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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.

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Term or Acronym

Definition

Explanation

SAP

Single Assessment Process

Integrated process for assessing the Health and Social Care needs of the elderly.

SAS

Supplier Attachment Scheme

The Supplier Attachment Scheme is a new opportunity for NHS professionals to have a direct influence on the future of healthcare by working in one of a range of roles with a Local Service Provider.

SCCRS

Scottish Cervical Cytology Recall System

www.sccrs.scot.nhs.uk

SCI

Scottish Care Information

SCI is a division of National Services Scotland and has delivered a suite of products to support eHealth in Scotland. SCI Store is an information repository, similar in some respects to the ‘spine’, whilst SCI Gateway is a messaging system that is used extensively for referral and discharge.

SCIMP

Scottish Clinical Information Management in Practice

www.scimp.scot.nhs.uk/

SCR

Summary Care Record

The summary information which people in Early Adopter areas will be able to look at is called their Summary Care Record. It includes information like name, address and NHS Number. It also has basic information about the medicines that person is taking, any bad reactions they may have had to medicines and any allergies they may have.

SGML

Standard Generalised Markup Language

A page markup language that was initially developed in the late 1960s by the US Graphic Communications Association to permit the electronic transfer of page formatting and layout instructions from publishers to printers. Adopted as an international standard in 1986. The foundation for HTML and XML.

SHAs

Strategic Health Authorities

The headquarters of the local NHS. Their role is to ensure that the Primary Care Trusts are both effective and efficient in managing the delivery of services.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

The protocol that governs the sending of email messages. Related acronyms: POP or POP3 (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) for receiving email. Plain vanilla SMTP generally runs on port 25. It is possible to use SMTP and SSL (secure sockets layer) for encrypted sending,in which case port 587 is often used.

SNOMED CT

Systematised Nomenclature for Medicine

SNOMED Clinical Terms.A thesaurus of approved clinical terms and their synonyms, plus their associated computer codes. SNOMED was originally developed by the College of American Pathologists. SNOMED CT represents the combining of SNOMED with CTV3, and is a collaborative venture between the College of American Pathologists and the NHSIA. See www.snomed.org and connecting for health web site.

SOAP

Simple Object Access Protocol

An XML protocol for the exchange of information.

Spamish

 

The new language created by spammers where letters are substituted with punctuation to try and fool email filters, e.g. V!agra.

Spine

 

Old term for what is now called the NHS Care Record

SSCI

Standardisation Committee for Care Information

In April 2015 this replaced the Information Standards Board (ISB) qv. ISB notices still persist.

STEP

Standards Enforcement in Procurement.

The standards that must be met by IT products procured by the NHS.