Glossary of terms
Below is a glossary of terms to help you understand our plans and the words we use to describe them.
- Acute condition
- Blood glucose
- Cancer
- Chemotherapy
- Chronic condition
- Children
- Complementary therapy
- Conventional medicine
- CT scan (Computerised Tomography)
- Day case treatment
- Diabetes
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic tests
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Exclusions
- Frail care
- General NHS ward
- Hydatidiform mole
- Inpatient treatment
- Maxillofacial surgeon
- MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
- Outpatient treatment
- PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography)
- PPU
- Prostate
- Qualified clinicians
- Radiology tests
- Radiotherapy
- Refractive eye surgery
- Related medical condition
- Therapists
- Treatment
- Unclaimed Premium
- Vitality
Acute condition
A disease, illness or injury that is likely to respond quickly to treatment which aims to return you to the state of health you were in immediately before suffering the disease, illness or injury, or which leads to your full recovery.
The levels of glucose in the blood, represented in milligrams of glucose per decilitre of blood.
Any malignant growth or tumour caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division which may spread locally or to distant parts of the body.
The treatment of malignant diseases with chemical agents.
A disease, illness or injury, which has at least one of the following characteristics:
- continues indefinitely and has no known cure
- comes back or is likely to come back
- is permanent
- means the Member needs to be rehabilitated or specially trained to cope with it
- needs long-term monitoring, consultations, check-ups, examinations, or tests
The term “children” incorporates biological and adopted children as well as children under guardianship. The main criterion is that they are financially dependent on the principal Member taking out the Policy. Children can remain on the Policy past the age of 21 years, being charged as an adult and will only be removed on notification from the Member or the Policyholder.
Complementary disciplines are those which usually, if not invariably, complement conventional medical treatment, whilst alternative disciplines are those which purport to offer diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives to conventional medicine.
Widely accepted medical methods, usually Western in origin and based on the best available scientific evidence.
A diagnostic technique that provides cross-sectional images of body structures using a thin X-ray beam which rotates around the patient and a computer to construct an image.
Treatment which means the Member has to be admitted to hospital or a day case unit because they need a period of clinically supervised recovery but does not have to stay overnight.
A complex disorder of fat and glucose metabolism where, if untreated, the blood sugar level is higher than normal.
The process of identifying or determining the nature and cause of a disease or injury through the evaluation of a patient's history, examination and review of laboratory data and clinical imaging.
Investigations, such as x-rays or blood tests, to find or to help find the cause of your symptoms.
An abnormal pregnancy in which the implantation and subsequent development of a fertilised egg occurs outside the cavity of the uterus, e.g. in a Fallopian tube.
Conditions and treatments not covered by your policy.
Frail care is assistance given to individuals who are completely or partially incapable of carrying out daily activities such as feeding, dressing and attention to personal hygiene.
This is a ward within an NHS hospital where there is generally no charge for the bed.
A tumour in the placenta that occurs in early pregnancy.
Treatment which, for medical reasons, means the Member has to stay in hospital overnight or longer.
A surgeon who performs surgery related to the face and jaw.
A diagnostic technique that provides cross-sectional images of body structures using magnets and radio frequency waves and a computer to construct the image.
Treatment provided in a hospital, consulting room or outpatient clinic where the Member is not admitted for day case or inpatient treatment.
A diagnostic technique that uses an injected radioactive substance to examine the metabolic activity of various body structures and a computer to construct the image.
Private patients unit. This can be a separate wing or ward within an NHS hospital.
A firm, partly muscular, chestnut-sized gland in males at the neck of the urethra.
A nurse who is on the register of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and holds a valid NMC personal identification number.
Investigations for the diagnosis of disease and injury using X-rays.
The treatment of malignant disease by using X-rays or gamma rays.
Surgical procedures to change the shape of the cornea, to correct long- or short-sightedness.
Any symptom, disease, illness or injury, which reasonable medical opinion considers to be associated with another symptom, disease, illness or injury.
These include physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, acupuncturists, homeopaths, podiatrists and other practitioners as may be agreed by PruHealth.
Surgical or medical service (including diagnostic tests), that is needed to diagnose, relieve or cure a disease, illness or injury.
If the amount of claims paid is less than the annual premium, the difference between the two is called unclaimed premium.
The Vitality programme is what makes our health insurance different. PruHealth encourages you to lead a healthier life. By doing certain everyday things like walking, going to the gym, eating healthily or not smoking, you could build up Vitality points and get rewards.
