Category: V

The viruses, one of the two orders within the class Microtatobiotes.  

A surface somatic antigen of some enterobacterial species, especially S. typhi. Its occurrence in freshly isolated strains of this organism may nullify agglutination by ‘O’ and ‘H’ antisera. Boiling the suspension destroys the Vi coating, or the untreated suspension may be agglutinated by a Vi antiserum (prepared from alcohol-treated strains). Possession of the Vi antigen…

The organism or organisms from which a bacteriological colony develops on culture. The enormous variations inherent in the numbers of organisms in such units are reflected in lack of reproducibility in viable count tests.  

Minute (0.3 Mm) anaerobic Gram-negative cocci occurring in masses. Commensals of the human mouth, alimentary tract etc., they may occasionally assume a pathogenic role. A genus of gram-negative, anaerobic diplococci that inhabit the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. Although Veillonella species rarely cause human disease, occasional episodes of bone or blood-borne infection have been reported.…

The national aggregate of nonprofit hospitals and for profit hospitals in the United States. As in the case of the term “American Hospital System,” the voluntary hospital system is not a formal system, but a de facto one.  

An arrangement among actual organizations (or some of their parts) and individuals which carries out functions as though they were provided by a single organization, although the arrangement is not a separate organization. Some emerging health care networks or their programs are virtual organizations. For example, some communities handle teen-aged pregnancy problems with physicians, the…

A social aggregation of individuals who develop personal relationships because of their common use of computer mediated communications (CMC), that is, they have become acquainted and continue their association in cyberspace. Such communities appear after the participants carry on discussions over periods of time and discover that they have common interests. Members of a virtual…

A statement elicited from an individual as to that person’s values with regard to living and functioning, for example, the person’s tolerance for discomfort and pain, desire for personal mobility, willingness to be kept on life support systems, and similar matters. Value inventory questionnaires have been developed as adjuncts to advance directives to make those…

A term being used in health care to categorize a system which has been designed to achieve specified goals in the health of a community and its health care rather than to make financial profit. Of course, financial profit is also a value, and systems designed to make profits, could also be called value driven.…

A tax imposed on goods and services at each stage of production. The end result is similar to a sales tax, but usually produces much more revenue because the tax is not so “visible” and therefore less painful. It has been discussed as one method of financing health care under health care reform.