Medical Terminology Overview

Medical Terminology Overview

• EMTs need a working knowledge of medical terminology.

• This includes key terms, symbols, and abbreviations.

• Understanding medical jargon is crucial for effective communication.

• Medical terms are made of distinct parts with specific functions.

• Changing or deleting a part can alter the term's meaning.

Anatomy of Medical Terms

• Medical terms consist of word roots, prefixes, suffixes, and combining vowels.

• Word Roots: The core part, often conveying the essential meaning and frequently indicating a body part. For instance, "cardio" refers to the heart and "pulmon" to the lungs.

• Prefixes: Appear at the beginning, modifying the meaning of the word root by often describing location or intensity.

• Suffixes: Appear at the end, and usually indicate a procedure, condition, disease, or part of speech.

• Combining Vowels: Connect word roots to suffixes or other word roots. Usually "o," but can also be "i" or "e".

Word Building Rules

• The prefix is placed at the beginning of the term.
• The suffix is placed at the end of the term.
• Use a combining vowel when the suffix begins with a consonant to improve pronunciation.
• A term can have more than one word root.

Plural Endings

• Applying rules for pluralization is essential.
  • Adding 's' (e.g., lung/lungs)
  • Changing 'a' to 'ae' (e.g., vertebra/vertebrae)
  • Changing 'is' to 'es' (e.g., diagnosis/diagnoses)
  • Changing 'ex' or 'ix' to 'ices' (e.g., apex/apices)
  • Changing 'on' or 'um' to 'a' (e.g., ganglion/ganglia; ovum/ova)
  • Changing 'us' to 'i' (e.g., bronchus/bronchi)

Special Word Parts

• Numbers: Prefixes can indicate quantities (e.g., uni-, bi-, multi-).

• Colors: Word roots indicate color such as (cyan/o, leuk/o, erythr/o, cirrh/o, melan/o).

• Positions and Directions: Prefixes describe position, direction, or location (e.g., ab-, ad-, circum-, peri-, trans-, epi-, supra-).

Common Directional, Movement, and Position Terms

• Directional Terms: Used when describing injuries & pain. Includes superior/inferior, lateral/medial, proximal/distal, superficial/deep, ventral/dorsal, palmar/plantar, and apex.
• Superior: Closer to the head.
• Inferior: Closer to the feet.
• Lateral: Farthest from the midline.
• Medial: Closest to the midline.
• Proximal: Closer to the trunk.
• Distal: Farther from the trunk.
• Superficial: Closer to the skin.
• Deep: Farther from the skin.
• Ventral: Belly side; anterior.
• Dorsal: Back side; posterior.
• Palmar: Palm of the hand.
• Plantar: Sole of the foot.
• Apex: Top/tip of something.
• Movement terms: flexion, extension, abduction, adduction.
• Anatomic positions: prone, supine, fowler, semi-fowler, high-fowler

Breaking Terms Apart

• Use the meaning of the parts (prefix, suffix, and word root) to decipher a medical term.
• Start with the suffix.
• Then the prefix
• Finally the root word.

Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Symbols

• These methods shorten communication (notes/documentation).

• Agencies usually specify acceptable symbols and abbreviations.

• Accuracy trumps speed.

Review - Key Concepts

• Word parts that convey the essential meaning.

• Rules for creating plurals

• Directional terms (superior, inferior, lateral, medial)

Review Questions and Answers

• Specific review questions and their correct answers (provided in the document).