Jargon Buster
The SCATA Jargon Buster is a compilation of many of the confusing terms and acronyms used in Health Informatics. It was compiled from various sources and is maintained by the SCATA membership.
If you are are a SCATA member, you can add and edit jargon terms from the member's area
Non-members can use the contact page to submit a new term or acronym, or to update an existing one.
Term or Acronym | Definition | Explanation |
OBS |
Output Based Specification | The detailed specification of the outputs required of a computer system or service. Used to define what a supplier is required to provide as part of a contract. |
OCS |
Order Comms, Order Communications System | The electronic equivalent of requesting an X-Ray or blood test or almost anything else that may be required for a patient, e.g a theatre slot, dietetic advice, clinical referrals, anaesthetic services. |
Object Data Instance Notation | Previously known as the 'dADL' syntax from the openEHR ADL specifications. It is intended for software developers, technically-oriented domain specialists and subject matter experts (SMEs). ODIN is designed as a human-readable and computer-processible data representation syntax, and can be hand-edited using a normal text editor. |
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OGC |
Office of Government Commerce |
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OJEC Notice |
An advert in the Official Journal of the European Community | All major system or service procurements must be advertised in the OJEC and bids invited. |
OJEU |
Official Journal of the European Union | All major system or service procurements must be advertised in the OJEU and bids invited. |
OPCS |
Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys |
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The Open Electronic Health Record technology | 'openEHR' is the name of a technology for e-health, consisting of open specifications, clinical models and software that can be used to create standards, and build information and interoperability solutions for healthcare. The various artefacts of openEHR are produced by the openEHR community and managed by openEHR International, an international non-profit organisation originally established in 2003 and previously managed by the openEHR Foundation. |
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OSS |
Open Source Software | i.e. free or very cheap. Linux is an example of an open source computer operating system. |