Category: A

  • Autocatharsis

    A form of psychotherapy in which patients discuss their issues in order to unburden themselves.  

  • Autocatalysis

    Increase in the rate of a chemical reaction resulting from products that are produced in the reaction acting as catalysts.  

  • Autoantitoxin

    Antitoxin produced by the body itself. An antidote generated naturally by the body to safeguard itself against the toxins or poisons associated with a disease.  

  • Autoanalysis

    A patient’s own insights into the elements underlying his or her mental disorder.  

  • Autoamputation

    Spontaneous amputation of a part or limb.  

  • Autoagglutinin

    A substance present in an individual’s blood that agglutinates that person’s red blood cells.  

  • Autoactivation

    Activation of an organ or an enzyme by its own secretion.  

  • Authorization

    Permission, especially official permission.  

  • Authority gradient

    The perceived difference in status between different members of an organization. It is a barrier to effective communication and a potential source of both interpersonal resentment and organizational error. Authority gradients exist in health care organizations when one member of a team, e.g., a medical assistant, feels he or she cannot broach an important safety…

  • Autacoid

    A term originally used by the British physiologist Edward Sharpey-Shafer as a substitute for the word hormone.