Acronyms and nuns

We find jargon and the use of acronyms very challenging. Recently I was in a meeting with doctors and they were talking about the important role NUMS play in medical education. Only, I thought they said 'nuns' and was terribly confused. It was a useful reminder of the difficulty acronyms pose for consumers in the health system.

Here's a recent collection that has been flying around our committees.

ACTPAS	ACT Patient Administration System
ADON	Assistant Director of Nursing
ANU	Australian National University
APFPM	Asia Pacific Federation of Project Management
ATSI	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
B&I	Business and Infrastructure
CACHS	Cancer, Ambulatory and Community Health
CALD	Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
CC	Critical Care
CHCACT	Calvary Health Care ACT
CHHS	Canberra Hospital and Health Services
CSS	Clinical Support Services
CT	Computed Tomography
DDG	Deputy Director-General
DG	Director-General
DHP	Dental Health Program
DON	Director of Nursing
DRGs	Diagnosis Related Groups system
EC	Executive Council
EDC ED	Executive Directors Council Emergency Department or Executive Director
EHCR	E-Health and Clinical Records
ENT	Ear, Nose and Throat
GP	General Practitioner
HAI	Healthcare Associated Infections
HCCA	Health Care Consumers' Association
HIP	Health Infrastructure Program
IARM	Internal Audit and Risk Management
ICT	Information and Communication Technology
ICU	Intensive Care Unit
IDC	In Dwelling Catheter
IHI	Individual Health Care Identifier (National)
ILC	Independent Living Centre
JMO	Junior Medical Officer
LCMHC	Little Company of Mary Health Care
LHN	Local Hospital Network
MHJHADS	Mental Health, Justice Health & Alcohol & Drug Service
MOSU	Medical Officer Support Unit
MRI	Magnetic Resonance Imaging
MRO	Multi-Resistant Organisms
NATA	National Association of Testing Authority
NBHF	Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm
NICU	Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
NICUCAM	Neonatal Intensive Care Web Camera Project
NSQHSS	National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
NSW	New South Wales
PCEHR	Personnally Controlled Electronic Health Record
PET	Positron Emission Tomography
PGR	Policy and Government Relations
PH	Population Health
PIB	Performance Information Branch
PMI	Patient Master Index
PSSB	People, Strategy & Services Branch
QI	Quality Improvement
QSB	Quality and Safety Branch
RACC	Rehabilitation, Aged & Community Care
RCPA	The Royal College of Pathologists of Australia
RISPACS	Radiation Information and Picture Archive and Communication System
SCP	Service and Capital Planning
SDU	Staff Development Unit
SIDS	Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
SOH	Surgery and Oral Health
SOP	Standard Operating Procedure
TCH	Canberra Hospital
WYC	Women’s, Youth and Children

Darlene Cox
Executive Director

Health Literacy for All

This work was completed as part of the consumer-led Health Literacy for All project that ran from June 2011 to June 2014. This project was an initiative of the Health Care Consumers Association (HCCA) of the ACT and was funded by a Health Promotion grant from the ACT Government.

HCCA has more than thirty years of experience in increasing consumer access to information about the health system. With the increasing complexity of our health system, it has become even more important for consumers to have access to opportunities to develop their knowledge of the health system. It is also important that these opportunities are ‘consumer-led’, that is, that they provide access to information that consumers themselves have said they need to know.

The Health Literacy for All project was designed around a community development model. The program particularly sought to provide assistance to disadvantaged and marginalised health consumers. It sought to promote consumer participation in the health system by providing opportunities for consumers to improve their knowledge of support, community and health services. It also sought to increase consumers’ ability to advocate for themselves and family in health contexts. This involved helping consumers to identify their own needs so that they would be able to interact more effectively with health professionals.

The topics for the modules are based on consumer requests, and the content of the modules was developed in consultation with consumers who participated in health literacy workshops. More than 250 consumers and 170 health care professionals participated in 40 workshops over a three year period. 

In the coming weeks the material we developed and use in our community information sessions will be uploaded to the HCCA website.