EQA

External Quality Assurance. A scheme designed to regularly assess the accuracy of diagnostic microscopy (read, histopathology) in the UK, which consists of 10 to 20 typical workload cases sent to each histopathologist and cytologist. The EQAs are then sent to the central scheme secretary who collates the results and returns them to the participants, the satisfactory performance of which results in a certificate of participation.

assessment

(a-ses'ment) [L. assessare, to assess a tax] 1. An appraisal or evaluation of a patient's condition by a physician, nurse, or other health care provider, based on clinical and laboratory data, medical history, and the patient's account of symptoms.2. The process by which a patient's condition is appraised or evaluated.

comprehensive assessment

A detailed, systematic physical examination of a patient.

comprehensive geriatric assessment

Abbreviation: CGA
A multidisciplinary process to evaluate the medical, functional, psychiatric, and social strengths and limitations in older patients. CGA provides a focus on the interrelated factors that contribute to illness. By addressing the complexity of needs, in some studies CGA improves survival and decreases the frequency of acute care hospitalization.

external quality assessment

Abbreviation: EQA
Proficiency testing.

fetal assessment

Estimating the health status of a fetus by a variety of techniques in order to prevent developmental injuries or death. Synonym: fetal monitoring in utero See: amniocentesis; chorionic villus sampling; deceleration; Doppler echocardiography; fetal heart rate monitoring; fetal (vibratory) acoustic stimulationtable

amniocentesis

amniotic fluid volume measurement

biophysical profile

chorionic villus sampling

contraction stress testing

Doppler velocimetry

fetal movement counting (with ultrasound correlation)

monitoring of fetal heart rate

nonstress test

functional assessment

In rehabilitation, the determination of a person's ability to perform everyday tasks and requirements of living. Functional assessment scales vary greatly with respect to the number, type, and scoring of the tasks used to determine performance levels, their degree of standardization, and their predictive validity. See: activities of daily living

functional gait assessment

Functional ambulation profile.

gait assessment

An analysis of a person's ability to walk, esp. to identify those deficits that limit safe walking. It involves evaluations of the patient's muscular strength, joint movement, balance, posture, sensory perception, and spatial orientation.

CAUTION!

During gait assessments, care should be taken to anticipate and prevent injuries that may occur if the patient falls. Synonym: gait analysis

gestational age assessment

1. Estimation of the prenatal age of the fetus, typically by reviewing the pregnant woman's menstrual history, making measurements of fundal height, or by making ultrasonic measurements of fetal parts. This information is essential so that appropriately timed obstetrical care can be provided and the pregnancy's progress can be compared with normal standards. See: amniocentesis; fundal height2. Estimation of newborn maturity; comparison of newborn assessment findings against the expected physical and neuromuscular characteristics consistent with a given point in gestation. See: Dubowitz tool; large for gestational age; small for gestational age

Kitchen Task Assessment

Abbreviation: KTA
A performance-based measure of cognitive function in which a subject is asked to follow a pudding recipe, and the amount of support needed to complete the task is measured. The test has been used to assess the ability of demented patients to make their own meals and to demonstrate to caregivers the amount of support that cognitively impaired individuals may need when performing simple household tasks.

needs assessment

An analysis of what is necessary to solve an administrative or clinical problem, and what resources must be used to accomplish the task.

nursing assessment

See: nursing assessment

pain assessment

A determination of the character, duration, intensity, and location of a patient's pain, including its effects on his or her ability to function.

primary assessment

The first evaluation of the patient in the field, conducted after it is clear that the scene is safe. This preliminary evaluation is designed to locate and manage life-threatening injuries or illness and to determine the patient's triage priority. The initial assessment follows the sequence of mental status, airway, breathing, and circulation.

rapid trauma assessment

Abbreviation: RTA
The evaluation of a trauma patient's head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, extremities, and posterior, conducted after the initial assessment in patients with a forceful mechanism of injury, such as a car crash. Synonym: rapid trauma exam

risk assessment

An estimate of the hazards people face, made by compiling data about disease and death rates during specified periods of time.

secondary assessment

The more thorough evaluation of a patient after the initial examination of his ABCs (airway, breathing, and circulation).

external quality assessment

Abbreviation: EQA
Proficiency testing.See also: assessment