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Preface

This is the second edition of CSA Special Publication 2441, Terminology and Definitions Used in CSA Health Care Technology Standards, superseding the first edition published in 1982.

It contains definitions of terms used in the majority of CSA health care technology Standards published to date. A list of Standards from which these definitions have been extracted is in Appendix A. It does not include definitions of those terms which are used in dental Standards (ie, the 2349 Series), prosthetic and orthotic device Standards, or wheelchair Standards. They will be found in CSA Standard CAN3-2349.1, Dental Terminology and Definitions, CCA Standard 2323.2.1, Prosthetics and Orthotics-- Terminology, Definitions, and Identifications, and CSA Standard CAN3-2323.4.1, Wheelchairs--Nomenclature, Terms, and Definitions, respectively.

CSA Special Publication 2441 will eventually become the principal reference for health care technology terms used in CSA Standards. For the present, it should be regarded as a compilation of definitions developed for specific purposes, which may or may not be pertinent in other contexts. It is hoped that, through this compilation, instances of different or even conflicting definitions for the same term may be avoided. That such instances have occurred will be evident to the reader of this Special Publication.

This Special Publication was prepared by CSA under the jurisdiction of the Standards Steering Committee on Health Care Technology.

January 1988