NURSING ONE MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

Why Do I Need to Learn Medical Terminology?

 Language of the medical field  Communication  Write and speak concisely  Bonus: Improve English skills, test scores, look really smart when watching TV medical shows

Terminology

 Vocabulary Used in health care medical terms , originate from Latin & Greek  ACRONYM Words formed by combining letters of a word or phrase.

Mash – Mobile Army Surgical Hospital Aids – Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Terminology (cont’d)

 EPONYM Word based on name of person Parkinson’s disease Kaposi’s Sarcoma Sulk Vaccine

Medical Elements

 300 Latin & Greek word elements  Thousands of medical terms are made up of these elements  Learning word elements & adding to medical terms starts to increase your English vocabulary.  Medical terminology is not a foreign language

Parts of Words

Medical terms Has 2 or three parts; prefix, root, suffix PREFIX – at beginning of word (*not all medical terms have a prefix) ROOT – The word’s foundation. (all medical terms have at least one root- can begin a word) SUFFIX–The word’s ending. (Most have a suffix)

Parts (cont’d)

 A combining vowel (usually o) joins a root to another root or to a suffix. Is combining form  Example: Thermometer  Therm. = heat  Meter = measuring device  Additional examples combining forms;  Hepat –o oste – o neur - o

Parts (cont’d)

 Prefix, root, suffix – used in combinations  Two, three, suffix + connecting vowels  Example:  Electrocardiogram – a record  Suffix = gram – a recording  Root = electr – electrical activity  Root = cardi - heart  ( o,s) are the connecting vowel

Prefixes

 Every word has a root and an ending, but not every word has a prefix  Prefix is always at the beginning of a word  The meaning of the prefix always stays the same  Prefixes are attached to words to express numbers, measurements, position, negative, colors

Parts

 Root core of word  Prefix- can change the meaning of root  Prefix - explains root  Example:  epigastric – on the stomach  hypogastric – below the stomach

Numbers

bi – two, double hemi – half milli – 1/1000 mono – one, single primi – first semi – half tri – three uni – one bicuspid hemiplegic milliliter monocyte primigravida semiconscious triceps uninuclear

Measurements

hyper – excessive multi – many hypertension multipara poly – many polyarthritis hypo – less hypoglycemic 

Position and/or Direction

a – without ab – from, away from ad – toward, increase ambi – both, both sides an – without ante – before, in front circum – around apnea abduct adduct ambidextrous analgesic anteroom circumoral

Position (cont’d)

de – down, from dia – through ecto – outside endo – within, epi – upon, over ex – out, away from extra – outside of, beyond descend diagnosis ectopic endothelium epigastric extract extrahepatic

Position (cont’d)

para – near, beside peri - around pre – in front of before post – after retro – backward, behind sub – under, below supra – above, over trans – across, through paracervical perineal pre-operative post operative retroflexion sublingual suprapubic transverse

Color

alb – white rube – red cyano – blue melano – black xanth – yellow albumin rubella cyanosis melanoma xanthrochromic

Negatives & other Common Prefixes

anti – against contra – against antibiotic contraindicated dis – free of, to undo discharge im – not impotence non – not auto - self non-invasive autograft

Common Prefix (cont’d)

hyper – excessive pan – all per – through pseudo – false sym, syn – joined, together tachy – rapid, fast ultra – beyond, excess hypertension pancytopenia percussion pseudoanorexia sympathetic tachycardia ultrasound

Common Root Terms

 cardi --- heart fibr --- fibrous tissue  gastr --- stomach my ---- muscle  mast ------ breast myel – marrow or spinal cord  hepat --- liver enter -- intestine  oste ----- bone col ----- colon  neur ----- nerve chole --- gall or bile  arthr ----- joint

Suffix

 Suffix : will clarify will make a new word  will change the meaning of the root  Example:  Tonsillitis – inflammation of tonsils  Tonsillectomy – removal of tonsils

Common Suffix

 porosis ----- porous condition  cyte --------- cell  ectomy ------ surgical removal  algia -------- pain -------- dynia  megaly ----- enlargement  logy --------- study of  itis ------------ inflammation  oma --------- tumor

Common Suffix

 scope -------- device for viewing  scopy -------- act of viewing  sclerosis ------ hardness  stenosis ------ narrowed, blocked  lith ------------ stone, calculus  iasis ----------- indicating a condition  ic -------------- pertaining to  tripsy --------- crushing

Medical Terminology

 Gastrectomy  Hepatic  Hepatocarcinoma  Neuropathy  Neurofibroma  Neurogastric  Osteoporosis  Osteomyelitis

Medical Terminology

 Cholecystectomy  Cholelithiasis  Cholecystitis  Cardiomyopathy  Osteoarthritis

Military Time

Meridian time 12 Midnight 1 am 2 am 3 am 4 am 5 am 6 am Military time 2400 hours 0100 hours 0200 hours 0300 hours 0400 hours 0500 hours 0600 hours

Time (cont’d)

7 am 8 am 9 am 10 am 11 am 12 noon 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 0700 hours 0800 hours 0900 hours 1000 hours 1100 hours 1200 hours 1300 hours 1400 hours 1500 hours

Time (cont’d)

4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm 10 pm 11 pm 12 midnight 1600 hours 1700 hours 1800 hours 1900 hours 2000 hours 2100 hours 2200 hours 2300 hours 2400 hours

Frequent Symbols

b.i.d. t.i.d.

q.i.d.

min.

h. or hr.

qh q2h q3h q4h twice a day three times a day four times a day minute hour every hour every two hours every three hours every four hours

Frequency (cont’d)

q 6h q 8h q 12h a p c s q NPO every 6 hours every 8 hours every 12 hours before after with without every nothing by mouth

Symbols

Change Number, followed by a number, pounds # Divided by / Multiplied by, magnification x Equals = Greater than > Less than <

Symbols (cont’d)

gtt tab.

cap.

hs susp.

supp.

drop tablet capsule hour of sleep suspension suppository

Frequent symbols

a.c.

p.c.

ad.lib. p.r.n.

h.s.

stat.

Daily QD (not safe) QOD (not safe) Before meal after meal as desired when necessary hour of sleep, at bedtime immediately, as soon as possible every day every day every other day

Common Medical Abbre. Route

IM IV IVPB SC/SQ SL ID GT NG po Intramuscular Intravenous Intravenous Piggyback Subcutaneous Sublingual Intradermal Gastrostomy tube Nasogastric tube By mouth

JCAHO [do not use abb.]

 Abbreviation U ug QD QOD AS.AD.AU

OS, OD, OU Intended units micrograms every day every other day Preferred “units” “mcg” “daily” every other day Left, right, both ears write left ear etc left, right, both eyes write left eye etc.

JCAHO – Joint commission on accreditation of Health Care Organizations

JCAHO (cont’d)

IU 5.0 mg.

.5

MS MS04 mGs04 International unit Trailing zero leading zero Morphine Sulfate Morphine Sulfate Magnesium Sulfate “write” No zero after decimal point write 5 mg.

Always a zero before a decimal point, write 0.5 mg.

“write” “write” “write”