The meaning of the symbols of risk seen in a dream.

An aspect of personal behaviour or lifestyle, an environmental exposure, or an inborn or inherited characteristic, which, on the basis of scientific evidence, is known to be associated with health-related condition(s) considered important to prevent.... risk factor

The function of identifying and assessing problems that could occur and bring about losses legally, clinically or financially.... risk management

See RISK REGISTER.... at-risk register

The probability that an event will occur.... risk

The qualitative or quantitative estimation of the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to specified health hazards or from the absence of beneficial influences.... risk assessment

The term is used in two ways. Firstly, it may comprise a list of infants whose obstetric and/or perinatal history suggests they might be at risk of illness or serious abnormality such as LEARNING DISABILITY.

Secondly – and more commonly termed the ‘At-risk register’ – this is a list held by social-service departments, and accessible to doctors in A&E departments, of children whom a local-authority social-services case conference has deemed to have been harmed or to be at risk of harm from mental, physical or sexual abuse (see also CHILD ABUSE).... risk register

The process of analysing and comparing, on a single scale, the expected positive (benefits) and negative (risks, costs) results of an action, or lack of an action.... risk-benefit analysis

The probability of an event in a population as contrasted with relative risk. See “relative risk”.... absolute risk

A measure of treatment effect that compares the probability (or mean) of a type of outcome in the control group with that of a treatment group.... absolute risk reduction

A risk that has minimal detrimental effects or for which the benefits outweigh the potential hazards.... acceptable risk

In a total population, the proportion of disease incidence, or risk of the disease, that can be attributed to exposure to a specific risk factor; the difference between the risk in the total population and the risk in the unexposed group.... attributable risk

Initially driven by anxiety about the possibility of medical negligence cases, clinical risk management has evolved into the study of IATROGENIC DISEASE. The ?rst priority of risk managers is to ensure that all therapies in medicine are as safe as possible. Allied to this is a recognition that errors may occur even when error-prevention strategies are in place. Lastly, any accidents that occur are analysed, allowing a broader understanding of their cause. Risk management is generally centred on single adverse events. The threat of litigation is taken as an opportunity to expose unsafe conditions of practice and to put pressure on those with the authority to implement change. These might include senior clinicians, hospital management, the purchasing authorities, and even the Secretary of State for Health. Attention is focused on organisational factors rather than on the individuals involved in a speci?c case.... clinical risk management

The process of gathering, analysing and comparing an individual’s prognostic health characteristics with a standard age group, thereby predicting the likelihood that a person may develop a health problem.... health risk appraisal

A chemical, psychological, physiological, social, environmental or genetic factor or conditions that predisposes an individual to the development of a disease or injury.... health risk factor

More than one risk factor for the development of a disease or other outcome is present and their combined presence results in an increased risk. The increased risk may be due to the additive effects of the risks associated with the separate risk factors, or to synergism.... multiple risk / causation

The ratio of the risk of disease or death among the exposed to the risk among the unexposed; this usage is synonymous with risk ratio.... relative risk

An approach consisting of identifying and devoting more care to individuals or groups who, for biological, environmental or socioeconomic reasons, are at special risk of having their health impaired, contracting a specific disease, or having inadequate attention paid to their health problems.... risk approach

The practice of bringing several risks together for insurance purposes in order to balance the consequences of the realization of each individual risk.... risk pooling

Risk rating means that high-risk individuals will pay more than the average premium price.... risk rating

The practice of singling out or disaggregating a particular risk from a pool of insured risks.... risk selection

The distribution of financial risk among parties furnishing a service. For example, if a hospital and a group of medical practitioners form a corporation to provide health care at a fixed price, a risk-sharing arrangement would entail both the hospital and the group being held liable if expenses were to exceed revenues.... risk sharing

an assessment tool that predicts a ten-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease based on gender, age, total and HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking, thereby enabling preventative treatment. It does not incorporate the presence of diabetes or familial history of cardiovascular disease into the scoring.... framingham risk score

(RMI) a scoring system that combines ultrasound findings, menopausal status and age, and serum CA125 levels to give an estimate of the risk of malignancy in a woman with a mass in the Fallopian tubes or ovaries. If the total RMI score is <200 the risk of malignancy is considered to be low. If the total RMI score is >200 the chances of malignancy are raised and management should be planned with a gynaecological oncologist.... risk of malignancy index