Glossary

A to D | E to M | N to P | Q to Z

A to D

Word or term	Meaning
Accident and emergency service	Unplanned services provided to patients who are not admitted to the hospital. Used on this website, this does not include services provided in discrete emergency departments for which waiting times information is available; these are reported as emergency department services.
Accredited	Recognised as having met a set of requirements relating to national healthcare standards. Accreditation at any point in time does not assume a fixed or continuing status. As accreditation for hospitals was counted as at 30 June, some hospitals that were accredited for the majority of the financial year, but had their accreditation status lapse shortly before this date were not reported as being accredited.
Acute	A medical condition that comes on suddenly, and lasts for a limited time.
Acute care	Care in which the intent is to perform surgery, diagnostic or therapeutic procedures in the treatment of illness or injury. Management of childbirth is also considered acute care.
Admission	The administrative process of becoming a patient in a hospital. As a person may be admitted to the same hospital more than once in a year the number of admissions is not the same as the number of people treated in the hospital. On this website, the term 'admissions' is used in place of the statistical term 'separations' to refer to discrete episodes of care for admitted patients.
Aged care unit	This is a specialised facility providing nursing home care services.
Allied health clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing non-medical, non-nursing health services such as pathology, physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy, dietary advice and administrative services.
Average length of stay	The average number of days spent in hospital per admission for patients who stayed at least one night.
Benign	An abnormal growth which is not cancerous that is slow growing and does not spread.
Burns unit	A specialised facility dedicated to the initial treatment and subsequent rehabilitation of severely injured burns patients (usually where more than 10% of patient's body surface is affected).
Campus	A discrete grouping of co-located hospital facilities within a broader health service.
Cardiology clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to the heart.
Cardio-thoracic surgery	Surgery performed on the organs inside the chest, in particular the heart and lungs.
Care type	Defines the overall nature of the medical service received by a patient; for example, care types include acute care, rehabilitation, palliative care.
Cataract extraction	Removal of a lens of the eye affected by a cataract, which is a white substance on the lens that impairs vision. The diseased lens is then replaced with an artificial one in a procedure called 'lens insertion'. This is often done at the same time as the cataract extraction.
Chemotherapy	The treatment of diseases (including but not limited to cancer) using chemical agents.
Chemotherapy (private provider)	Chemotherapy provided on the campus of a public hospital by a co-located private facility to private patients or where specialists operate from a public hospital under right of private practice arrangements.
Childbirth	Admission to hospital to give birth.
Cholecystectomy	Removal of the gall bladder.
Clinically recommended time	Amount of time in which patients in an emergency department should receive treatment. The maximum waiting time is recommended by the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and varies according to the patient's triage category.
Coronary artery bypass surgery	In this procedure (also known as heart bypass surgery) blood flow through the heart muscle is improved by sewing a healthy blood vessel onto the heart, bypassing a blocked or diseased part of the coronary artery.
Coronary care unit	A specialised facility dedicated to acute care services for patients with coronary (heart) diseases.
Cosmetic surgery	A surgical specialty focusing on the modification or enhancement of physical appearance.
Coverage	The extent to which records in a database account for all occurrences of a particular event. For example, if there were estimated to be 100,000 events (such as admissions, outpatient occasions of service or emergency department presentations) nationally and 95,000 of these were specifically recorded in a database, the database would be said to have 95% coverage.
Cystoscopy	Examination of the bladder by inserting a tube into the urethra.
Days of patient care	A day of patient care is a day, or part of a day, that a patient is admitted to hospital to receive treatment or care. Days of patient care are the total number of days spent in hospital by all patients who were discharged from hospital during the reported period.
Dental clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to the teeth.
Dialysis clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing artificial kidney function.
Dialysis unit	Specialised medical unit providing artificial kidney function.

E to M

Word or term	Meaning
Ear, nose and throat clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to diseases and problems affecting the ears, nose, throat, head and neck.
Ear, nose and throat surgery	Surgical specialty that treats diseases and problems affecting the ears, nose, throat, head and neck.
ED	See Emergency department
Elective surgery	Elective surgery is surgery that, in the opinion of the treating physician, is necessary and admission for which can be delayed for at least twenty-four hours.
Emergency (triage category)	Used in hospital emergency departments to indicate the urgency of the patient's need for medical and nursing care. Emergency (triage category 2) is for conditions that could be life threatening and require prompt attention such as chest pain or possible stroke.
Emergency department	A hospital facility that provides triage, assessment, care or treatment for non-admitted patients suffering from a medical condition or injury.
Emergency GP-type service	Unplanned services provided to patients who are not admitted to the hospital. Used on this website, this does not include services provided in discrete emergency departments for which waiting times information is available; these are reported as emergency department services.
Emergency service	Unplanned services provided to patients who are not admitted to the hospital. Used on this website, this does not include services provided in discrete emergency departments for which waiting times information is available; these are reported as emergency department services.
Endocrinology clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to conditions of the hormonal and metabolic systems, including diabetes management.
Endoscopy clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing investigation of internal parts of the body using a tube with a lens attached (such as a microscope, telescope or camera).
Eye surgery	Surgical specialty relating to the eyes and optic nerve. Also referred to as ophthalmic or ophthalmological surgery.
Gastroenterology clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to the stomach and intestines.
General practice and primary care clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing a first point of contact for non-emergency patients.
General surgery	Surgical specialty focusing on the organs of the abdomen (such as the stomach, intestines, gall bladder, liver and pancreas). General surgeons may also treat diseases of the skin and breast.
Geriatric assessment unit	Facility dedicated to the assessment of the level of dependency of (usually) older people.
Geriatric evaluation and management	Care intended to optimise health and livelihood for (usually) older people, with medical conditions associated with disability and psychosocial problems.
Gynaecological surgery	Surgical specialty focusing on women's reproductive organs and fertility.
Gynaecology clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to women's reproductive organs and fertility.
Hand hygiene	Hand hygiene is a general term applying to the use of soap/solution (non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial) and water, or a waterless antimicrobial agent to clean the hands and reduce the number of micro-organisms on them.
Heart bypass surgery	In this procedure (also known as coronary artery bypass graft) blood flow through the heart muscle is improved by sewing a healthy blood vessel onto the heart, bypassing a blocked or diseased part of the coronary artery.
Haemorrhoidectomy	The removal of haemorrhoids (piles).
Hospice care unit	A facility dedicated to the provision of palliative care to terminally ill patients.
Hospital campus	A discrete grouping of co-located hospital facilities within a broader health service.
Hospital-level data	Refers to statistics at the level of individual hospitals, rather than health service areas, states/territories, or nationally.
Hysterectomy	The removal of the uterus (womb).
In situ	A cancer that has not spread to, or invaded, another part of the body or neighbouring tissues.
Indicator	A key statistical measure selected to help describe a situation concisely, to track change, progress and performance, and to act as a guide to decision making.
Indicator procedure	A medical procedure which is selected for use as a statistical measure to help describe (indicate) hospital performance in a particular area.
Inguinal herniorrhaphy	Repair of an inguinal hernia (a condition in which part of the intestine protrudes through the muscles in the groin).
Intensive care unit	A specialised unit dedicated to close monitoring and constant medical care of patients with life-threatening conditions.
Jurisdiction	A state or territory.
Listing date	The date on which a hospital accepts notification that a patient requires elective surgery.
Maintenance care	Care in which the main intent is to prevent deterioration in the health of a patient with a disability or severe functional impairment.
Malignant primary	Refers to the original site of an abnormal growth which is cancerous and may spread to other parts of the body.
Malignant secondary	Refers to a cancerous growth that has appeared in, or spread to, a part of the body that is not the original site.
Median waiting time	The mid-point in waiting times for patients who received elective surgery after being placed on a public waiting list. Half of all patients who received a particular type of elective surgery waited less than or equal to the median number of days, while half were on the list for longer than the median waiting time.
Medical (emergency - admission)	Admission to hospital for emergency reasons not involving surgery.
Medical (other - admission)	Admission to hospital for non-emergency reasons not involving surgery.
Medical clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing general services such as wound dressing, dermatology, pain management, palliative care and sexual health services.
Morbidity	Ill health.
Multidisciplinary care	Multidisciplinary care happens when medical, nursing and allied health professionals involved in patients' treatment hold regular structured meetings to together consider all treatment options and personal preferences of patients and collaboratively develop individual care plans that best meet the needs of patients.
Multi-Purpose Service (MPS)	Integrated health and aged care service that provides flexible and sustainable service options for small rural and remote communities.
Myringoplasty	Repair of a hole in the eardrum.
Myringotomy	Surgery performed on the eardrum to relieve pressure caused by built-up fluid.

N to P

Word or term	Meaning
National average	On this website the term 'national average' is not used in a strict statistical sense. Rather, it refers to the mid-point in performance when all hospital activity in Australia is considered together. For emergency department waiting times, the 'national average' is the percentage of presentations seen on time across all emergency departments for which data are available. For median elective surgery waiting times, the 'national average' is the number of days within which half of all people who received a type of surgery in Australia spent on the waiting list. For elective surgery waits of more than 365 days, the 'national average' is the percentage of all people on public waiting lists who received a particular type of surgery after waiting more than 365 days.
National peer group performance	On this website the term 'peer group performance' is the performance of the group of hospitals calculated using all patient-level presentation data for all hospitals in a peer group, i.e. if there are 26 hospitals in a peer group, their combined performance, calculated using patient-level presentation data is the peer group performance.
Neonatal intensive care unit	A specialised facility dedicated to the care of newborn babies requiring sophisticated technological support.
Neurosurgery	Surgery on the brain, spinal cord and nerves. Common procedures include removing tumours and blood clots, treatment of head or spinal injuries, repairing malformed blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord, repairing damaged nerves, and surgical treatment of diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.
Non-acute and sub-acute care	Care types other than 'acute care'. Includes rehabilitation care, palliative care, certain types of geriatric care, and maintenance care.
Non-admitted	Care provided to a patient who has not undergone a hospital's formal admission process. Non-admitted care may include outpatient visits and emergency department services.
Non-urgent (triage category)	Used in hospital emergency departments to indicate the urgency of the patient's need for medical and nursing care. Non-urgent (triage category 5) is the least urgent category. It is for problems or illnesses such as cough or cold.
Not ready for care	An indicator of the person's readiness to begin the process leading directly to being admitted to hospital for the awaited procedure.
Number of beds	The average number of beds available to be used by an admitted patient or resident, or if an average is not available for a given hospital, the number of beds available at 30 June. Equivalent to the statistical measure 'average available beds'. 'Available' means that the bed is staffed and not in a closed ward; it does not necessarily mean that the bed is unoccupied.
Obstetrics service	A specialised facility dedicated to the care of newborn babies and their mothers.
Obstetrics clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to childbirth.
Occasion of service	A distinct visit to a hospital or outpatient clinic where treatment is received. As a person may visit an outpatient clinic in a hospital more than once in a year, the number of occasions of service is not the same as the number of people treated in outpatient clinics.
Oncology clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to cancer treatment.
Oncology unit	A specialised facility dedicated to investigation, management, rehabilitation and support services for cancer patients. Treatment services include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Ophthalmology	Specialty relating to the eyes and optic nerve.
Ophthalmology clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to the eyes and optic nerve.
Orthopaedic clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to the musculoskeletal system.
Orthopaedic surgery	Surgical specialty focusing on the musculoskeletal system. It includes the repair of broken bones and injuries to ligaments and tendons, investigation and repair of damaged joints, and treatment of conditions such as bone and soft tissue tumours, cerebral palsy, back pain and skeletal deformities.
Other elective surgery	Elective surgery in which the specialty of the surgeon was not classified as any of the following: cardio-thoracic surgery; cosmetic surgery; ear, nose and throat surgery; general surgery; gynaecological surgery; neurosurgery; eye surgery; orthopaedic surgery; plastic surgery; urological surgery; or vascular surgery.
Other medical, surgical or obstetric clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services not covered by the other outpatient clinic categories. These include electrocardiograms (ECGs), obstetrics, nuclear medicine, general medicine, general surgery and fertility services.
Other sub-acute and non-acute care	For the purpose of this website, 'other care type' refers to geriatric evaluation and management, psychogeriatric care and maintenance care.
Outpatient service	A hospital service in which patients receive treatment without being admitted. Classification of certain services as 'outpatient' varies between hospitals as similar treatments may require admission in some hospitals but not others.
Overnight admission	A hospital stay in which the patient spent at least one night in hospital.
Paediatric medicine clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients specialising in general medicine for babies and children. For babies' and children's surgery, see paediatric surgery clinic.
Paediatric surgery clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing specific procedures for the treatment or investigation of disease in children.
Paediatrics unit	A specialised facility dedicated to the care of children.
Palliative care	Care in which the intent is primarily quality of life for a patient with an active, progressive disease with little or no prospect of cure.
Palliative care (private provider)	Palliative care provided on the campus of a public hospital by a co-located private facility to private patients or where specialists operate from a public hospital under right of private practice arrangements.
Patient days	See definition for days of patient care.
Plastic surgery	Surgery involving the modification or reconstruction of the visible physical features of the body. It is commonly performed on people who have suffered severe injuries or burns, people who were born with physical malformations, or people whose physical appearance has been affected by a disease.
Plastic surgery clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to the reconstruction or modification of the visible physical features of the body.
Pre-admission and pre-anaesthesia	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing care to patients before surgery.
Presentation	When a patient arrives at an emergency department for treatment. As a person may visit an emergency department in a hospital more than once in a year, the number of presentations is not the same as the number of people seen by the department.
Private hospital	A privately (non-government) owned and operated institution catering for patients who are treated by a doctor of their own choice. Patients are charged fees for accommodation and other services provided by the hospital and relevant medical and paramedical practitioners. Acute care and psychiatric hospitals are included in this category as are private free-standing day facilities.
Prostatectomy	The removal of part or all of the prostate.
Psychiatric unit/ward	A specialised unit or ward dedicated to the treatment and care of admitted patients with psychiatric, mental, or behavioural disorders.
Psychogeriatric care	Care in which the intent is improvement in health, and/or quality of life for a patient with behavioural or psychiatric problems associated with an age-related disorder.
Public hospital	Hospital owned and managed by government.

Q to Z

Word or term	Meaning
Radiotherapy	Radiotherapy is the treatment of disease by means of ionizing radiation. MyHospitals data are restricted to external beam megavoltage radiotherapy delivered using linear accelerators.
Radiotherapy (private provider)	Radiotherapy provided on the campus of a public hospital by a co-located private facility to private patients or where specialists operate from a public hospital under right of private practice arrangements.
Reference year	The year in which activity occurred. Reference periods are usually financial years (1 July-30 June) rather than calendar years (1 January-31 December).
Rehabilitation	Care in which the intent is to improve the functional status of a patient with an impairment, disability or handicap.
Rehabilitation unit	A specialised facility providing care to patients with an impairment or disability, aimed at improving functioning and maximising quality of life.
Removal date	Date on which a patient is removed from an elective surgery waiting list.
Renal medicine clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to the kidneys.
Respiratory clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to conditions affecting breathing, such as asthma.
Resuscitation (triage category)	Used in hospital emergency departments to indicate the urgency of the patient's need for medical and nursing care. Resuscitation (triage category 1) is the most urgent category. It is for conditions that are immediately life threatening-such as heart attack, severe burns or injuries resulting from a motor vehicle accident.
Same day admission	A hospital stay in which the patient is discharged on the same date as they were admitted.
Satellite site	Services patients receive at a hospital are provided wholly or predominantly by staff from another public hospital.
Satellite site dialysis unit	This is a specialised facility providing dialysis services for renal (kidney) failure patients requiring acute care.
Self service dialysis unit	This is a specialised facility providing self-service dialysis services for renal (kidney) failure patients requiring acute care.
Semi-urgent (triage category)	Used in hospital emergency departments to indicate the urgency of the patient's need for medical and nursing care. Semi-urgent (triage category 4) is for conditions including broken arms or legs.
Septoplasty	Elective surgery to straighten the nasal septum (the cartilage and bone between the nostrils). This procedure is often performed on patients who have suffered a broken nose, or who experience recurrent sinus infections or difficulty breathing through their nose.
Specialist service	Services provided by a hospital that require particular skills, training or equipment.
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)	Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a type of bacteria commonly found on the skin, or in the nose or throat of healthy people. If this bacterium infects the bloodstream, it can cause serious health complications for patients and significant extra costs to the health system. Doctors call this "Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia" (or bloodstream infection). Hospital patients are more at risk of bloodstream infections either because they tend to be more vulnerable to infection (e.g. because their immune systems may be damaged or less effective due to HIV/AIDS, organ transplant or chemotherapy), and/or because they have increased opportunities for bloodstream infection (e.g. they have recently undergone surgery or intravenous catheterisation). Additionally, already ill patients are more vulnerable if they contract an antibiotic-resistant version of S. aureus, such as MRSA (multi - or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). S. aureus cases reported on MyHospitals include both MRSA and S. aureus that is not resistant to antibiotic treatment, such as MSSA (methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus).
Sub-acute care	See non-acute and sub-acute care.
Surgery	A physical medical intervention, often called an operation, to treat or investigate a disease or injury.
Surgery (outpatient clinic)	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing specific procedures for the treatment or investigation of disease or injury.
Surgical (emergency - admission)	Admission to hospital for surgery required for emergency reasons.
Surgical (other - admission)	Admission to hospital for surgery required for non-emergency reasons.
Surgical specialty	The area of clinical expertise held by the doctor performing a surgical procedure.
Tonsillectomy	Removal of the tonsils.
Total hip replacement	Replacement of a diseased hip joint with an artificial implant.
Total knee replacement	Replacement of a diseased knee joint with an artificial implant.
Triage category	Used in hospital emergency departments to indicate the urgency of the patient's need for medical and nursing care. Patients are triaged into one of five categories on the National Triage Scale: Resuscitation (triage category 1) is the most urgent category. It is for conditions that are immediately life threatening-such as heart attack, severe burns or injuries resulting from a motor vehicle accident. Emergency (triage category 2) is for conditions that could be life threatening and require prompt attention such as chest pain or possible stroke. Urgent (triage category 3) is for serious but stable conditions, such as wounds or abdominal pain. Semi-urgent (triage category 4) is for conditions including broken arms or legs. Non-urgent (triage category 5) is the least urgent category. It is for problems or illnesses such as cough or cold.
Uncertain or unknown behaviour	Uncertain or unknown behaviour are the terms used when it is unclear whether a cancerous tissue growth is occurring in a primary or secondary site.
Urgent care	Unplanned services provided to patients who are not admitted to the hospital. Used on this website, this does not include services provided in discrete emergency departments for which waiting times information is available; these are reported as emergency department services.
Urgent (triage category)	Used in hospital emergency departments to indicate the urgency of the patient's need for medical and nursing care. Urgent (triage category 3) is for serious but stable conditions, such as wounds or abdominal pain.
Urological surgery	Surgical specialty focusing on the organs of the urinary system (such as the kidneys and bladder), and the male reproductive system.
Urology clinic	Hospital facility for non-admitted patients providing services relating to the urinary system and the male reproductive system.
Varicose vein ligation and stripping	Sealing off and removal of varicose veins (enlarged veins close to the skin's surface). This procedure is commonly performed by general surgeons as well as vascular surgeons.
Vascular surgery	Surgical specialty focusing on blood vessels (veins and arteries), except for those in the heart (which are included in cardio-thoracic surgery) and brain (which are included in neurosurgery).