Introduction to Medical Terminology Medical Terminology or Med Terms is the vocabulary used the world of healthcare. There are various components of Med Terms Abbreviations Prefixes Suffixes Root Words Acronyms Abbreviations • Are shortened forms of words, usually just letters. • Sometimes abbreviations may be just a letter that represents a word • Can be combined to create a order or direction • Some abbreviations are symbols Examples • • • • a p c s - before - after - with - without • Some letters have a line over the letter and some do not Letters of Abbreviations • • • • • • abd – abdomen bil – lateral ck – check ea – each in- inch prn – whenever necessary Used as a Direction • ck TPR q4h Check Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration every four hours • Shorten version to give a direction, saves time and easier to write Symbols in Healthcare • • • • • ♂ male increase or above number less than change Examples of Using Symbols in Healthcare • 23 y/o ♂ - 23 year old male • Hold med if BP 90/60 – hold medication if blood pressure less than 90 over 60. Prefixes • A syllable or word placed at the beginning of a word or used • Usually serves to define a root word • Example hypotension » Low pressure Suffixes • A syllable or word placed at the end of a word or used • Usually describes what is happening to the root word • Example: appendicitis » inflammation of the appendix Root Words • Can be defined as a main word or represents a word • Vowels are sometimes used to join together prefix, root word or suffix • Vowels are not used if the letter is a part of another part of the medical term Common examples a, e, i, ia, io, o, u Examples of Using Root Words • • • • Gastro - stomach Cardio – heart Ren – kidney Quad - four Putting Med Terms Together • Pseudoappenicits – false inflammation of the appendix • Gastroentitis – inflammation of the stomach Learning Med Terms • Making index cards as flash cards • Practice using • Creating games and using the internet games • Suggested site: http://www.quia.com/shared/med/ • Or quizlet.com