Chapter 9



Chapter 10 NOTES - Medical Terminology Basics

INTRODUCTION

• Greek influence –source for diagnosis and surgery related terms

• Latin influences – source for most anatomical terms

• Why use medical terminology? Understanding medical terminology adds precision, helps prevent medical mistakes

10.1 - WORD PARTS

I. Overview

• Medical terms are made up of 2 or more parts each having unique meaning

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o Root: is fundamental element of every medical term & establishes basic meaning

o Suffix: short element added to end of root to modify its meaning

o Prefix: short element added before root to modify its meaning

• Health care professionals need only to familiarize themselves with the most commonly used word parts rather than attempt to memorize every possible medical term

II. Root and Combining Form

• Root = basis for term’s meaning

• Most derived from Greek or Latin

• Compound word: word that contains more than one root

o ie.) cardiovascular

• Vowel (usually o) is inserted between root & suffix that begins with a consonant to help with pronounciation

o ie.) cardi + o + -logy = cardiology (“study of the heart”)

o Root + combining vowel = combining form

▪ Many describe substances, organs, or colors (see table 10-1)

III. Suffix

• Letter or combination of letters added to end of a root and modifies root’s meaning

• Can indicate that a word is a noun, adjective, singular or plural

• Typically adds meaning to the beginning of a word’s definition

o Example: psych + o + -logy = psychology (“the study of the mind”)

• Often used to describe a symptom, a disease, or a surgical treatment (table 10-2)

IV. Prefix

• Attached to beginning of a root word or combining form and modifies the root’s meaning

• Indicates position or direction

o ie.) anti- = opposed to

• Indicates size or quantity of measurement

o ie.) micro- = small

• Denotes time or rate of change

o ie.) tachy- = fast or rapid

10.2 - DECODING MEDICAL TERMS

1. Break term into its building blocks

o PREFIX + ROOT + SUFFIX

echo- + cardio + -gram

2. Determine meaning of each part

o echo- = “a returned or reflective sound”

cardio = “heart”

-gram = “record”

3. Join definitions of each part to create overall meaning of term (*remember the meaning of the suffix is ually moved to the front of the definiton)

o “a record of the heart made by using returned or reflective sounds”

✓ Try it yourself! Decode hypodermal

✓ Break it apart= hypo + derm + al

✓ Indidivual meaning= below or deficient + skin + relating to

✓ Overall meaning= “relating to below the skin”

10.3 - SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION

• Some words sound the same, but are spelled differently & have different meanings:

o ileum (part of intestine) vs. ilium (part of hip bone)

• Some words sound similar, but are spelled differently & have different meanings:

o abduction (to draw away from) vs. adduction (to draw towards)

• When letters are silent in a term, there is a risk of omitting them from a spelled word

o (silent p in pterygium)

• Some combining forms have the same meaning but different origins that compete for usage

o (hystero- vs. metro- vs. utero-( all meaning “uterus”)

• Many words look the same & are easily confused

• Pay attention to context – use surrounding word to help determine meaning

• Pronunciation of word parts often changes when combined in different ways and based on region (see table 10-4)

10.4 - ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

• Abbreviation: Shortened forms of a word or group of words

o Save time and space

o Can cause confusion when not universally understood

o Usage varies in different institutions; follow policies of your institution

▪ Ex.) Preop= Preoperative or IV=intravaneous

o Acronym: an abbreviation formed from the first letter of each word in a phrase

▪ Ex.) ASAP= As Soon As Possible or BP= blood Pressure

• Symbols: a form of efficient shorthand communication used in medical records or laboratory reports

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10.5 - USING A MEDICAL DICTIONARY

• Specialized reference books used by health care professionals

• Meaning and pronunciation of terms

• Synonyms: words with the same meanings

• Origins of words (etymology)

• Useful appendices: measurements, clinical tests, drugs, diagnoses, body structures, information resources, & other topics

• Specialized, portable, CD, & online versions

• Medical acronyms & abbreviations book

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