Glossary

Activation
A set of deliverables and activities to prepare for and conduct the go-live of the clinical information system and localized workflows within a specific site.
Bedside Medical Device Integration (BMDI)
This refers to clinical data automatically being electronically transferred from medical devices, such as ventilators and hemodynamic monitors, into the patient’s record.
Cerner Corporation
A health care information technology company, supplying software, services and hardware to health care organizations around the world.
Clinical & Systems Transformation (CST)
A multi-year project designed to improve the safety, quality and consistency of patient care across three British Columbia health organizations: Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and Providence Health Care (PHC).
Clinical Informatics Specialists
Clinical informatics specialists play an essential role in getting sites ready for CST and their responsibilities include: Being a conduit between sites and CST to ensure the system and changes work for each site; Introducing key concepts to staff through workflow reviews, skills sharpeners and demos; Working in tandem with physician champions to guide staff through the changes; Contributing to critical pre go-live activities; Providing on-site support for staff and physicians during go-live, and; Championing CST implementations across VCH, PHSA and PHC sites to 'pay it forward and pay it back.'
Clinical information system
A computer system designed for collecting, storing, amending and retrieving information relevant to health care delivery. The system supports defined clinical workflows through automation of information delivery and health-care task requests. The CST project’s clinical information system is called CST Cerner. 
Clinician
Health care professionals including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, clinical nurse educators and allied health professionals.
Closed loop medication management
A fully electronic medication management process (ordering, verifying, preparing and administering), in which all relevant information is documented seamlessly and electronically verified to improve patient safety.
Computerized provider order entry (CPOE)
The practice by which providers (physicians, midwives, nurse practitioners, clinical pharmacists and dentists) enter their orders for patient treatment electronically, rather than writing them on paper and having them transcribed.
Design/configuration teams

Design/configuration teams, in collaboration with Cerner and subject matter experts from VCH, PHSA and PHC, are responsible for developing future state workflows that incorporate the clinical information system, streamline care and support delivery of safe patient care; defining requirements (clinical, functional and business) for the new clinical information system; configuring content within the clinical information system based upon evidence and Canadian, regulatory and patient safety requirements; making design decisions related to configuration of functionality and tools within the clinical information system; and contributing to testing and training.

Each team includes a full-time manager or lead; full-time team members from VCH, PHSA, PHC and Cerner; and part-time subject matter experts.

Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI)
A Ministry of Health database that contains demographic information and personal health numbers of all clients of the publicly funded health system in BC.
Front-End Speech Recognition (FESR)
This is technology that translates speech into text in real time to support provider documentation. Sites implementing CST are making FESR available before going live with the new clinical information system. This is so that physicians and other providers can document information into their patients' electronic medical record automatically by talking into a microphone, rather than by typing, if that's their preference.
Go-Live
The event where clinicians and staff working at a site start actively using the new clinical information system, and the associated workflows, to support patient care.
Health Information Management (HIM)
This refers to the practice of acquiring, analyzing and protecting digital and traditional medical information for purposes related to patient care, institutional management, health care policies, planning and research.
Health Organizations
The three organizations involved in CST: Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and Providence Health Care (PHC).
Interfaces
A bridge to close the gap between two separate systems. Interfaces are being designed as connection points between existing systems and the new clinical information system.
Order set
A group of bundled standard orderables (a health care provider's instructions or directives to other health care workers regarding the treatment of a patient). These have been designed based on a condition, disease or procedure. The content of order sets can be modified or amended based on the needs of the specific patient. Order sets are the electronic equivalent of pre-printed orders.
PARIS
The Primary Access Regional Information System (PARIS) is an information system used by Vancouver Coastal Health, which is designed specifically for providing Community Health services.
Provider
Any health care professional licensed to prescribe or write an order, including physicians, midwives, nurse practitioners, clinical pharmacists and dentists.
Provider documentation
Structured electronic charting using templates that capture discrete data. It is distinct from electronic clinical documentation, which refers to documentation completed by nurses and allied health professionals in a clinical information system or electronic health record.
Stabilization
The process of ensuring adequate support and issue resolution required to ensure ongoing clinical adoption and use.
Standardization
The process of aligning our current clinical processes, policies and procedures, based on leading practices, to meet agreed-upon standards. Standardization is, in itself, a leading practice because it supports patient safety by reducing errors and enhancing the data quality of patient information captured within a clinical information system. Standardization does not replace clinical decision-making. Rather, the introduction of new standards helps ensure that common goals and practices are in place across similar clinical areas to deliver the best care.
Subject matter expert (SME)
A person who is considered to be an authority in a particular area. CST subject matter experts contribute as clinical experts to shape how best practice will be reflected in the standards, processes and system. They attend design sessions and provide feedback; provide information about the way things are done now; contribute to the development of future workflows; and review and validate the content of the clinical information system.
Technical environment
This refers collectively to the infrastructure that supports the clinical information system, interfaces (connection points between existing systems and the new clinical information system) and devices.
Tracking board
An electronic display or notice board that helps communicate patient movement in a hospital.
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