Administer
To instill a drug into the body of a patient
Amendments to the Older Americans Act
A 1987 federal act that defines elder abuse, neglect, and exploitations but does not deal with enforcement
Autopsy
A postmortem examination to determine the cause of death or to obtain physiological evidence, as in the case of a suspicious death
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
A federal law passed in 1974 requiring physicians to report cases of child abuse
Controlled Substances Act
The federal law giving authority to the Drug Enforcement Administration to regulate the sale and use of drugs
Coroner
A public official who investigates and holds inquests over those who die from unknown or violent causes; he or she may or may not be a physician, depending on state law
Dispense
To deliver controlled substances in some type of bottle, box, or other container to a patient
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
A branch of the U.S. Department of Justice that regulates the sale and use of drugs
Federalism
The sharing of power among national, state, and local governments
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
A federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees drug quality and standardization and must approve drugs before they are released for public use
Forensics
A division of medicine that incorporates law and medicine and involves medical issues or medical proof at trials having to do with malpractice, crimes, and accidents
Medical examiner
A physician who investigates suspicious or unexplained deaths
National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act
A federal law passed in 1986 that created a no-fault compensation program for citizen injured or killed by vaccines, as an alternative to suing vaccine manufactures and providers
National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)
A no-fault federal system of compensation for individuals or families of individuals injured by childhood vaccination
Prescribe
To issue a medical prescription for a patient
Smallpox Emergency Personnel Protection Act (SEPPA)
A no-fault program to provide benefits and/or compensation to certain individuals, including health care workers and emergency responders, who are injured as the result of the administration of smallpox countermeasures, including the smallpox vaccine
Unborn Victims of Violence Act
Also called Laci and Conner's Act, a 2004 federal law that provides for the prosecution of anyone who causes injury to or the death of a fetus in utero
Vital Statistics
Numbers collected for the population of live births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, divorces, induced terminations of pregnancy, and any change in civil status that occurs during an individual's lifetime