Future Trends Health Care 2013 | Page 28

Advance Directives - Legal documents which allow individuals to spell out their decisions regarding end-of-life care in advance.
Also known as living will, personal directive, advance directive, or advance decision, is a set of written instructions that a person
gives that specify what actions should be taken for their health, if they are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or
incapacity.
Advanced diagnostic testing with analytical recommendations - Testing performed to determine if someone is affected with a
particular disease with recommendations for a course of treatment.
Affordable Care Act - A United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The ACA
aims to increase the quality and affordability of health insurance, lower the uninsured rate by expanding public and private insurance
coverage, and reduce the costs of healthcare for individuals and the government. It provides a number of mechanisms—including
mandates, subsidies, and insurance exchanges—to increase coverage and affordability.
Age specific - A description of data in which the age of the individual is significant for epidemiologic or statistical purposes.
Aging and life expectancy - The number of years that one is expected to live as determined by statistics.
Analytics - The discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data. Especially valuable in areas rich with recorded
information, analytics relies on the simultaneous application of statistics, computer programming and operations research to quantify
performance. Analytics often favors data visualization to communicate insight.
Anatomy - The study of the structure of living things; the parts that form a living thing (such as an animal or plant); a person's body
Ancillary support services - In smart grid technology, an ancillary service is anything that supports the transmission of electricity
from its generation site to the customer. Services may include load regulation, spinning reserve, non-spinning reserve, replacement
reserve and voltage support. Source: Gartner IT Glossary
Andragogy - Learning strategy developed for adult learners.
Anesthesiology - Medical specialty dealing with anesthesia and related matters, including resuscitation and pain. Originally
concerned only with general anesthesia in the operating room, anesthesiology now includes epidural anesthesia (injection of local
anesthetics into the spinal fluid, cutting off feeling below the point of injection); artificial respiratory support during operations requiring
paralyzing drugs that render patients unable to breathe; clinical management of all unconscious patients; management of pain relief
and cardiac and respiratory resuscitation problems; respiratory therapy; and treatment of fluid, electrolyte, and metabolic
disturbances. Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Concise
Anesthetic - Agent that produces a local or general loss of sensation, including pain, and therefore is useful in surgery and dentistry.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Concise
Apps for healthcare delivery - Mobile health apps have the potential to drive a disruptive shift in patient
engagement and healthcare delivery. Harnessing the power of apps has become a focal point of innovation, yet barriers remain to
their broad and systematic use by providers and patients. Development of clear evidence on the benefits of driving positive
behavioral changes and improving health outcomes will be key to breaking through the barriers. In order for apps to move from
novelty to mainstream, four areas need to be addressed. There must be recognition of the role apps can play in healthcare by payers
and providers, as well as regulators and policymakers; security and privacy guidelines and assurances established among providers,
patients and app developers; a systematic evaluation of apps to inform their appropriate use; and the effective integration of apps
with other aspects of patient care. Source: IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics
Aroma Therapy - Using essential oils and water-based colloids extracted from plant materials to promote physical, emotional, and
spiritual health and balance. Single or combined extracts may be diffused into inhaled air, used in massage oil, or added to
bathwater. Inhaled molecules of these extracts stimulate the olfactory nerve, sending messages to the brain's limbic system (the seat
of memory, learning, and emotion) that are said to trigger physiological responses. Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Concise.
Art Therapy - The therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma or
challenges in living, and by people who seek personal development. Through creating art and reflecting on the art products and
processes, people can increase awareness of self and others cope with symptoms, stress and traumatic experiences; enhance
cognitive abilities; and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - The intelligence of machines or software, and is also a branch of computer science (Applied logic) that
studies and develops intelligent machines and software. Major AI researchers and textbooks define the field as "the study and design
of intelligent agen ts" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its
chances of success.

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