Acronyms and Abbreviations

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Like many areas in health, palliative care has many acronyms and abbreviations that can be confusing. Knowing what these initials mean can be illuminating.

ABS  -  Australian Bureau of Statistics
ACAT  -  Aged Care Assessment Team
ACCRM  -  Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
ACD  -  Advance Care Directive
ACGB  -  Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement
ACN  -  Australian College of Nursing
ACP  -  Advance Care Planning or Advance Care Plan
ACCRM  -  Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
ACSA  -  Aged and Community Services Australia
ACSQHC  -  Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
ADL  -  Activities of Daily Living
AHHA  -  Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association
AHPA  -  Allied Health Professions Australia
AHPRA  -  Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
AHW  -  Aboriginal Health Worker
AIHW  -  Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
AKPS  -  Australian Karnofsky Performance Status
AMA  -  Australian Medical Association
ANF  -  Australian Nursing Federation
AN-SNAP  -  Australian National Subacute and Non-Acute Patient (AN-SNAP)
ANZPPCRG  -  Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Palliative Care Reference Group
ANZSPM  -  Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine
APHN  -  Asia Pacific Hospice and Palliative Care Association
APNA  -  Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association
APRAC  -  Australian Palliative Care in Residential Aged Care
ARC -  Australian Research Council

BMI  -  Body mass Index

CALD  -  Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
CAM  -  Complementary and Alternative Medicines
CAPC  -  Center to Advance Palliative Care
CATSINaM  -  Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives
CEBPARAC  -  Comprehensive Evidence-Based Palliative Approach in Residential Aged Care
CHeRP  -  Centre for Health Research & Psycho-Oncology
CHF  -  Consumer Health Forum
CINAHL  -  Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature
COAG  -  Council of Australian Governments
COMPAC  -  Palliative Approach in Aged Care in the Community
COPD  -  Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
CoP  -  Community of Practice
CPCRE -  Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education
CPD -  Continuing Professional Development
CPR  -  Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
CRANA  -  Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia
CRANAplus  -  Peak Professional Body for the Remote & Isolated Health Workforce

DoH  -  Department of Health
DVA  -  Department of Veterans' Affairs

EACH  -  Extended Aged Care at Home
EACH-D  -  Extended Aged Care at Home-Dementia
EAPC  -  European Association of Palliative Care
EBM  -  Evidence-Based Medicine
EBP  -  Evidence-Based Practice
EBPC  -  Evidence-Based Palliative Care
EBPRAC  -  Encouraging Best Practice in Residential Aged Care
ED  -  Emergency Department
EdCAN  - National Cancer Nursing Education Project
ELDAC  -  End of life Directions for Aged Care
EN  -  Enrolled Nurse
EoL  -  End of Life
EoLCP  -  End-of-Life Care Plan
EPC  -  Enhanced Primary Care
ESAS  -  Edmonton Symptom Assessment System
eviQ  -  eviQ Cancer Treatments Online

FECCA  -  Federation of Ethnic Communities' Council of Australia

GP  -  General Practitioner
GPN  -  General Practice Nurses

HIV/AIDS  -  Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
HONcode  -  Health On the Net Foundation code of conduct
HRQoL  -  Health-related quality of life

IADL  -  Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
IAHPC  -  International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care
IASP  -  International Association for the Study of Pain
ICD  -  International Classification of Diseases
IMG  -  International Medical Graduate
IPL  -  Interprofessional Learning (IPL)
IPOS  -  International Psycho-Oncology Society
IPP-SHR  -International Program of Psycho-Social Health
IT  -  Information Technology

LASA  -  Leading Aged Services Australia
LCP  -  Liverpool Care Plan
LGBTI  -  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex
LOS - Length of Stay

MBS  -  Medicare Benefits Schedule
MeSH  -  Medical Subject Heading
MJA  -  Medical Journal of Australia
MND  -  Motor Neurone Disease
MOOC  -  Massive Open Online Courses
MS  -  Multiple Sclerosis
MSOAP  -  Medical Specialists Outreach Assistance Program

NACCHO  -  National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
NAT-C  -  Needs Assessment Tool for Carers
NAT:PD-C  -  Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease - Cancer
NCPC  -  National Council for Palliative Care (UK)
NHHRC  -  National Health and Hospital Reform Commission
NHMRC  -  National Health and Medical Research Council
NHPCO  -  National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (US)
NHS  -  National Health Service (UK)
NICE  -  The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NICS  -  National Institute of Clinical Studies
NP  -  Nurse Practitioner
NPS  -  National Prescribing Service
NSAP  -  National Standards Assessment Program

OATSIH  -  Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
OT  -  Occupational Therapist

PaCCSC  -  Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative
PBS  -  Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
PCA  -  Palliative Care Australia
PCNA  -  Palliative Care Nurses Australia
PCC4U  -  Palliative Care Curriculum for Undergraduates
PCOC  -  Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration
PCMWG  -  Palliative Care Medications Working Group
PDSA  -  Plan Do Study Act
PEACH  -  Palliative Care Home Support Packages
PEPA  -  Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach
PICO  -  Population Intervention Comparison Outcomes 
PoCoG  -  Psycho-Oncology Cooperative Research Group
POGOe  -  Portal of Geriatric Online Education

QALY  -  Quality-Adjusted Life Year
QI  -  Quality Improvement
QoL  -  Quality of Life
QuoCCA  -  Quality of Care Collaborative for Australia in Paediatric Palliative Care
QUM  -  Quality Use of Medicines

RAC -  Residential Aged Care
RACF -  Residential Aged Care Facility
RACGP  -  Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
RCNA  -  Royal College of Nursing Australia
RCT - Randomised Controlled Trial
RN  -  Registered Nurse

SAS  -  Symptom Assessment Scale
SCN  -  Specialist Cancer Nurse
SDM  -  Substitute Decision-Maker
SF-36  -  36-Item Short Form Health Survey
SMMSE  -  Standardised Mini-Mental State Examination
SNAP  -  Sub-acute, Non-acute and Palliative care
SPCACPAS  - Specialist Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning Advisory Services

TGA  -  Therapeutic Goods Administration

WACCPC  -  Western Australian Centre for Cancer and Palliative Care
WHO  -  World Health Organization
WPCA  -  Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance

Last updated 11 September 2018