Glossary
| Term | Description |
|---|
| Admission | The process whereby the hospital accepts responsibility for the patient’s care and/or treatment. Admission follows a clinical decision based upon specified criteria that a patient requires same-day or overnight care or treatment. |
| Patient flow | Patient flow is the movement of patients through a hospital-from admission to discharge. Addressing the cause of bottlenecks in patient flow and matching resources to each patient helps make sure they get the right care, at the right time and in the right place. |
| Consumer | Consumers include people, families, carers and communities who are current or potential users of health services. Different health settings use terms such as: patients, people/persons, families, carers, clients and residents. |
| CLD-trained | A member of the multidisciplinary team who has attended training on the principles of CLD and is skilled to discharge a patient once they have met their clinical criteria for discharge. |
| Criteria | The collection of individual milestones |
| Discharge | Within this tool kit discharge refers to discharge from an acute inpatient setting. This can include discharge or transfer of care to hospital in the home (HITH), Better @ home services, transfer to another hospital or inpatient rehabilitation service. |
| Milestone | A task or achievement that needs to be met to be eligible for discharge. Milestones may be a mix of physical (medical requirements), psychological or social measures. |
| Multidisciplinary team | A Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) is a group of professionals from various disciplines who collaborate to provide comprehensive care for patients. These teams bring together the unique skills and expertise of each member, ultimately resulting in improved patient outcomes. |
| Planned surgery | Also known as elective surgery. Refers to planned surgical procedures that can be booked in advance. This is different from emergency surgery which is unplanned. |
| Support person | A person who provides support to the patient throughout their surgical journey. Different health settings may use terms such as carer or friend. |
| Transfer/ Handover of care | Involves the transfer of professional responsibility and accountability for some or all aspects of care for a patient to another person or professional group on a temporary or permanent basis. The transfer of care process plays a central role in enhancing patient outcomes, reducing readmission, improving hospital efficiency, and improving patient flow through health services. |
Acronyms
| Abbreviation | Description |
|---|
| CALD | Culturally and Linguistically Diverse |
| CCD | Clinical Criteria for Discharge |
| CLD | Criteria Led Discharge |
| ED | Emergency Department |
| EDD | Estimated Date of Discharge |
| EMR | Electronic Medical Record |
| ERAS | Enhanced Recovery After Surgery |
| GP | General Practitioner |
| LOS | Length of Stay |
| MDT | Multidisciplinary Team |
| HITH | Hospital in the Home |
Reviewed 01 November 2024
