Every profession has its own set of acronyms, terminology and special vocabulary, including the medical profession. Anyone entering medicine may want to become familiar with basic medical terminology. Even if you're not interested in a medical career, these terms can be useful to know when speaking with your health care and insurance providers. In this article, we examine why it's important to know medical terminology and list by category over 100 of the most useful medical terms to know.
100 Medical Terms Every Medico Must Know
Understanding your medical benefits
If your workplace offers medical benefits, you might receive documentation with those benefits detailing the various medical services and conditions that your provider covers. Knowing medical terminology can be helpful to you as you read the documentation and interact with your provider about your healthcare.
Basic medical terminology list
The following is a list of over 100 basic medical terms grouped into categories to help you find the term you need:
Abbreviations and acronyms
This list contains some common medical abbreviations and acronyms:
AC: Ante cibum, or "before meals," indicating when a patient should take medication
ADR: Adverse drug reaction
ALOC: Acute loss of consciousness
BMI: Body mass index, a measurement of body fat based on height and weight
BP: Blood pressure, a measurement of the pressure exerted by the flow of blood upon vessel walls. This measurement is expressed using two numbers, the systolic, or highest pressure and the diastolic, or lowest pressure.
CHF: Congestive heart failure
DNR: Do not resuscitate, an indication that the patient does not want CPR or other life-saving procedures performed on them
ECG or EKG: Electrocardiogram, a device that records heartbeats
EMS: Emergency medical services
FX: Fracture
HR: Heart rate, the number of times a person's heart beats, usually measured per minute
LFT: Liver function test
MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging, diagnostic imaging that uses magnetism and radio waves to produce images of internal organs
PT: Physical therapy
Rx: Prescription
UTI: Urinary tract infection
Diseases and conditions
These are some common terms for diseases and conditions:
Acute: Describes a condition that is often severe but starts and ends quickly
Angina: Intermittent chest pain normally caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart
Benign: Refers to a tumor that is neither cancerous nor malignant
Chronic: Describes a condition that is persistent or recurring
Edema: Swelling as a result of fluid retention or build-up
Embolism: A clot caused by blood, fat, air or other types of fluid, gas or foreign material
Fracture: A cracked or broken bone
Hypertension: Unusually high blood pressure
Hypotension: Unusually low blood pressure
Intravenous: Administration of medication or fluids by vein
Lesion: Damage or change to tissue, such as a cut, a wound or a sore
Malignant: Refers to the presence of cancerous cells in a tumor or growth
Myocardial infarction: Also known as a heart attack, where the heart is deprived of blood due to arterial blockage
Remission: Describes a disease that is not getting worse
Sepsis: An imbalance in the body's response to infection that injures the body's own tissues and organs
Thrombosis: A blood clot that forms inside a blood vessel restricting blood flow
Medical slang
This is a list of some informal terms often used by medical professionals:
Afib: Atrial fibrillation, irregular and rapid heartbeats
Bagging: Helping a patient breathe using a squeeze bag attached to a face mask
C-section: Caesarian section, where a baby is delivered through an abdominal and uterine incision
Detox: Detoxification, the removal of toxins from the body, such as drugs or alcohol
Exam: Examination
Foley: A catheter inserted into the bladder to help with urinary drainage
GSA: Gunshot wound
Labs: Laboratory work or tests
MVA: Motor vehicle accident
Nitro: Nitroglycerin
O sign: A patient who is unconscious and open-mouthed
OD'd: Overdosed
Script: Prescription
Stat: Immediately
Thready: Shallow and weak, particularly in reference to a person's pulse
Tox screen: A blood test to determine the type and quantity of drugs in the system
Prefixes and suffixes
You can often determine what a medical term means if you understand some basic prefixes and suffixes, such as:
A- or an-: Lacking or without
Ab-: Away from
-algia: Indicates pain or a painful condition
Cardio-: Related to the heart
Ecto- or exo-: Outside of
-ectomy: Removal by means of surgery
Hyper-: Above, beyond or in excess
-itis: An inflammation
-mortem: Relating to death
-plasty: Repair by means of surgery
Post-: After or behind
-rrhea: A discharge or a flow
-somnia: Related to sleep
Trans-: Across or through
-trophic: Relating to nutrition
Vas(o)-: Relating to a vessel
Procedures and tests
Here are some common medical procedures and tests:
Appendectomy: Surgical procedure to remove the appendix
Biopsy: Removal of a small tissue sample for testing
Blood culture: Test to reveal the existence of fungi or bacteria in the blood, possibly indicating an infection
Blood swab: Taking a blood sample using a cotton-tipped stick
Coronary bypass: Surgical transplant of a healthy blood vessel into the heart to bypass or replace an unhealthy vessel
Dialysis: Process to filter the blood, usually performed as a result of kidney failure
Fusion: Joining together adjacent bones or vertebrae to increase stability
Glucose test: A test to discover the quantity of a particular type of sugar in the bloodstream
Hysterectomy: Surgical procedure to remove the uterus
Intubation: Medical insertion of a tube into the body, for example, into the throat to assist with breathing
Lead test: A test to reveal the quantity of lead in the bloodstream
Lumbar puncture or spinal tap: Drawing of cerebrospinal fluid from the lumbar region of the back using a hollow needle
Mastectomy: Surgical procedure to remove part or all of the breast
Occult blood screen: Use of a chemically treated card or pad to test for blood hidden in a stool sample
Ultrasound: Imaging produced by high-frequency sound waves, usually used to view internal organs
X-ray: Use of high-energy electromagnetic radiation to create images of internal bones and organs
Root words
Many medical terms come from Greek or Latin root words. Knowing some of these may help you determine the meaning of a term:
Aqua-: Pertaining to water
Asphyxia: Choking or loss of consciousness due to oxygen deprivation
Carcin(o)-: Related to or causing cancer
Cyto-: Pertaining to a cell or cells
Derma-: To do with the skin
Digit: Either a finger or a toe
Encephal(o)-: To do with the brain
Gastr(o)-: Related to the stomach
Lact-: Pertaining to milk
Men-: A month or occurring monthly
Nephr(o)-: Related to the kidneys
Onc(o)-: To do with tumors or masses, often related to cancer
Ov-: Pertaining to eggs
Pulmon(o)-: To do with the lungs
Stasis: Causing the flow of a fluid, such as blood, to slow or stop
Viscous or viscosity: Sticky or thick, thickness
Tools and equipment
Here are some common medical tools, devices and appliances:
Blood lancet: A double-edged blade or needle used to obtain blood samples
Defibrillator: A device that discharges an electric current to the heart to correct cardiac arrhythmia or arrest
Dialyser: A machine that replaces the function of the kidneys by removing solutes, excess water and toxins from the blood
Endoscope: An optical instrument containing a tube with a lighted end used for internal examinations
Forceps: A hinged instrument, like scissors, used to grasp and hold objects
Hypodermic needle: A very thin, hollow needle used with a syringe to inject substances into the body or to extract blood
Nebulizer: A device used to deliver medication in an aerosol form by means of inhalation
Ophthalmoscope: An instrument used to examine the eye's fundus, retina and other structures
Otoscope or auriscope: A device for examining the external ear cavity
Pulse oximeter: A small device that clips to the finger, toe or earlobe used to measure blood oxygen saturation
Reflex hammer: A specially designed hammer used to test deep tendon or motor reflexes
Speculum: An instrument used when examining body orifices to help widen the opening
Spirometer: A device that measures the amount of air breathed in and out by the lungs
Splint: A tool for immobilizing and protecting displaced or injured body parts such as broken bones or dislocated joints
Stethoscope: A device for listening to the heartbeat or breathing
Ventilator: A machine that provides mechanical assistance with breathing
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