* The ability of a Point of Care Testing system to detect and/or measure its intended analyte(s).
Appointment system The system that a practice uses to assign consultations to patients and practitioners.
Artificial intelligence (AI) The machine-based simulation of human cognitive capabilities such as learning, reasoning or problem-solving, and self-correction. It encompasses a range of technologies, such as machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, robotics, chatbots, image recognition and machine vision, and voice recognition.
Artificial intelligence (AI) scribe A tool that can automate parts of the clinical documentation process for a medical practitioner. AI scribes can convert a conversation with a patient into a clinical note, summary, or letter that can be incorporated into the patient’s health record. Other terms include digital scribes, virtual scribes, ambient AI scribes, AI documentation assistants, and digital/virtual/smart clinical assistants.
Backup A copy of all the files stored on a computer or server’s hard drive made onto another device, such as a portable drive or an offsite server.
Bias* A quantitative measure of inaccuracy or systematic departure from accuracy under specified conditions of analysis.
Buddy system A system that enables a professional colleague (a ‘buddy’) to follow up results and correspondence, or continue the care of patients, on behalf of an absent colleague.
Calibration* The process of testing and adjusting an instrument, kit or test system, to provide a known relationship between the measurement response and the value of the substance being measured by the test procedure.
Care outside of normal opening hours Clinical care that is provided to patients when the practice is normally closed.
Carer A person who provides unpaid care and support to one or more family members and/or friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue, or who are frail aged.
Chaperone An impartial observer to a consultation between a practitioner and a patient.
Climate resilience The ability of a general practice to anticipate, prepare for, respond to and recover from climate-related events or environmental changes in ways that maintain safe, continuous and high-quality care.
Coding The process of recording patient health information using codable fields linked to a nationally recognised medical vocabulary, such as SNOMED CT-AU or ICPC-2.

Coding allows consistent recording of diagnoses, procedures and other data to support quality improvement, population health reporting and continuity of care.
Clinical decision limits* Specific cut-off points or limits that inform decisions about diagnoses or well-defined specific actions, based on guidelines from expert groups.
Clinical governance A framework through which clinicians and health service managers are jointly accountable for patient safety and quality care.
Clinical handover The transfer from one professional person or group to another of professional responsibility and accountability for some or all aspects of a patient’s care.
Clinical information system An item of software used in general practice to perform a range of clinical and administrative functions, including the management of patients’ personal details, histories, recalls and reminders, medications and prescriptions, referrals and reports, diagnostic correspondence and clinical decision support.
Clinical information All information the practice receives about their patients from sources other than the patient. It could include (but is not limited to) pathology results, imaging reports, investigation reports, discharge summaries and letters received from other doctors and other clinical correspondence.
Clinical risk management system A system to manage the risk of errors and adverse events in the provision of healthcare.
Clinical significance A way of referring to an assessment of:
  • the probability that a patient will be harmed if they do not receive further medical advice, treatment or other diagnostics
  • the likely seriousness of the harm.
Clinical team All members of the practice team who have health qualifications that qualify them to perform clinical functions (including doctors, nurses, workers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners and allied health care professionals). Members of the clinical team could include employees and independent doctors in practice.
Code of conduct A set of principles that describe good practice and explicitly state the standards of ethical and professional conduct that the practice believes professional peers and the community expect of members of the practice team.
Cold chain management The system of transporting and storing vaccines from the time they leave the place of manufacture to the point of administration in order to keep the vaccines within the temperature range of 2–8°C.
Communicable disease An infectious disease that is transmissible from one person to another, or from an animal to a person, by:
  • direct contact with an infected person or animal
  • direct contact with an infected person’s or animal’s discharges
  • indirect means.
Complaint Any verbal or written expression of dissatisfaction or concern with an aspect of the general practice. A complaint may be made using, for example, a complaints process, consumer surveys or focus groups.
Comprehensive care / Comprehensiveness The coordinated delivery of the total health care required or requested by a patient. The scope of clinical practice is challenging, spanning prevention, health promotion, early intervention for those at risk, and the management of acute, chronic and complex conditions within the practice population whether in the home, practice, health service, outreach clinic, hospital or community. Comprehensiveness ensures services are not limited by body system, disease process or service site.
Confidentiality The act of keeping information secure and/or private, so that it is only ever disclosed to, or accessed by, an authorised person.
Consequence The effect that an event had, has, or would have, on one or more of the practice’s objectives.
Consultation note A note in a patient’s health record, made during or after a consultation, that contains relevant information about the consultation.
Consumables* Products required to perform a point of care test, such as cartridges, reagents, and calibrators.
Consumer A person who uses a health service, or someone who provides support for a person using a health service. Consumers can be patients, carers, family members or other support people. As a collective, consumers are referred to as a community.
Consumer engagement The meaningful involvement of consumers in decision-making about health service design, care and treatment.
Consumer representative A consumer who has taken on a specific role to provide advice on behalf of consumers, with the overall aim of improving healthcare.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Educational activities endorsed by the RACGP that lead to improved quality of clinical care.
Continuity of care / Continuous care When a patient experiences a series of discrete healthcare events and/or services that are coherent, connected and consistent with their medical needs and personal circumstances.
Controls* The material used to perform quality control testing.
Cooperative A group of general practices that have an arrangement to work together to provide care to patients outside the normal opening hours of their practices.
Cultural background Details of a patient’s cultural heritage that the practice has collected and recorded.
Cultural safety The condition created when people respect, and are mindful of, a person’s culture and beliefs, and do not discriminate against that person because of their culture or beliefs.
Current, evidence-based guidelines and standards Guidelines and standards that use a broad evidence base, are peer reviewed and endorsed by the general medical sector, including research and tertiary education institutions, peak bodies such as medical colleges, and government agencies.
Cyber Relating to, or characteristic of, the culture of computers, information technology, and virtual reality.
Cyber security incident A malicious ICT event, whether attempted or successful, that involves an attempt at stealing, altering or destroying data, money, or intellectual property, or disrupting the proper operation of computers or networks.
Demographic A particular sector of a population.
Digital communications The exchange of information using digital technologies. Digital communication tools used by a general practice can include, but are not limited to, emails, SMS and other messaging apps, electronic health records, patient portals, mobile health apps, and remote patient monitoring.
Digital health technologies The use of digital technologies and platforms to deliver healthcare services remotely or to complement in-person care. They include telehealth, mobile health apps, patient portals, remote monitoring devices, and secure messaging platforms.
Disability A condition characterised by any or all the following features:
  • Impairments resulting in problems in body function or structure
  • Activity limitations resulting in difficulties in executing activities
  • Participation restrictions resulting in problems in participating in life situations
Discrimination Different treatment or consideration of a patient based on characteristics, such as gender, age, ethnicity and religion.

Positive discrimination enhances the care given to the patient.
Negative discrimination potentially reduces, or does reduce, the quality of the care given to the patient.
Duty of care The legal obligation to safeguard others from harm while they are in the care of clinicians, using practice services, or exposed to any of the practice’s other activities.
Electronic communication The electronic transfer of information (including, but not limited to, patient health information) within or outside the practice, via, for example, clinical information systems, email, internet communications, text message or facsimiles.
Emergency A serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action. For example, natural, public health and patient emergencies.
Emergency contact The person whom a patient has nominated to be contacted if they are involved in an emergency.
Employed members of the practice team (Employees) Individuals who work directly for the practice under a formal employment agreement. They receive wages, benefits, and are generally subject to the practice’s management and policies, with their working hours and responsibilities directly controlled by the practice.
Encryption The process of converting plain text characters into meaningless data to protect the contents of the data and guarantee its authenticity.
Environmental cleaning The process of removing all visible dust, soils and other material from a surface.
Environmental-impact assessment Methods for assessing the environmental impact of an activity or item, including observations, routine practices, and periodic reviews, in order to identify ways to reduce the practice’s environmental impact.
Ergonomic assessment The process of evaluating the extent to which a workstation and workspace is designed to minimise the risk of injury and to maximise productivity. Also referred to as a workstation assessment.
Ethical dilemma A situation in which there is a need to choose between two courses of action, both of which will result in an ethical principle being compromised.
Ethics (or code of ethics) The principles adopted by an organisation to guide its decisions and actions in accordance with accepted professional standards of conduct.
External quality assurance program* An external program enabling a practice to compare Point of Care test results with a reference sample.
Ethnicity Details of a patient’s ethnicity that the practice has collected and recorded.
Firewall Security software that prevents unauthorised (and usually external) access to information stored on a private network, and controls the flow of data according to specific rules defined by the practice.
Follow up Activities that are the logical and responsible steps to take after earlier related actions. Examples include:
  • making a phone call to find out the status of tests and results that are expected but have not yet been received
  • contacting a patient to discuss a report, test or results.
Gender A social and cultural concept that refers to social and cultural differences in identity, expression and experience as a man, woman or non-binary person. ‘Non-binary’ is an umbrella term describing gender identities that are not exclusively male or female.
General practice The provision of GP-led, comprehensive, person-centred, whole-person and continuous primary healthcare to individuals, families and communities.
General practitioner (GP) A registered medical practitioner who:
  • is qualified and has the required competence to provide general practice anywhere in Australia
  • has the skills and experience to provide comprehensive, person-centred, whole-person and continuous primary healthcare to individuals, families and communities
  • maintains their professional competence in general practice.
GP-led GP-led care refers to primary healthcare services:
  • that are clinically governed primarily by one or more GPs
  • have GPs who are physically present and provide patient consultations in person on a regular and ongoing basis.
Governance risk The potential for adverse impacts arising from how an organisation is managed.
Hard copy A physically printed or written document, including records, information, or data.
Hardware The physical components of a computer, including monitors, hard drives and central processing units.
Harm A damaging effect on a person, such as disease, injury, suffering, disability or death. Harm may be physical, social or psychological.
Health information A subset of a patient’s personal information that is collected in connection with the provision of a health service. It includes information and opinions about the health and/or disability of an individual, and a patient’s wishes about future healthcare and health services.
Health literacy The ability of a person to access, understand, appraise and apply health information in order to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions regarding their health and healthcare.
Health outcome The health status of an individual, group of people or specific population that is wholly or partially attributable to an action, agent, or circumstance performed, provided or controlled by a general practice or other health professionals.
Health promotion The process of enabling people to increase their control over their health and change their behaviour in order to improve their health. It also encompasses a wide range of social and environmental interventions.
Health summary Documentation usually included in a patient’s health record that provides an overview of all components of the patient’s healthcare, such as current medications, relevant past health history, relevant family history, allergies and adverse drug reactions.
High-risk results Clinical test results that are seriously abnormal and indicate a life-threatening condition and need to be communicated as soon as practicable.
Home visit A general practice consultation conducted in the patient’s (or someone else’s) home.
Human research ethics committee (HREC) A committee constituted according to National Health and Medical Research Council requirements that assess applications from people and organisations undertaking research projects involving human subjects.
Human resources There are two definitions:
  • The people who work in an organisation
  • An area of business management that addresses the recruitment, training and management of the people who work in an organisation.
Hybrid patient health record A combination of digital clinical information systems used by one or more practitioners to record patient information.
Incident An event or situation that resulted, or could have resulted, in:
  • unintended and/or unnecessary harm to a person
  • a complaint, loss, damage or claim for compensation.
Inactive patient A patient who has not attended the practice/service three or more times in the past two years.
Indemnity A form of security or protection against a financial loss or other financial burden. Medical indemnity insurance is a compulsory condition of registration for all medical practitioners in Australia.
Independent doctor in practice A registered medical practitioner who provides care to their patients while operating their own business from the practice, as an independent professional rather than as an employee or contractor of the practice.
Individual healthcare identifier A patient’s unique 16-digit number allocated by the Department of Human Services. Each eligible Australian patient who seeks healthcare is allocated one.
Induction program A structured process designed to welcome new members of the practice team and introduce them to the practice’s systems, processes and structures.
Infection The invasion and reproduction of pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms inside the body that can cause tissue injury and can lead to disease.
Infection control measures Actions to prevent the spread of pathogens between people in a healthcare setting.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Technological tools and systems used to transmit, store, create, share, and access information. Comprising computer hardware and software, as well as telecommunication networks, it enables effective communication and the exchange of information across multiple platforms.
Information management The policies, processes and systems that govern the creation, use and storage of information.
Information security The protection of the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.
Instrument* A platform, system or device used for testing.
Interpreter service A service that provides interpretation or translation of one or more languages, delivered face-to-face, or by telephone or digital communication. The interpretation or translation is conducted by trained personnel.
Informed consent A person’s decision, given voluntarily, to agree to a treatment, procedure or other intervention. Consent is considered to be informed if the person providing the consent:
  • has been given accurate and relevant information about the proposed intervention and other available options; and
  • has adequate knowledge and understanding of the relevant benefits and risks of the proposed intervention.
Informed refusal A patient’s refusal of proposed or recommended treatment when they understand all relevant information, including the implications of refusing the treatment.
Innate variations of sex characteristics Innate genetic, hormonal or physical sex characteristics that do not conform to medical norms for female or male bodies. This encompasses a wide spectrum of variations to genitals, hormones, chromosomes and/or reproductive organs. It is also referred to as ‘differences/disorders of sex development’.
In-person consultation A consultation between a medical practitioner and a patient when they are in the same room. It could be conducted at general practice premises, at a hospital or aged care facility, or via a home visit.
Intersex A person born with genetic, hormonal or physical sex characteristics that are not typically male or female.
Intravenous consumables The equipment used to administer fluid or medications intravenously. When referring to the practice equipment and doctor’s bag, this includes items such as cannulas or butterflies, bungs, and film dressing or tape, but does not necessarily include fluids.
In vitro* Outside the body; in a clinical or research laboratory; in an artificial environment such as a test tube or petri dish.
In vitro diagnostic medical device (IVD)* A medical device (including a reagent, calibrator, control material, kit, specimen receptacle, software, instrument, apparatus, equipment or system) used in vitro to examine specimens from a human body.
Issue A relevant event that was not planned (such as a problem, query, concern or risk) and requires action.
LGBTIQA+ Initialism for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual, and other gender and sexual diversities.
Lifestyle risk factors Habits or behaviours that people engage in that, if changed, can directly affect some medical risk factors by reducing the likelihood of developing disease.
Medical consumable A medical product used for a therapeutic purpose that is not pharmaceutical and is not re-usable (for example, a syringe).
Medical deputising service A service that arranges for, or facilitates, the provision of medical services to a patient by a medical practitioner (deputising doctor) during the absence of, and at the request of, the patient’s GP (principal doctor).
Medicine A chemical substance given with the intention of preventing, diagnosing, curing, controlling or alleviating disease, or otherwise improving the physical or mental wellbeing of people. It includes prescription, non-prescription, investigational, clinical trial and complementary medicines, irrespective of how they are administered.
Members of the clinical team Individual members of the practice team who have health qualifications that qualify them to perform clinical functions. For example, doctors, nurses, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners, and allied healthcare professionals. See clinical team.
Member of the practice team An individual member of the practice team. See practice team.
Mission The fundamental purpose of an organisation that sets the direction for daily operations.
Natural disaster / emergency A situation caused by natural events, like floods or fire, that significantly disrupts normal operations and poses a threat to the safety of patients, members of the practice team, and/or the practice.
Natural immunity Immunity to a particular infection that is not the result of vaccination or previous infection, but is inherent in the genetic make-up of the individual, family, etc.
Near miss An incident that had the potential to cause harm, but did not result in actual harm.
Network A group of computers and peripheral devices that are connected in order to facilitate the electronic storage and sharing of information.
Next of kin A person’s closest living relative or relatives, as identified by that person.
Non-conformance* Departures from standard procedures, or instances where the process or system does not comply with the predetermined specifications.
Normal opening hours The advertised opening hours of a practice.
Nurse Any of the following:
  • Enrolled Nurse (EN): A nurse with a diploma-level qualification who provides nursing care under the direction and supervision of a Registered Nurse, and practises within a defined, delegated scope.
  • Registered Nurse (RN): A nurse with an accredited degree who practises independently and collaboratively, to provide comprehensive assessment, planning and delivery of nursing care, and the supervision of Enrolled Nurses.
  • Nurse Practitioner (NP): An experienced Registered Nurse endorsed for advanced practice, who is authorised to diagnose, order tests, prescribe medicines and manage patient care autonomously.
Open disclosure An open discussion with a patient and their carer about an incident(s) that resulted in harm to that patient while they were receiving healthcare. An open disclosure includes all of the following:
  • an apology or expression of regret (including the word ‘sorry’)
  • a factual explanation of what happened
  • an opportunity for the patient to relate their experience
  • an explanation of the steps being taken to manage the event and prevent recurrence.
Operational plan A plan that specifies operational objectives, specific actions and steps, and day-to-day activities necessary to achieve strategic goals.
Operational objective Specific, precise actions or steps to be taken to achieve a goal, by breaking down the goal into manageable parts.
Organisational chart A representation (often presented visually) of an organisation’s structure, which includes components such as departments, divisions, properties, hierarchies, roles, responsibilities and professional relationships between people.
Other visit A general practice consultation in a facility other than the general practice or the patient’s home (for example, a residential aged care facility).
Outside of normal opening hours The hours other than the practice’s normal opening hours.
Over-the-counter medicine Medicines that people can purchase from retailers (such as pharmacies, supermarkets and health food stores) for self-treatment.
Patient A person who is seeking or receiving healthcare.
Patient emergency Any urgent medical situation experienced by a patient that necessitates immediate assessment and treatment to prevent serious harm or deterioration in their health.
Patient health information A patient’s name, address, Medicare number and any other information (including opinions) about the patient’s health. Examples include, but are not limited to, clinical results, referrals, care plans, incoming and outgoing correspondence and hospital discharge summaries.
Patient health record Information held about a patient in paper form or electronic form, which may include:
  • contact information
  • demographic information
  • medical history
  • notes on treatment
  • observations
  • correspondence
  • investigations
  • test results and photographs
  • prescription records
  • medication charts
  • insurance information
  • legal information and reports
  • work health and safety reports.
Person centredness An approach to healthcare that places a person’s needs, values and preferences at the forefront of decision-making about their healthcare, thereby empowering them to take an active role in their own health and wellbeing.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) Equipment used as an infection prevention and control measure. It includes gloves, waterproof gowns, goggles and face shields, masks and appropriate footwear.
Point-of-care testing (PoCT)* Pathology testing performed at the point or time of care that helps healthcare practitioners make immediate and informed decisions about a patient’s care.
Point-of-care testing practitioners (PoCT practitioners)* Members of the practice team who perform PoCT who:
  • have undertaken training
  • participate in training and education updates.
Policy A documented requirement that specifies the practice’s principles and rules relating to specific activities or behaviours. Policies need to be documented (in either paper or electronic form) and easily accessible by all members of the practice team.
Position description A document describing the role, responsibilities and conditions of employment of an employed member of the practice team.
Post-analytical* Post-testing processes, such as reporting.
Practice environment The facilities or area used to conduct practice operations and provide care to patients. This could include, but is not limited to, a clinic, vehicle or home office.
Practice leadership The members of the general practice leadership team which could include the practice owner, practice manager and clinical leads.
Practice management The strategic planning, reviewing and implementation of processes that aim to increase a practice’s efficiency and contribute to excellence in healthcare.
Practice team Everyone who works for or provides care from the practice, including employees and independent doctors in practice.
Practitioner/clinician A member of the practice team who has health qualifications that qualify them to perform clinical functions (including a doctor, nurse, Aboriginal Health Worker, and allied healthcare professional).
Pre-analytical* Pre-testing processes, such as test requests.
Precision* The measure of the closeness of results obtained after analysing the same sample more than once.
Privacy policy A document formulated by a practice that specifies how they manage patient health information in compliance with the requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
Public health emergency A widespread threat to public health, often caused by infectious diseases or other hazards, that requires coordinated efforts to control and mitigate its impact on the community.
Qualified Holding the educational or other qualifications required to perform a specific activity, or hold a specific role such as GP or registered nurse.
Quality assurance The maintenance of a desired level of quality in a service or product, especially by attending to every stage of the process of delivery or production.
Quality control (QC)* The set of procedures designed to monitor a test method and its results to ensure consistent quality performance of a test system. These procedures include testing control materials, charting the results and analysing them to identify sources of error, and evaluating and documenting any consequential remedial action taken.
Quality improvement One or more activities undertaken by a practice to monitor, evaluate, or improve the quality of the healthcare it delivers.
Reagent* A substance that produces a chemical reaction in a sample, allowing an analyte to be detected and measured.
Recall The act of requesting a patient to attend a consultation to receive further medical advice on matters of clinical significance.
Reference interval* In relation to a particular test, the average value for the ‘normal’ population group together with the variation around that value (plus or minus two standard deviations from the average). In this way, ranges quoted represent the values found in 95% of individuals in the chosen non-diseased or ‘reference’ group.
Referral The process of sending or directing a patient to another practitioner.
Relevant family history Information about a patient’s family history that the practitioner considers important in order to provide the patient with appropriate clinical care.
Reminder A prompt to remind patients to visit their general practice or carry out routine or important tasks related to their health.
Research The process of creating new knowledge and/or using existing knowledge in a new or creative way to generate new concepts, methodologies, inventions and understandings. Research in general practice could involve patients through:
  • direct patient involvement (for example, through clinical trials, observational activities, interviews or focus groups)
  • indirect patient involvement (for example, through the collection of deidentified patient data).
Respiratory etiquette Public health measures used to reduce the spread of respiratory infections, such as encouraging people to cover their mouth or nose when coughing or sneezing, use tissues to blow their nose, dispose of used tissues, and wash their hands after touching their nose.
Response plan A plan that specifies how a practice will continue providing services if unexpected events (for example, natural disaster, health emergency, cyber emergency, disruptions to business as usual) affect the continuity of its services.
Risk An event or set of events that, if they occurred, would adversely affect the achievement of objectives.
Risk management Systematic application of principles, approaches and processes to:
  • identify, assess and minimise risks
  • plan appropriate responses if a risk was to become a reality
  • implement appropriate responses when required.
Risk matrix A matrix used to categorise risks according to their probability and the severity of the effects they would cause.
Risk register A document used to record problems and issues that could result in a risk becoming a reality, and the steps taken to minimise the likelihood or effect of the risk.
Safe and reasonable A description of the desired outcome of a clinical care decision made by a practice that was based on relevant factors, such as the practice’s location and patient population, and an understanding of what their peers would agree was safe and reasonable.
Safety The condition that means potential risks and unintended results are avoided or minimised.
Schedule 4 medicines Substances, the use or supply of which should only be by or on the order of people permitted by State and Territory legislation to prescribe, and available from a pharmacist on prescription.
Schedule 8 medicines Substances that are available for use, but for which there are strict regulations relating to their manufacture, supply, distribution, possession and use, in order to reduce abuse, misuse, and physical and psychological dependence.
Screen* The examination of asymptomatic people to classify them as likely or unlikely to have a disease.
Screensaver A software program that, after a specified time of inactivity, displays constantly changing images, or dims the brightness of a display screen in order to protect the screen and restrict unauthorised access to the computer.
Secure The state of being protected against unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure through appropriate physical, technical, and administrative measures.
Security The administrative, technical and physical safeguards in an information system that protect the system and its information from unauthorised use and disclosure.
Server A computer that provides services to users via a network that connects a series of computers. Services can include access to files and software, central storage of data, and printing.
Sex A person’s assigned sex at birth, determined by sex characteristics observed at birth or infancy. A person’s sex can change over the course of their lifetime and may differ from their assigned sex at birth.
Sex characteristics A person’s chromosomal, gonadal and anatomical characteristics associated with sex.
Shared decision-making A consultation process whereby a clinician and their patient collaborate to make health decisions after discussions about the evidence-base, benefits, and harms of possible treatment options, and consideration of the patient’s preferences, values and circumstances.
Significant clinical incident Any event or circumstance arising during the provision of healthcare, or lack of care, that could have or did lead to unexpected actual harm. They include near misses, sentinel events and unsafe acts.
Sociable hours The after-hours period from 6.00 pm – 11.00 pm on weeknights.
Social media Online social networks used to disseminate information through online interaction.
Standard precautions Methods and practices that health professionals use to prevent infection of themselves and others, based on the assumption that all blood and body fluids are potentially infectious.
Sterile A condition characterised by the absence of protozoa, spores, mycobacteria, fungi, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, chlamydia, Rickettsia, mycoplasma and viruses.
Sterile barrier system The packaging for items placed in a steriliser.
Sterilisation A validated process used to render a product free from all forms of viable microorganisms.
Strategic plan A plan that sets specific goals and the actions needed to achieve those goals. A strategic plan answers the question: “How will we achieve our mission?”
Strategic goals Overarching goals designed to guide the practice towards its desired future state, and which serve as a roadmap for decision-making and resource allocation.
Strategy A method or plan for an organisation to achieve its short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals.
Synchronous care Care delivered to consumers in real-time, which could include telehealth services or face-to-face.
Technology infrastructure The underlying framework and components that support the functioning of a general practice’s technological needs. It can include:
  • hardware such as computers, tablets, and medical devices
  • software for communication, the creation, storage and access of electronic health records, and security protocols
  • networking systems, internet connectivity, and data storage solutions.
Telehealth The use of communication technologies to transmit voice, data, images and information in order to provide telemedicine, medical education and health education, when in-person consultations are not practicable.
Telephone triage A method of determining, over the telephone, the nature and urgency of care required, so that patients with greater urgency can be prioritised.
Test method* A method or procedure that produces a test result.
Timely Within an appropriate period of time for the given situation, as might reasonably be expected by professional peers.
Tracking and tracing Part of a sterilisation process that refers to batch control identification of instruments used for a procedure on a patient.
Transcription errors* Data entry errors that usually occur because of typographical mistakes when transferring data and results.
Transition of care The transferral of all or part of a person’s healthcare between health providers or services, whether temporary or long term.
Transmission-based precautions Methods and practices used to prevent infection when a patient is known or suspected to be infected with a highly transmissible infection, such as influenza. They include droplet precautions, airborne precautions and contact precautions, and involve the use of appropriate measures such as triage, PPE and isolation.
Treatment plan A detailed plan that contains information about treatment for a patient, including the patient’s condition, the goal of treatment, the treatment options and their possible side effects, and the expected length of treatment.
Triage The prioritisation of patients, based on where resources can be best used or are most needed.
Unique individual identification An electronic method of verifying a person’s identity by ensuring they are uniquely distinguishable from others. This can include passwords, multi-factor authentication, or biometric methods such as fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, or retinal screening.
Unsociable hours The following after-hours periods:
  • weekdays – 11.00 pm – 8.00 am
  • Saturdays – before 8.00 am and after 12.00 noon
  • Sundays and public holidays – any time.
Urgent Requiring immediate action or attention.
Values An organisation’s aspirations and goals that can guide decision-making and encourage members of the practice team to work towards common goals.
Vision A desired future in which the practice’s mission is actioned.
Whole-person care The consideration of the interplay between the various bio-psycho-social contributors to health, leading to a deep understanding of the whole person and the ability to manage complex conditions and circumstances. A GP who provides whole-person care functions as a physician, counsellor, advocate and agent of change for individuals, families and their communities. It is also referred to as holistic care.
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