Dictionary

P

Professional StandardsTermPractice Standards, Standards of Practice

The specific expectations a professional body establishes for the conduct and competency of practitioners, covering technical and ethical dimensions.

Profile InstrumentTermMulti-Domain Instrument, Health-Profile Questionnaire

A health status questionnaire reporting scores separately for each measured dimension, producing a multidimensional profile rather than a single summary score.

Profile-Based MeasureTermHealth Profile Instrument, Multi-Dimensional Profile

A health outcome measure reporting separate scores across multiple dimensions rather than combining them into a single index value.

Profitability RatioTermProfit Ratio, Margin Ratio

A financial ratio measuring an organisation's ability to generate profit relative to its revenue, assets, or equity.

Prognostic BiomarkerTermOutcome-Predicting Marker, Prognosis Marker

A biological indicator predicting a disease's likely course independent of treatment received, unlike a predictive biomarker indicating response to a particular treatment.

Prognostic ModelTermPrognostic Index, Outcome Prediction Model

A statistical or computational model predicting a patient's likely future clinical course, such as disease progression or survival probability.

Programme BudgetingTermProgram Budgeting, Budget Programming

A budgeting approach organising health spending around specific programmes or disease areas rather than input categories, allowing cross-programme comparison.

Programme PerspectiveTermProgram Perspective, Intervention-Programme Viewpoint

An analytic viewpoint defined by the boundaries of a specific programme, including all costs and outcomes attributable to it regardless of the broader payer.

Progression-Free SurvivalConceptPFS, Time Without Progression

Progression-free survival is the time from a prespecified origin, usually randomisation or treatment initiation, until objectively defined disease progression or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.

Progressive DiseaseTermRECIST Progression, Radiological Progression

A standardised tumour response classification indicating a significant, predefined increase in target lesion size, or the appearance of new lesions.

Progressive FinancingTermProgressive Health Financing, Income-Related Financing

A financing arrangement where contributions rise as a proportion of income for wealthier individuals, so higher earners contribute a larger share.

Progressive TaxationTermProgressive Tax, Graduated Taxation

A tax structure in which the rate rises as the taxable amount, such as income, rises, so higher earners pay a larger share.

PROMTermPatient-Reported Outcome Measure, PRO Measure

An abbreviation for patient-reported outcome measure, any standardised instrument capturing a patient's own report of health status without clinical interpretation.

Proof of ConceptTermPoC Study, Concept Validation Study

An early-stage study demonstrating a treatment's proposed mechanism produces the expected effect in humans, supporting continued investment in its development.

Propensity ScoreConceptPS, Treatment Probability Score

The estimated probability that an individual would receive a particular treatment given their observed characteristics, used to balance confounders in observational studies.

Propensity Score MatchingConceptPSM, Matched-Cohort PS Analysis

Propensity score matching is an observational study design method that pairs treated and untreated individuals with similar probabilities of treatment given measured baseline characteristics to estimate a treatment contrast in the population retained by the matches.

Property RightsConceptOwnership Rights, Legal Property Entitlement

Property rights are entitlements to use a resource, exclude others, take its income and transfer it, as with medicine patents or pharmacy contracts.

Prophylactic TherapyTermChemoprevention Regimen, Preventive Drug Course

Treatment given specifically to prevent a disease or complication before any evidence it has begun to develop, such as pre-surgical antibiotics.

Proportion of Days CoveredConceptPDC, Days-Covered Ratio

The proportion of days covered (PDC) is the share of days in a period on which pharmacy refill records show a patient had medicine, each day counted once.

Proportional Hazards AssumptionConceptPH Assumption, Constant Hazard Ratio Assumption

The Cox model assumption that the hazard ratio between two groups stays constant over follow-up, even as the absolute hazard rate changes.

Proportional ShortfallConceptRelative Shortfall, Proportional QALY Shortfall

A measure of disease severity calculated as the proportion, rather than absolute number, of expected quality-adjusted life years lost to a condition.

Proprietary ModelTermClosed-Source Model, Commercial Model

A model whose underlying code, structure, or key assumptions are kept confidential by the organisation that developed it, typically for commercial reasons.

Prospective DataTermForward-Looking Data, Concurrent Data

Data collected by following participants forward in time from a defined start, gathered as events occur rather than reconstructed later.

Prospective EvaluationTermForward Evaluation, Concurrent Evaluation

An economic evaluation in which cost and outcome data are collected forward in time from the study's start, unlike a retrospective evaluation.

Prospective PaymentTermPPS, Fixed Prospective Rate

A methodology establishing a fixed reimbursement in advance of care delivery, based on diagnosis or procedure type, rather than actual incurred costs.

Prospective ReviewTermPre-Service Review, Pre-Care Review

A utilisation management assessment conducted before a service is delivered, evaluating whether the proposed care meets coverage criteria.

Prospective Risk AdjustmentConceptForward Risk Adjustment, Predictive Risk Adjustment

An approach that uses characteristics recorded before a target period to predict that period’s expected health care needs or spending, often to adjust prospective payments across populations with different risk.

Prostate Cancer ScreeningTermPSA Screening, Prostate Screening

A public health strategy using PSA blood testing to detect prostate cancer in asymptomatic men, debated given the risk of overdiagnosis.

Prostate Disease EconomicsTermProstate Cancer Economics, Prostatic Disease Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to conditions affecting the prostate gland, covering benign enlargement and prostate cancer treatment options.

Protected Health InformationTermIdentifiable Health Data, Protected Patient Data

Individually identifiable health information created, received, or maintained by a covered healthcare entity, subject to specific legal use and disclosure protections.

Protective FactorTermProtective Determinant, Buffering Factor

A characteristic, behaviour, or exposure associated with a reduced risk of a particular disease or health outcome.

Protest ResponseTermProtest Bid, Protest Zero

A response in a stated preference survey where a zero or non-informative valuation reflects objection to the survey scenario rather than genuine indifference.

ProtocolTermStudy Plan Document, Trial Blueprint

The formal document describing a trial's rationale, objectives, design, methodology, and analysis plan, guiding its conduct and requiring ethics approval.

Protocol AdherenceTermProtocol Compliance, On-Protocol Conduct

The degree to which actual clinical care delivery conforms to an established, standardised treatment protocol.

Protocol DevelopmentTermProtocol Writing, Protocol Drafting

The process of creating a formal, detailed plan specifying objectives, methods, and analysis for an assessment or study before conducting it.

Protocol DeviationTermProtocol Departure, Minor Protocol Breach

An instance where a trial is conducted in a way departing from its approved protocol, ranging from minor administrative slips to more significant lapses.

Protocol ViolationTermMajor Protocol Breach, Serious Protocol Departure

A significant departure from a trial's approved protocol that could compromise participant safety, data integrity, or scientific validity, more serious than a minor deviation.

Provider GapTermProvider Shortfall, Workforce Gap

The difference between the number of healthcare providers a population needs and the number actually available to serve it.

Provider HTA LinkTermHTA-Provider Interface, Assessment-to-Provider Link

The formal or informal connection between an assessment organisation and healthcare providers responsible for implementing its recommendations in practice.

Provider NetworkTermCare Network, Contracted Provider Panel

The specific group of providers and facilities contracted with an insurance plan to deliver care to enrollees at negotiated rates.

Provider PaymentConceptProvider Reimbursement, Payment Mechanism

Provider payment is how health purchasers pay doctors and hospitals, for example by budget, salary, fee-for-service, per diem, case (DRG) or capitation.

Provider Payment ReformTermPayment Reform, Alternative Payment Model

Efforts to change how providers are reimbursed, moving away from fee-for-service toward models better aligned with high-value, coordinated care.

Provider ShortageTermWorkforce Shortage, Clinician Scarcity

A situation where the supply of healthcare providers is insufficient to meet population needs, often more pronounced in certain specialties or regions.

Provisional ApprovalTermTime-Limited Approval, Interim Authorisation

A regulatory pathway granting conditional market access based on preliminary evidence, subject to the manufacturer providing further confirmatory data within a set timeframe.

Proxy Means TestTermPMT, Proxy-Indicator Targeting

A method of estimating household welfare using easily observable indicators, such as housing or assets, correlated with income rather than direct verification.

Pseudo-Random NumberConceptPRNG Output, Deterministic Random Draw

A pseudo-random number is a value produced by a deterministic algorithm whose sequence is designed to exhibit specified statistical properties of random draws.

PseudonymizationTermPseudonymisation, Key-Coded De-Identification

A technique replacing identifying information in a dataset with an artificial identifier, so data cannot be linked to an individual without separate stored information.

Psoriasis EconomicsTermPsoriatic Disease Economics, Psoriasis Cost of Illness

The application of health economic evaluation to psoriasis, comparing topical treatment, phototherapy, and biologic therapy across differing disease severities.

Psychiatric EpidemiologyTermMental Health Epidemiology, Psychiatric Disease Epidemiology

A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, causes, and course of mental health conditions within populations.

Psychiatric HospitalTermMental Health Hospital, Psychiatric Inpatient Facility

A specialist facility dedicated to treating severe mental illness, typically providing inpatient care during an acute psychiatric crisis.