Dictionary

P

Per Member Per MonthTermPMPM, Capitated Monthly Payment

A standard unit expressing a capitated payment as the fixed monthly amount received per enrolled member, regardless of services actually used.

Per Patient CostTermCost per Patient, Per-Case Cost

The average expense of treating a single patient with a given condition, found by dividing total programme cost by patients treated.

Per-Protocol AnalysisTermPP Analysis, On-Treatment Analysis

An analysis including only trial participants who received and adhered to their assigned treatment as specified, excluding those with major protocol deviations.

Per-Protocol PopulationTermPP Population, Compliant Population

The subset of trial participants who completed the study while closely adhering to the protocol, used as the analysis population for a per-protocol analysis.

Perceived HealthTermSubjective Wellbeing, General Health Perception

A patient's own subjective rating of overall health status, shown to independently predict future health outcomes and healthcare use beyond clinical measures alone.

PercentileTermCentile, Distribution Position

A descriptive statistic indicating the value below which a specified percentage of observations in a dataset fall.

Percutaneous Coronary InterventionTermPCI, Coronary Angioplasty

A minimally invasive, catheter-based procedure opening narrowed coronary arteries, typically involving balloon angioplasty and stent placement.

Perfect AgentTermPerfect Agency, Ideal Agent

A theoretical benchmark in which an agent, such as a physician, decides exactly as the principal would if they held the same information.

Performance BudgetTermPerformance-Based Budget, Results-Linked Budget

A budgeting approach that allocates funds based on the activities and performance levels an organisation intends to achieve.

Performance DashboardTermMetrics Dashboard, Performance Scorecard

A visual display presenting a curated set of key performance metrics in a single, easily accessible view for quick monitoring.

Performance MeasureTermPerformance Metric, Performance Indicator

A specific, quantifiable metric assessing how well a provider or system is achieving its objectives, spanning structural, process, and outcome domains.

Performance MeasurementTermPerformance Assessment, Performance Monitoring

The systematic measurement of how well a provider or health system delivers care against defined standards, using indicators that can be tracked over time.

Performance OutcomeTermPerfO, Performance-Based Outcome

A clinical outcome based on a standardised task performed by a patient, such as a timed walk test, unlike a self-reported measure.

Performance StandardsTermPerformance Criteria, Achievement Standards

The specific benchmarks established for evaluating the quality, efficiency, or outcomes of a healthcare provider, programme, or system.

Performance WeightsTermIndicator Weights, Scoring Weights

Weights assigned to experts based on their demonstrated accuracy on questions with known answers, giving more influence to better-calibrated experts.

Performance-Based AgreementTermPBA, Performance Agreement

A contractual arrangement in which pricing or continued reimbursement depends on a treatment achieving specified performance criteria in real-world use.

Performance-Based FinancingTermPBF, Results-Linked Financing

A financing approach tying provider or programme payments to achievement of predefined performance targets, such as immunisation coverage.

Performance-Based RebateTermPerformance Rebate, Outcome-Linked Rebate

A rebate arrangement in which a manufacturer discount to a payer is contingent on the treatment achieving a specified level of clinical performance.

Perinatal EpidemiologyTermPregnancy Epidemiology, Birth Epidemiology

A branch of epidemiology studying health outcomes and their determinants during pregnancy, childbirth, and the immediate postnatal period.

Perinatal Mental Health EconomicsTermMaternal Mental Health Economics, Postnatal Mental Health Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to mental health conditions arising during pregnancy and the postpartum period, such as postnatal depression.

Period EffectTermCalendar-Time Effect, Period Influence

In a crossover trial, a systematic difference in outcomes attributable to the specific time period a treatment was given rather than the treatment itself.

Period PrevalenceConceptInterval Prevalence, Duration Prevalence

The proportion of a population with a particular condition at any point during a specified period, combining existing and newly developed cases.

Peripheral Artery DiseaseTermPAD, Peripheral Vascular Disease

A condition in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs, usually the legs, risking pain and complications such as amputation.

Peripheral Vascular EconomicsTermPVD Economics, Vascular Disease Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to conditions affecting blood vessels outside the heart and brain, including peripheral artery and venous disease.

Peritonitis EconomicsTermPeritoneal Infection Economics, Abdominal Sepsis Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to inflammation of the abdominal cavity's peritoneal lining, typically a serious condition requiring urgent treatment.

Permutation TestConceptRandomisation Test, Resampling Test

A non-parametric hypothesis test determining significance by repeatedly rearranging observed data labels to build an empirical distribution under the null hypothesis.

Persistence OutcomeTermTreatment Persistence, Persistence Endpoint

A measure of how long a patient continues taking a prescribed medication before stopping, distinct from adherence to the regimen while still taking it.

Personal Health RecordTermPHR, Patient Health Record

A digital health record controlled and maintained by the patient themselves, unlike an electronic medical record controlled by a healthcare organisation.

Personalised TherapyTermPersonalized Therapy, Individualised Therapy

A treatment tailored to an individual patient's specific clinical, genetic, or biomarker characteristics, rather than a uniform strategy for all patients.

Personality Disorder EconomicsTermPersonality Disorder Cost of Illness, Cluster-B Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to personality disorders, chronic conditions requiring specialist, often long-term psychotherapy approaches.

PerspectiveConceptAnalytic Viewpoint, Costing Standpoint

Perspective in health economic evaluation is the viewpoint, such as the health system, payer or society, that decides which costs and outcomes are counted.

Pertussis EconomicsTermWhooping Cough Economics, Pertussis Cost of Illness

The application of health economic evaluation to pertussis, or whooping cough, a highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection largely preventable through vaccination.

Peto TestConceptPeto Log-Rank Test, Peto Method

A Peto–Peto weighted test for comparing time-to-event distributions, using observed-versus-expected events with weights based on pooled survival that emphasize earlier event times.

Pharmaceutical Benefits SchemeTermPBS

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is Australia's public subsidy scheme for medicines; the PBAC recommends which medicines it subsidises.

Pharmaceutical EconomicsTermPharma Economics, Medicines Economics

The broad application of economic analysis to the pharmaceutical industry, covering drug development costs, pricing strategy, market competition, and individual drug evaluation.

Pharmaceutical IndustryTermPharma Sector, Drug Industry

The commercial sector engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of pharmaceutical products, from large manufacturers to biotechnology firms.

Pharmaceutical PolicyTermDrug Policy, Medicines Policy

Government or organisational policy governing pharmaceutical development, approval, pricing, and use, covering regulatory standards and reimbursement criteria.

PharmacodynamicsTermPD, Drug Action Study

The study of a drug's biochemical and physiological effects on the body, including mechanism of action and dose-response relationship.

Pharmacoeconomic ModelTermPE Model, Pharmacoeconomic Evaluation Model

A decision-analytic model built specifically to evaluate the cost and outcomes of pharmaceutical treatments, typically supporting pricing and reimbursement decisions.

PharmacoepidemiologyTermDrug Epidemiology, Post-Marketing Epidemiology

A field combining pharmacology and epidemiology to study medication use, effectiveness, and safety within large populations, often using real-world observational data.

PharmacogenomicsTermPharmacogenetics, Drug-Gene Interaction Study

The study of how an individual's genetic makeup affects their response to specific drugs, covering both effectiveness and adverse reaction risk.

PharmacokineticsConceptPK, Drug Disposition Study

Pharmacokinetics is the quantitative study of how a drug enters, distributes within, is transformed by, and is eliminated from the body over time.

Pharmacology StudiesTermPharmacology Research, Nonclinical Pharmacology

Research investigating how a drug interacts with biological systems, covering both its therapeutic mechanism and potential for adverse effects.

Pharmacology TestingTermPharmacology Screening, Drug Effect Assay

The systematic laboratory and clinical evaluation of a drug candidate's biological effects, covering mechanism of action, dose-response, and interactions.

PharmacovigilanceTermDrug Safety Monitoring, Safety Surveillance

The science and activities relating to detecting, assessing, understanding, and preventing adverse effects of a medicine throughout its entire lifecycle.

Pharmacovigilance PlanTermPV Plan, Safety Surveillance Plan

A structured strategy, often required by regulators, outlining how a manufacturer will monitor and manage a drug's safety once on the market.

Pharmacy Benefit ManagerTermPBM, Drug Benefit Administrator

A company administering prescription drug benefits for health plans and employers, negotiating rebates, managing pharmacy networks, and processing claims.

Pharmacy DataTermPrescription Records, Dispensing Data

Records capturing medication dispensing information, including drug name, dosage, and fill dates, typically from pharmacy claims or dispensing systems.

Pharmacy PracticeTermPharmaceutical Practice, Pharmacy Services

In health economics, the professional activities involved in preparing, dispensing and optimising the use of medicines, and the setting in which medicines expenditure and adherence are shaped.

Pharmacy-Based Risk ScoreTermPharmacy Risk Score, Rx-Based Risk Adjustment

A numerical estimate of expected future healthcare costs calculated using prescription drug utilisation patterns as an indicator of health status.