Pharmacy Roles and Medical Terminology

The Use of Medical Terms and Abbreviations

• Pharmacists' roles have expanded to include making ward rounds with physicians, monitoring patients' drug therapy, and identifying possible drug interactions.
• Clinical pharmacists must communicate effectively with other healthcare team members and understand pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and medical terminologies.

Medical Prefixes and Suffixes

• A-, an-: lack of or without (e.g., anovulatory, acynosed, afebrile, atony, aphasia)
• Dys-: abnormal, difficult, or painful (e.g., dysmenorrhoea, dyslipidemia, dyspenea, dysuria, renal dysfunction)
• ex-, e-: outside, away from (e.g., ectopic, ectoderm)
• -ectomy: surgical removal of something (e.g., lumpectomy, appendectomy)
• Gravid: referring to a pregnant woman, modified by the number of times she has been pregnant
• Hemi-: half (e.g., hemiplegia, hemiachromatopsia)
• hepat-, hepato: pertaining to the liver (e.g., hepatitis, hepatization, hepatemphraxsis, hepatomegaly)
• -itis: signifies inflammation (e.g., tonsilitis, cystitis, bronchitis, otitis media)
• -lysis: destruction or breaking down (e.g., hemolysis)
• megaly: enlargement (e.g., hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, cardiomegaly)
• myo-: pertaining to muscle or muscularity (e.g., myocarditis, myoma, myopathy)
• -ology: study of a particular concentration
• para: a woman who has produced one or more viable offspring
• -pathy: suffering or disease (e.g., myopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy)
• Poly-: many (e.g., polycystic ovarian syndrome, polypharmacy)
• -plasty: surgical repair to restore or repair part of the body
• Retro-: behind or backward (e.g., retroflexed)
• rhea: excess discharge or excretion, to flow (e.g., diarrhea, blennorrhea, eukorrhea)
• rhin-, rhino-: pertaining to the nose (e.g., rhinitis, rhinopasty)

General Terminologies

• x-Diagnosis: final opinion
• Impression (Imp): initial opinion
• Abscess: fluid-filled pocket that forms in tissue, usually due to bacterial infection
• Acute: indicates a condition that begins suddenly and can be severe
• BMI: Body Mass Index
• Blood brain barrier (BBB): a barrier that separates the brain from the bloodstream
• PCV: Pack Cell Volume
• RTA: Road Traffic Accident
• A&E: Accident & Emergency
• CVA: Cardiovascular Accident
• CPR: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
• HbA1c: Glycosylated Hemoglobin
• ECG: Electrocardiogram/Graphy
• GXM: Grouping & Cross Matching
• BP: Blood Pressure
• Hx: History
• LKS: Liver, Kidney, Spleen
• HBsAg: Hepatitis B Surface Antigen
• MP: Malaria Parasite
• PT: Pregnancy Test
• DOA: Dead on Arrival
• SH: Social History
• FH: Family History
• UTI: Urinary Tract Infection
• URTI: Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
• GCS: General Condition Stable, Glasgow Coma Scale
• VDRL: Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (Test for Syphilis)
• SJS: Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
• PI: Present Illness
• PUD: Peptic Ulcer Disease
• PID: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• OPD: Out Patient Department
• SOAPE: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan and Education
• O/E: On Examination
• O/A: On Admission
• OTC: Over the Counter drug
• P.r.n: Whenever necessary, Pro re Nata
• FOB: Faecal Occult Blood
• FBG/S: Fasting Blood Glucose/Sugar
• RBG/S: Random Blood Glucose/Sugar
• SE/Cr/U: Serum Electrolyte Creatinine Urea
• PSA: Prostate Specific Antigen
• SGOT: Serum Glutamate Oxaloacetate Transaminase
• SGPT: Serum Glutamate Pyruvate Transaminase
• qid: four times a day; quarter in die
• bid: twice a day; bis in die
• tid: three times a day; ter in die

Medical Procedures and Tests

• Biopsy: a small sample of tissue excised from a patient for testing
• Blood culture: a test used to find any unusual bacteria or fungi in a patient's blood
• Blood gas: a test to measure oxygen, carbon dioxide, and the pH of a patient's blood
• Blood pressure: the measure of how well the blood is circulating
• CAT scan: Computerized Axial Tomography, a form of diagnostic imaging
• Dialysis: a procedure to filter blood for patients with kidney failure
• EEG: Electroencephalogram, a diagnostic tool that measures electrical activity in the brain
• EKG/ECG: Electrocardiogram, a test that records the electrical signals in the heart
• KUB: Kidney, Ureter, and Bladder X-ray, commonly used for diagnosing abdominal pain
• LFT: Liver Function Test, used to measure how well the liver is functioning to identify potential disease
• MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a form of diagnostic imaging that uses a large magnet and radio waves to view inside of the body
• Intubation: the insertion of an endotracheal tube to assist a patient's breathing
• Pulse: the measure of a pulsating artery
• Pulse/ox: Pulse Oximetry, a measure of oxygen saturation in the blood
• Ultrasound (USS): a form of diagnostic imaging that uses high-frequency sound waves
• U/A: Urinalysis, a urine test used to identify a range of disorders or disease
• Venipuncture: the drawing of blood from a vein

Abbreviations Relating to Medications

• a.c.: before meals; related to the timing of administering medication
• ASA: Acetylsalicylic Acid, commonly known as aspirin
• ACEIs: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
• ARBs: Angiotensin Receptor Blocker
• BDS: two times a day; bis die sumendum
• bid: twice a day; bis in die
• hs: at bedtime; Hora Somni
• INH: Isoniazid
• Mane: in the morning; typically used in reference to when medication should be administered
• OD: Once daily
• Nocte: at night; often in reference to when medication should be administered
• NSAID: Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug
• PO: orally; per orem
• PR: per rectum
• PRN: as needed; pro re nata
• QDS: four times a day; quarter die sumendum
• Rx: Shorthand for prescription
• SP: Sulphadoxine+pyrimethamine
• Stat: immediately; Statim
• TDS: three times a day; ter die sumendum
• tid: three times a day; ter in die