7.2 About this site: Glossary

Glossary of terms commonly used in information prescribing

Carer — someone who provides unpaid care for another person
Care pathway — the route a patient will take from initial meeting with a GP to completion of their treatment
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) - a qualified nurse who specialises in a particular illness or treatment, or in supporting a particular type of patient
Directory —categorised database or list of resources which contain the information provided to a user or carer. This may take the form of a website, electronic database or paper list.
Dispensing – see ‘Information Prescription dispensing’, below
Electronic Patient Record (EPR) — a record of interactions between patients and healthcare professionals. A copy of a patient's IP could be stored on the EPR for future reference
Expert Patients Programme — a self-management programme used to support patients with long-term illnesses
High risk — this describes a user who is likely to have one or two conditions but can become unstable and may need a significant amount of acute care.
Highly complex — this describes a user who is likely to have a number of conditions and complex problems and requires a significant amount of treatment in acute settings.
In-depth support — refers to pilot sites which were able to provide a significant amount of additional support to users and carers during the prescribing and dispensing process, such ensuring that information is tailored around the needs of the user so that they can receive a range of information sources depending on where they are in their care pathway and providing additional explanations and advice on the information sources.
Information dispensing — the process of compiling and issuing the information which responds to the stated needs of the user. This may be done in person or remotely, e.g. by post, electronically or via a website.
Information prescribing — the process of assessing and recording the information needs of a user or carer on an IP template, through a supported and structured conversation between professional and IP recipient.
Information Prescription Generator (IPG) — a tool which provides an interface between a directory and a template, and produces, or generates, an IP electronically.
Integrated care pathway — a multidisciplinary outline of anticipated care (i.e. one that involves different groups of professionals), supported by a detailed timeframe, that enables a user to move progressively through a particular section of the health and social care system.
IP systems — the whole approach to delivering IPs adopted in a pilot site; to include, the processes for developing and maintaining directories, completing templates, prescribing and dispensing IPs
Light touch — refers to pilot sites that largely enabled users to access their own information through self dispensing, with limited information tailoring or the provision of additional support.
LINks (Local Involvement Networks) — user forums connected to voluntary and community groups to promote public influence on health and social care
Local authority (LA) – Local authorities or councils are responsible for providing public services such as education, housing, social services within a local area. Local authorities may be unitary authorities with one council providing all local government services or there may be levels of local government with services in one area provided by more than one local authority. Elected councillors decide the policy or framework for the work of the local authority.
LSPs (Local Strategic Partnerships) — local strategic partnerships are non-statutory, multi-agency partnerships, which matches local authority boundaries. LSPs bring together at a local level the different parts of the public, private, community and voluntary sectors; allowing different initiatives and services to support one another so that they can work together more effectively.
Minimum information requirement — the minimum information required to produce an IP
PALs (Patient Advisory Liaison Services) — information, advice and support services for patients, families and carers
Personalised — refers to the process through which information is customised to ensure that it meets the user's needs at each stage in the care pathway. The aim is for an IP to facilitate self-management, by offering synthesised information on a range of topics, agreed between the user and the professional, in a format accessible to, and appropriate for, the user.
Prescribing – see Information Prescription prescribing, above
Professionals — paid staff from either the statutory or voluntary sector involved in delivering IPs
QOF (Quality and Outcomes Framework) — the annual reward and incentive programme detailing GP practice achievement results
Signposting — signposting refers to when a user is directed by a care professional to a place where information can be accessed
Simultaneous prescribing and dispensing — whereby information prescribing and dispensing takes place in a single session
Tailoring — is part of the personalisation process, and involves the professional identifying and selecting the user's or carer's information needs from a range of options depending on which point in care or stage on the care pathway the user is.
Template — electronic, audio or hard copy format in which the information needs of a user or carer are summarised and issued to them in order that they can access them. IPs aim to cover the health, social care, practical and local information that can support users and carers in managing their condition and improving their quality of life.
Users — patients or social care clients who could receive information prescriptions
Volunteers — unpaid staff who support IP processes.

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