The Language of Medicine

CHAPTER 7


The Language of Medicine





Objectives


On completion of this chapter, you should be able to:


• Define the prefixes, roots, and suffixes that comprise medical terms.


• Interpret the abbreviations commonly used in medicine.


• Name titles and organizations when given their abbreviations.


• Define terms and phrases in general use in radiography.



Key terms



A newcomer to the field of health care is often overwhelmed by medical terminology. As with any specialized field, the medical profession comes with a language of its own. Medical terminology is simultaneously intriguing and frustrating: the intrigue lies in the fact that you will be learning, in effect, a new language that you will use to communicate with your health care colleagues; the frustration is the same as you would experience in learning any foreign language. If you have had previous exposure to learning a second language, then medical terminology may come easily to you. If not, this learning experience will be an exciting new endeavor, although it may be somewhat confusing because of the unfamiliar combinations of word parts used to form the medical vocabulary.


Everyone working in health care should know some medical terminology. Each medical specialty, including radiologic technology, has its own unique terms. Both general and specific terminologies are covered in this chapter, but exploring the entire collection of terms that you will need to learn is not possible. Early exposure to this nomenclature, however, will greatly aid in your understanding of the language you will soon hear. As with any foreign language, the best method for first learning the material is memorization.


As you study the words and combining forms in this chapter, keep in mind that most of them are of Latin or Greek origin. To those who have spoken English since childhood, the relationship between these words and the concepts they represent may seem questionable. The student who is interested in an in-depth study of medical terminology can refer to any reputable medical dictionary or terminology textbook for further information about the words presented in this chapter.



Word parts


The following section introduces the word parts that are used to make new words; these parts include prefixes, roots, and suffixes. They are presented in alphabetical order in each category (Box 7-1).



BOX 7-1   Word Parts






Medical abbreviations


Abbreviations are as much a part of medical communication as words. The following list contains the most common abbreviations that you may encounter during examination requisitions, on surgery schedules, and in patients’ charts:



AIDS acquired immunodeficiency syndrome


ARC AIDS-related complex


ASAP as soon as possible


ASHD arteriosclerotic heart disease


BE barium enema


BID twice daily


BP blood pressure


bx biopsy


image with


CA cancer


CAD coronary artery disease


CBC complete blood count


cc cubic centimeter


CCU coronary care unit


CHF congestive heart failure


cm centimeter


CNS central nervous system


COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease


CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation


CS central supply


C-section cesarean section


CSF cerebrospinal fluid


CT computed tomography


CVA cerebrovascular accident (stroke)


CXR chest x-ray


DOA dead on arrival


DOB date of birth


DX diagnosis


ECG; EKG electrocardiogram

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Mar 2, 2016 | Posted by in GENERAL RADIOLOGY | Comments Off on The Language of Medicine

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