Dictionary of Evidence-based Medicine.pdf

Dictionary of Evidence-based Medicine 119
Holden RK (1994) The strategy and tactics of pricing: a guide to profitable
decision making. 2nd edn. Prentice-Hall Inc, Englewood Cliffs).
Performance measures
Performance measures are methods or instruments used to estimate or
monitor the extent to which actions of a health care practitioner or provider
conform to practice guidelines, medical review criteria or standards
of quality (Field MJ, Lohr KN (eds) (1990) Clinical practice guidelines: directions
for a new program. National Academy Press, Washington DC).
Period prevalence (see under Incidence)
Personal Social Services
Personal Social Services are services in the United Kingdom for vulnerable
people, including those with special needs because of old age or physical
or mental disability, and children in need of care and protection. Examples
are the services provided by social workers, residential care homes for the
elderly, meals on wheels and homes for the mentally handicapped.
Perspective
In economic analyses, perspective refers to the viewpoint adopted in the
analysis. Ideally, in an economic analysis, a societal perspective should be
adopted but more commonly the perspective of a specific funding agency
(e.g. the National Health Service or a hospital trust) is used.
Perverse taste paradox (see Utilitarianism)
Pharmaceutical alternatives
The US Food and Drug Administration defines pharmaceutical alternatives
as drug products which contain the same therapeutic moiety but
are different salts, esters or complexes of that moiety or are different
strengths or dosage forms for which there are no data available to make
assessments of bioequivalence.
Pharmaceutical care
Pharmaceutical care is a term used to define patient-centred, outcomesoriented
pharmacy practice. The objective is to optimize the patient's
health-related quality of life. Close professional interaction with the patient