Dictionary

C

C. diff RateTermC. difficile Rate, CDI Rate

A measure of the frequency of healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infections within a facility, tracking infection prevention and stewardship performance.

CADTHTermCanadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, Canada's Drug Agency

The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, an independent national body providing evidence-based assessment recommendations for drug funding decisions.

CAHPSTermConsumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, Patient Experience Survey

The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, a family of standardised patient experience surveys measuring patients' care perspectives.

CalibrationConceptModel Tuning, Parameter Fitting

Calibration is the process of estimating or adjusting model parameters so that selected model outputs agree with relevant observed targets under an explicit measure of fit.

Calibration AssessmentTermCalibration Check, Goodness-of-Fit Assessment

An evaluation of how closely a calibrated model's predicted outputs match the observed data used as calibration targets, typically using formal fit statistics.

Calibration of ExpertsTermExpert Calibration, Cooke Method

A method testing experts' ability to estimate quantities with a known true value, then using their performance to weight their judgements on unknown quantities.

Calibration PlotTermReliability Diagram, Calibration Curve

A graphical tool assessing how well a model's predicted probabilities correspond to actually observed outcome frequencies across risk groups.

Cancer BurdenTermCancer Disease Burden, Oncological Burden

The total impact of cancer on individuals and society, covering mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs, commonly quantified using disability-adjusted life years.

Cancer CentreTermCancer Care Centre, Oncology Facility

A specialist facility focused on cancer diagnosis and treatment, offering multidisciplinary medical, surgical, and radiation oncology services.

Cancer Diagnosis EconomicsTermCancer Diagnostic Economics, Oncology Diagnostic Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to cancer diagnostic strategies, covering imaging, biopsy, and molecular testing used to detect and characterise cancer.

Cancer Drug PricingTermOncology Drug Pricing, Cancer Medication Pricing

The pricing strategies and resulting costs of cancer medications, an area of scrutiny given the substantial cost of newer targeted and biologic therapies.

Cancer EpidemiologyTermOncological Epidemiology, Cancer Epidemiological Study

A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, causes, and patterns of cancer occurrence, including risk factors and prevention or screening strategies.

Cancer Prevention EconomicsTermCancer Prevention Cost-Effectiveness, Oncology Prevention Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to reducing cancer incidence, spanning vaccination against cancer-causing infections, lifestyle programmes, and chemoprevention.

Cancer RegistryTermTumour Registry, Cancer Surveillance Registry

A systematic data collection system recording cancer diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes across a defined population, typically at regional or national level.

Cancer Registry EconomicsTermCancer Registry Data Economics, Registry-Based Cancer Economics

The application of health economic evaluation using data from cancer registries, standardised systems recording cancer incidence, treatment, and outcomes across a population.

Cancer ScreeningTermOncology Screening, Cancer Detection Screening

A public health strategy testing asymptomatic individuals for early cancer signs, aiming to detect disease before it becomes symptomatic and harder to treat.

Cancer Screening CoverageTermScreening Coverage Rate, Cancer Screening Uptake

A measure of the proportion of an eligible population receiving recommended cancer screening tests, an indicator of preventive service access.

Cancer Screening EconomicsTermScreening Cost-Effectiveness, Oncology Screening Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to cancer screening programmes across cancer types, comparing intervals, modalities, and eligible population definitions.

Cancer Staging EconomicsTermTumour Staging Economics, Staging Cost Analysis

The application of health economic evaluation to cancer staging systems, which classify disease spread and guide treatment decisions and prognosis.

Cancer SurvivorTermCancer Survivorship, Post-Treatment Patient

A person who has completed active cancer treatment and continues to live beyond their diagnosis, a growing population as outcomes have improved.

Cancer Treatment EconomicsConceptOncology Treatment Economics, Cancer Therapy Economics

The analysis of costs, health outcomes and resource consequences across cancer treatment pathways for a specified population, comparator, perspective and decision.

Candidiasis EconomicsTermCandida Infection Economics, Thrush Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to Candida fungal infections, ranging from common superficial infections to severe systemic bloodstream infections.

CapacityTermThroughput Limit, Maximum Output

The maximum level of output a health system, facility, or programme can sustainably deliver given its available staff, equipment, and infrastructure.

Capacity AssessmentTermDecision-Making Capacity Evaluation, Mental Competence Evaluation

A clinical evaluation of an individual's ability to understand information, appreciate consequences, and communicate a choice, to determine consent validity.

Capacity ManagementTermCapacity Optimisation, Demand-Capacity Balancing

The processes an organisation uses to plan for, monitor, and optimise available resources relative to anticipated patient demand.

Capacity PlanningConceptService-Demand Planning, Provision Forecasting

Capacity planning estimates the beds, staff, theatre time and equipment a health service needs to meet expected demand to a stated standard of access.

Capacity UtilisationConceptCapacity Utilization

Capacity utilisation is the share of available health care capacity, such as staffed beds, theatre sessions or scanner time, that is used over a period.

Capital BudgetTermCapital Expenditure Budget, CapEx Budget

A budget allocated to long-term investments, such as facilities, equipment, or infrastructure, rather than day-to-day operating expenses.

Capital CostTermCapital Expenditure, CapEx

The cost of long-lived assets, such as buildings and medical equipment, used in delivering a health intervention.

CapitationConceptCapitated Payment, Per-Capita Payment

Capitation is a provider-payment method that pays a predetermined amount per enrolled or attributed person for a defined period and service package, regardless of the number of covered services that person uses during the period.

Capitation PaymentConceptRisk-Adjusted Capitation, Capitation Fee

A capitation payment is a predetermined amount paid to a healthcare provider or organisation per covered person over a defined period for a specified set of services, largely independent of that person's actual service use.

Capitation Payment SystemTermCapitation System, Capitated Payment System

The overall structure governing how capitated payments are calculated and administered, covering risk adjustment, frequency, and scope of covered services.

CAR-T TherapyTermCAR-T Cell Therapy, Chimeric Antigen Receptor Therapy

A cell therapy in which a patient's own immune cells are genetically engineered to attack cancer cells, then reinfused into the patient.

Cardiac Biomarker EconomicsTermCardiac Marker Economics, Troponin Testing Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to blood-based biomarker tests, such as troponin, used in diagnosing and risk-stratifying cardiovascular conditions.

Cardiac CentreTermCardiac Center, Heart Centre

A specialist facility focused on heart condition diagnosis and treatment, typically offering advanced diagnostic, interventional, and surgical services.

Cardiac Device EconomicsTermImplantable Device Economics, Cardiac Implant Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to implantable cardiac devices, weighing upfront device and implant costs against ongoing monitoring and replacement.

Cardiac Imaging EconomicsTermCardiovascular Imaging Economics, Cardiac Scan Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to cardiac imaging technologies, comparing diagnostic accuracy and downstream treatment impact against acquisition and operating costs.

Cardiac RehabilitationTermCardiac Rehab, Heart Rehabilitation

A structured, supervised programme of exercise, education, and lifestyle counselling for patients recovering from a cardiac event, reducing future risk.

Cardiac Rehabilitation EconomicsTermCardiac Rehab Economics, Heart Rehabilitation Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to structured cardiac rehabilitation, typically finding it low-cost relative to the hospitalisations it helps prevent.

Cardiac ResponseTermCardiac Functional Response, Ejection Fraction Response

A clinical outcome measure indicating a change in cardiac function or structure, such as ejection fraction, used to assess cardiovascular treatment effect.

Cardiac ResynchronizationTermCRT, Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy

A device treatment for certain heart failure types that coordinates chamber contraction timing through simultaneous pacing, improving pumping efficiency.

Cardiac SurgeryTermHeart Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery

Surgical procedures on the heart and major blood vessels, including bypass grafting and valve repair, reserved for conditions not managed by medication alone.

Cardiac Surgery EconomicsTermHeart Surgery Economics, Cardiac Operation Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to cardiac surgery, comparing surgical approaches against each other and against catheter-based alternatives.

Cardinal ScalingTermCardinal Measurement, Interval-Level Scaling

A measurement approach in which the size of numerical differences between health states reflects the actual magnitude of preference differences between them.

CardiotoxicityTermCardiac Toxicity, Heart Damage

An adverse effect in which a drug or treatment damages the heart or impairs its normal function, a concern with certain chemotherapy agents.

Cardiovascular Disease BurdenTermCVD Burden, Heart Disease Burden

The total impact of cardiovascular disease on a population, typically quantified using disability-adjusted life years, mortality rates, and healthcare expenditure.

Cardiovascular EconomicsTermCV Economics, Cardiology Economics

The broad application of health economic evaluation to conditions and interventions affecting the heart and blood vessels, from prevention through rehabilitation.

Cardiovascular EpidemiologyTermCVD Epidemiology, Cardiac Epidemiology

A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution and determinants of cardiovascular disease, including major modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.

Cardiovascular PreventionTermCVD Prevention, Cardiac Prevention

Interventions reducing cardiovascular disease incidence by modifying risk factors, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking, spanning public health and clinical measures.

Cardiovascular Risk ScreeningTermCVD Risk Screening, Heart Risk Screening

A population strategy assessing individuals for risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, to identify who would benefit from preventive intervention.