Dictionary

E

Efficiency FrontierConceptEfficient Frontier, Cost-Effect Boundary

In cost-effectiveness analysis, an efficiency frontier connects the available strategies that remain after excluding options subject to simple or extended dominance.

Efficiency Frontier AnalysisTermUnit Efficiency Benchmarking, Input-Output Frontier Study

A method identifying the best-observed combinations of inputs and outputs among comparable units, forming a frontier against which all others are benchmarked.

Efficiency IncentiveTermEfficiency Reward, Productivity Incentive

A financial reward or payment adjustment encouraging a provider to deliver care using fewer resources while maintaining or improving quality.

Efficiency IndexConceptEfficiency Score, Relative Efficiency Measure

An efficiency index is a specified numerical measure that compares a unit’s resource use and valued output with a defined benchmark or estimated production frontier.

Efficient DesignConceptInformation-Maximising Design, Optimal Choice-Task Design

An experimental design built to maximise the statistical information obtained from a given number of choice tasks.

Egalitarian DistributionTermEqual Distribution, Equal-Share Allocation

An allocation of resources or outcomes in which all individuals receive an equal share, regardless of differences in need or contribution.

Egalitarian WelfareTermPrioritarian Welfare, Worst-Off Priority

A normative approach to social welfare giving priority to improving the position of the worst-off, rather than maximising the sum of welfare overall.

Egger TestConceptEgger Regression Test, Funnel-Plot Asymmetry Test

A statistical test for funnel plot asymmetry, and by extension potential publication bias, using regression of effect estimates against standard errors.

Ego Depletion ConceptTermEgo Depletion Theory, Self-Control Depletion

A theory that self-control draws on a limited psychological resource that depletes with repeated use, reducing further self-regulation.

EigenvalueConceptCharacteristic Root, Latent Root

An eigenvalue describes how a matrix scales a particular direction without changing that direction.

Elastic DemandConceptPrice-Sensitive Demand, Responsive Demand

A condition in which quantity demanded changes proportionally more than a given price change, indicating consumers are relatively sensitive to price.

ElasticityTermResponsiveness Measure, Economic Sensitivity

A measure of how strongly one economic quantity responds to a change in another, such as the responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in price or income.

Electronic Health RecordConceptEHR, Digital Patient Record

A digital, longitudinal record of a person’s health information maintained for care and, where permitted, shared or reused across authorised settings and purposes.

Electronic Medical RecordTermEMR, Digital Medical Chart

A digital version of a patient's medical chart maintained within a single healthcare organisation, containing clinical history, diagnoses, and medications.

Electronic Medical Record DataTermEMR Data, Clinical Record Data

Clinical information extracted from digital medical record systems, capturing patient-level diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes as recorded during routine care.

Electronic PrescribingTermE-Prescribing, Electronic Prescription Transmission

A system letting providers electronically create and transmit prescriptions directly to a pharmacy, rather than relying on handwritten prescriptions.

Electrophysiology EconomicsTermEP Economics, Cardiac Rhythm Care Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to cardiac electrical system disorders, comparing invasive ablation procedure cost against ongoing medication management.

Elementary EffectTermEE Measure, Morris Sensitivity Measure

A measure in the Morris method of global sensitivity analysis, the change in output from a small, discrete change in one input.

Eligibility DesignTermEligibility Criteria Design, Qualification Rules

The specific criteria an insurance plan or public programme establishes to determine who qualifies for coverage, such as income or age.

Eligible PopulationTermQualifying Population, Eligible Cohort

The subgroup of patients who meet the clinical or administrative criteria for receiving a given treatment.

EMATermEuropean Medicines Agency, EU Medicines Regulator

The European Medicines Agency, responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision, and safety monitoring of medicines within the European Union.

Emancipated MinorTermLegally Independent Minor, Self-Consenting Minor

A legal status granting an individual below the age of majority the authority to make their own decisions, including healthcare, independent of parental consent.

Embedding EffectTermScope Insensitivity, Part-Whole Bias

A phenomenon in which a stated value fails to rise proportionally, or at all, as the scope of the good being valued expands.

Emergency CareTermAcute Emergency Treatment, Emergency Department Care

Immediate medical treatment addressing an acute, potentially life-threatening condition, typically delivered in a hospital emergency department.

Emergency Care CostTermED Cost, Emergency Treatment Expense

The expense of treatment provided in an emergency department or urgent care setting, typically higher per visit than equivalent primary care.

Emergency Care CoverageTermEmergency Access Coverage, Emergency Service Reach

A measure of the extent to which a population has timely access to needed emergency medical services, reflecting response capacity.

Emergency Department ManagementTermED Management, Emergency Flow Management

The operational strategies used to organise and optimise care delivery within a hospital emergency department, covering triage and patient flow.

Emergency ExceptionTermEmergency Consent Exception, Implied Emergency Consent

An exception to standard consent requirements, permitting providers to treat a patient facing an immediate, life-threatening emergency without prior consent.

Emergency Medicine EconomicsTermEconomics of Emergency Medicine, Acute Care Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to acute medical conditions requiring immediate emergency department care, often examining triage and utilisation.

Emergency PolicyTermEmergency Preparedness Policy, Health Crisis Policy

Government or health system policy governing preparedness for and response to public health emergencies, including stockpiling and surge capacity planning.

Emergency Research WaiverTermException from Informed Consent, Deferred-Consent Waiver

A regulatory provision permitting research without prospective consent in narrowly defined emergencies where the affected individual cannot consent and no representative is available.

Emergency VisitsTermED Visits, Emergency Encounters

The total number of patient encounters within a hospital emergency department over a defined period, a key emergency utilisation measure.

Emerging Infection EconomicsTermEmerging Pathogen Economics, Novel Infection Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to newly identified or newly significant infectious diseases, often marked by substantial scientific uncertainty.

Emerging TechnologyTermEarly-Stage Technology, Nascent Technology

A technology in an early development or adoption stage, not yet standard practice, often still generating evidence for a full assessment.

Emotional FunctionTermEmotional Functioning, Affective Function

A dimension of health-related quality of life capturing a person's emotional state, including anxiety, sadness, or irritability tied to their condition.

Emotional WellbeingTermEmotional Well-Being, Psychological Wellbeing

A broader construct than emotional function, covering a person's overall sense of psychological and emotional health within a quality of life assessment.

Empiric TherapyTermEmpirical Therapy, Presumptive Treatment

Treatment started based on clinical judgement and the most likely diagnosis before definitive confirmation, common when delaying treatment could be harmful.

Employee ContributionTermEmployee Premium Share, Worker Contribution

The portion of health insurance premium costs an employee pays directly, distinct from the portion covered by their employer.

Employer ContributionTermEmployer Premium Share, Employer-Paid Portion

The portion of health insurance premium costs an employer pays on behalf of an employee within an employer-sponsored arrangement.

Employer MandateTermEmployer Coverage Requirement, Play-or-Pay Mandate

A legal requirement that employers of a certain size offer qualifying health insurance to employees, or face a financial penalty.

Employer PerspectiveTermEmployer Viewpoint, Employer Cost Perspective

An analytic viewpoint including only costs and outcomes relevant to an employer, such as premium contributions and productivity losses from absenteeism.

EmulatorTermFast Surrogate, Trained Approximation Model

A statistical model trained to approximate a more computationally expensive simulation model's input-output relationship, running much faster than the original.

ENBS CalculationConceptENBS Computation, Net Sampling Benefit

The process of computing the expected net benefit of sampling, the expected value of sample information from a study minus its expected cost.

End Of Life Economics OncologyTermEoL Oncology Economics, Advanced Cancer End-of-Life Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to care during advanced cancer's final phase, weighing continued aggressive treatment against palliative or hospice care.

End-of-Life Care EconomicsTermEoL Care Economics, End-of-Life Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to care during a life-limiting illness's final phase, covering palliative management, hospice, and treatment intensity decisions.

End-of-Life CostTermTerminal-Phase Cost, Last-Year-of-Life Cost

Healthcare expenditure incurred during the final period of a patient's life, often a disproportionately large share of total lifetime healthcare costs.

End-of-Life CriteriaTermEnd-of-Life Modifier, Terminal-Illness Criteria

Special decision criteria applied by some health technology assessment bodies allowing a higher cost-effectiveness threshold for treatments of conditions with short life expectancy.

End-Stage Renal DiseaseTermESRD, End-Stage Kidney Disease

The most severe stage of chronic kidney disease, where kidney function has declined to require dialysis or transplantation to sustain life.

EndemicTermBaseline Disease Presence, Stable Prevalence Disease

A disease consistently present within a geographic area at a generally predictable, stable baseline level, unlike an epidemic's sudden increase.

Endocarditis EconomicsTermInfective Endocarditis Cost-Effectiveness, IE Cost-Effectiveness

The application of health economic evaluation to infective endocarditis, accounting for prolonged antibiotic therapy and, in severe cases, cardiac surgery.