DBS
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Disclosure and Barring Service |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Government & Politics, Medical |
DBS has two meanings. It stands for Disclosure and Barring Service (UK government) or Deep brain stimulation (neurology).
Meanings of DBS at a glance
| # | DBS stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disclosure and Barring Service | Government & Politics › UK Government |
| 2 | Deep brain stimulation | Medical › Neurology |
1. Disclosure and Barring Service
Government & Politics · UK Government Abbreviations
Agency that issues criminal record checks for England and Wales and maintains lists of people barred from working with children or vulnerable adults. Employers in schools, care homes and the NHS commonly require an enhanced DBS check.
Example: The nursery cannot let her start until her enhanced DBS check comes back.
It was formed in 2012 by merging the Criminal Records Bureau and the Independent Safeguarding Authority, so older documents mention "CRB checks". Checks come in basic, standard and enhanced levels. Scotland uses Disclosure Scotland and Northern Ireland uses AccessNI.
2. Deep brain stimulation
Medical · Neurology Abbreviations
Neurosurgical treatment in which electrodes are implanted in specific deep brain targets and connected to a pacemaker-like generator in the chest that delivers continuous electrical pulses. It treats Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia and is used for some cases of epilepsy and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Example: Bilateral STN DBS reduced off time from 6 hours to 1 hour daily and allowed a 50% cut in levodopa.
French neurosurgeon Alim-Louis Benabid described high-frequency thalamic stimulation for tremor in 1987. The FDA approved DBS for essential tremor in 1997 and Parkinson's disease in 2002. Common targets are the subthalamic nucleus or globus pallidus internus for Parkinson's and the ventral intermediate thalamus for tremor. Stimulation can be adjusted noninvasively after surgery.
Related abbreviations
More UK government abbreviations
- COBR – Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms
- Con – Conservative and Unionist Party
- CPS – Crown Prosecution Service
- CQC – Care Quality Commission
- DBT – Department for Business and Trade
- DCMS – Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- Defra – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- DESNZ – Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
See all 91 UK government abbreviations →
More neurology abbreviations
- CTE – Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
- CVA – Cerebrovascular accident
- CVST – Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis
- DAI – Diffuse axonal injury
- DCI – Delayed cerebral ischemia
- DLB – Dementia with Lewy bodies
- DMD – Duchenne muscular dystrophy
- DMT – Disease-modifying therapy
See all 131 neurology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.