Category: D

Information which may be legally obtained by a party to a lawsuit, from the adverse party. Not all such information is admissible during a trial, however; the rules concerning discoverable information are much broader than the rules of admissibility. Generally, information is discoverable if it may lead to admissible evidence.  

A rule of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which gives protection against disclosure to reports of serious adverse effects of drugs and product problems which have been voluntarily reported to pharmaceutical, biological, and medical device manufacturers. This rule, which preempts state discovery laws, became effective in July 1995.  

A summary of the medical record, prepared at the end of hospitalization, giving the essentials of diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and recommendations. Preparation of the discharge summary is the responsibility of the attending physician or dentist. A discharge summary must not be confused with a discharge abstract, which is different in content, and the preparation of…

A person whose duties involve making arrangements so that patients who are being discharged have an place to go which is appropriate to their needs, with the necessary care available. These duties start early in hospitalization, so that discharge which is medically indicated will not be delayed because of the absence of needed medical or…

A team capable of stabilizing casualties, using advanced trauma life support (ATLS) methods (life support), sorting (triage), and evacuation. DMATs are a part of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). Several DMATs are organized into a clearing and staging unit (CSU). A group of specially trained and readily mobilized medical and rescue workers available to…

A formal attempt to simulate a disaster as realistically as possible and to test as many elements as possible of a disaster preparedness plan under practice conditions. Such drills are carried out periodically. The purposes of the disaster drill are: to train the personnel in execution of the plan; and to discover flaws in the…

A hospital employee who administers the hospital’s volunteer services department. Her duties usually include the planning and coordination of volunteer services.  

A title often given to the individual responsible for inservice training of hospital employees.    

The individual, ordinarily a physician, who is responsible for administering the educational program for physicians in training in the hospital. The actual training is provided by the clinical departments, for example, surgery, medicine, and so forth. However, the coordination of programs for both continuing and graduate medical education, such as collecting and giving primary review…

An individual responsible for arranging and coordinating employee training (on-the-job and continuing), employee orientation, and, in some circumstances, community health education programs and patient education programs. The director of education is not responsible for continuing medical education; that person is the director of medical education (DME).