words commonly used in health care setting

Abate

to become less intense or widespread

Abrasion

A sudden breaking away or breaking off

Abcess

a collection of pus within a part of the body, often red and inflamed.

Acute

illness that is of short duration, rapidly progressive, and often in need of urgent care

Admissions

The process by which a patient “checks in” to the hospital, once complete, the patient has been “admitted”

Ambulance

Emergency Vehicle used to transport patients

Ambulatory

ability to walk, not confined to a bed

analgesic

type of medication to treat pain, comonly acetaminophen (the main ingredient in tylenol) often available without a prescription

anemia

patient has low RBCs per total volume of blood, has lower iron and reduced oxygen carrying capacity resulitng in fatigue, etc

Aneurysm

abnormal dialation and thinning of a vessel, vulnerable to rupture

angina

tightness or squeezing sensation of the chest

antibody

protein made by B cells to neutralize and/or destroy specific antigens

antigen

anything the body considers to be “foreign”

anti-inflammatory

medication available over the counter to reduce the amount of inflammation in the body in order to relieve pain

anti-viral

specifically designed to attack a virus, as opposed to antibiotics, which attack bacteria

benign

tumor or mass is non-cancerous

biopsy

medical procedure performed to remove and test a small sample of tissue, skin, or other cells; ofter perfomred when cancer is suspected

blood pressure

force exerted against blood vessels as the blood flows through the body

cadaver

dead body or corpse. from the latin “cadere'“ which means to fall

catheter

tube inserted into body for removing fluid, normally urine

cavity

hollow space in the body containing one organ or more

cellulitis

inflamed or infected tissue beneath the skin

chronic

recuring and consistent, cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear

compression

to apply pressure to stop bleeding and/or reduce swelling

congenital

present at birth

contractures

fibrosis that prevents normal motion in tissue or joint

contraindication

symptom, medication or circumstance preventing the use of a drug or device as treatment

contusions

another way of saying bumps and bruises

corpuscular

referring to any small, round thing

culture

test performed on urine, saliva, or ther body substances to determine if a particular virus or bacteria is present in the body

chief or admitting complaint

patient’s main reason for visiting a doctor, clinic, or hospital

delusional

false belief not gorunded in reality, persistent regardless of evidence to the contrary

detrimental

causing harm

devitalized

deprived of strenght and vigor

disseminated

scattered throughout an organ or the whole body

edema

swelling; tissue fluid in intersitial spaces

embolism

another way of saying “blood clot”

enema

introductoin of a liquid to the rectum and colon to stimulate the emptying of the lower intestine

etiology

the study of the cause of disease

exacerbation

deterioration of a condition, aggrivation of symptoms

excision

partial or full clotting off or away by surgery. from latin “to cut or destroy”

Extremities

the arms and legs

febrile

something that is related to fever

fracture

a crack or break in a bone; painful, swollen, and deformed

homeostasis

metabolic equilibrium maintained by biological mechanisms

hypertension

another way of saying high blood pressure

hypotension

low blood pressure

iatrogenic

injury or illness that occurs as a result of medical care

idiopathic

condition of uncertain or unknown cause

inflammation

redness or swelling, sometimes assiciated with fever

influenza

virus commonly called the flu

intractable

incurable or resistent to therapy

laceration

irregular and/or jagged wound

lesion

altered or diseased spot on tissue or skin

malignant

result of biopsies of lesions or tumors found to be cancerous

metastasis(es)/metastatic

to invade distant structures in the body

morgue

storage for dead bodies until identified or claimed for burial

nocturia

frequent or excessive urination after going to bed

non-invasive

used to describe simple medical procedures, such as ultraosunds or x-rays, that do not require surgery

outpatient vs inpatient

check in and check out on the same day vs. plan to stay overnight for one or more days

palpate/palpable

act of touching a patient to locate a vein, feel their organs and to position them/things that can be felt externally, especially body landmarks

paroxysm

sudden spasm or convusion

petechiae

small, purpleish dots on the skin seen in platelet deficiencies and many febrile illnesses

placebo

inactive substance/treatment that is administered instead of one proven to be effective. from the latin “i shall please'“

pneumonia

infection of one or both lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, or other pathogen

polyp

swelling or tumor comonly formed in the vascular organs, usually benign but are at risk for possibly becoming cancerous

prior to

before

prohibitive

forbidding or restricting something

purulent

forming or containing pus

referred pain

pain felt in area other than the original source

reflux

going back in direction

remission

abatement of symptoms
does not mean cured

rigor

state of hardness/stiffness, paroxysmal shaking chill, often due to febrile illness

rigor mortis

stiffness occuring in dead bodies

stimulus

elicits a physiological response

subcutaneous

beneath the skin

subsiding

synonym for abate. to become less intense or widespread

surgery

correction and repair of deformities, defects and injury; to diagnose and cure using ipen visualization of the field and excision

susceptible

being more at risk for getting a disease, infection, or virus

suture

to unite by stitching with thread, wire, or other material

syncope

acute and transient lost of concsciousness/ fainting

syndrome

set of symptoms that indicate towards a certain condition, disease, or abnormality

terminal

condition that is incuable or fatal

topical

medication or cream to be applied only on the skin or the wound

triage

screening and prioritizing patients based on the severity of their chief complaints

ulceration

an open sore that forms on mucuous membranes or linings

urgency

sudden and uncontrollable need to urinate

urinalysis

analysis of a urine sample using a dipstick/analyzer, possible microscopic evaluation

varicose vein

disteneded, swollen, knotted veins

vertigo

the sensation of moving around in space, or objects moving around