Chapter 1 - Intro to Medical Terminology

medical terms

are words used to describe disease, as well as aspects of medicine and health care

medical language/terminology

the use of medical terms to aain a standardized means of communication within the practice of medicine and in the healthcare industry

why do we need medical terms different from everyday life?

allows for clear, concise and consistent communication locally, nationally, and internationally

enables everyone involved in medicine and health care to perform more accurately and efficiently for the patient’s benefit

eponym

terms derived from name of a person or a or place

acronyms

terms formed by first letters of a phrase that can be spoken as a whole word and usually contains a vowel

when connecting a word root and a suffix, a combining vowel is used if the suffix does not begin with a vowel

ex: arthr/o/pathy

when connecting a word root and a suffix, a combining vowel is usually not used if the suffix begins with a vowel

ex: hepat/ic

when connecting two word roots, a combining vowel is usually used even if vowels are present at the junction

oste/o/arthr/itis

when connecting a prefix and a word root, a combining vowel is not used

sub/hepat/ic

word root

core of the word

ex: hepat/itis

suffix

attached to the end of a word root to modify its meaning

hepat/itis

prefix

attached to the beginning of a word root to modify its meaning

sub/hepa/tic

combining vowel

usually an o used to ease pronunciation

hepat/o/megaly

combining form

word root with a combining vowel aached, separated by a slash

hepat/o

terms built from word parts

can be translated to find their meaning

terms not built from word parts

cannot be translated easily to find their meaning

modern language

terms derived from the English language, example, complete blood count with differential