Medical Terminology 1st Stage, Lecture One PDF

Lecture1: Introduction to
Medical Terminology

Presented by Dr.Mina Learning Objects:
Identify word parts in medical terms. Examine the rules for building medical terms. Understand the difference between a prefix and a suffix. Introduction
Medical terminology is the language...

Lecture1: Introduction to
Medical Terminology

Presented by Dr.Mina Learning Objects:
Identify word parts in medical terms. Examine the rules for building medical terms. Understand the difference between a prefix and a suffix. Introduction
Medical terminology is the language of medicine. it is a way of describing the human body and its components, processes, conditions, and procedures. It is based on the terminology of Greek and Latin, it is uniform throughout the world. Medical terminology is vast and mastering it can be like learning an entire foreign language. Importance of a Medical Terminology System Enhances Communication:
Medical terminology provides a standardized language that allows healthcare professionals to communicate clearly and effectively. Streamlines Documentation:
Using consistent terms simplifies medical records, ensuring accuracy and reducing the risk of misinterpretation. Facilitates Collaboration:
Enables easier interaction between different specialists, improving patient care and treatment outcomes.  Basic Elements of a Medical Word
1. Prefix 2. Word Root 3. Suffix 4. Combining Form - When a word root is combined with a combining vowel, the word part is referred to as a combining form. Example Word root: cardi (meaning heart)Combining vowel: o Combining form: cardi/o When used with a suffix like -logy (study of), it forms the term cardiology (study of the heart). Prefixes
Prefixes are located at the beginning of a medical term. The prefix change the meaning of the medical term. Examples: In the word: re/play (“re” is the prefix)
In the medical term: intra/ven/ous (“intra” is the prefix) Prefixes often indicate: Number: such as bi-meaning two, Bipolar Position: such as sub-, meaning under, subconscious Direction: such as intra-, meaning within, Intravenous Time: such as Brady-, meaning slow, Bradycardia Negation: such as a- and an-, meaning without. Ex: Anemia Common prefixes:
Category Prefix Meaning Example Term Meaning Location/Direction Intra- Within Intracellular Within the cell Inter- Between Intercostal Between the ribs Sub-/Infra- Below Sublingual Under the tongue Supra-/Hyper- Above/Excessive Suprarenal Above the kidney Retro- Backward Retroperitoneal Behind the peritoneum Peri- Around Pericardium Around the heart Quantity/Number Poly- Many Polyuria Excessive urination Oligo- Few Oligospermia Low sperm count Bi- Two Bilateral On both sides Mono- One Monocyte A type of white blood cell Condition/Status A-/An- Without/Absence Anemia Lack of sufficient red blood cells Dys- Abnormal/Painful Dysphagia Difficulty swallowing Hypo- Below/Deficient Hypoglycemia Low blood sugar Hyper- Above/Excessive Hypertension High blood pressure Common prefixes:
Time/Sequence Pre- Before Prenatal Before birth Post- After Postoperative After surgery Brady- Slow Bradycardia Slow heart rate Tachy- Fast Tachycardia Fast heart rate Negation Anti- Against Antibiotic Against bacteria Contra- Opposing Contraindication Condition against a procedure Non- Not Noninvasive Not entering the body Size/Measurement Micro- Small Microscope Device to view small objects Macro- Large Macrophage A large immune cell Mega- Large/Great Megakaryocyte Large cell in bone marrow Miscellaneous Auto- Self Autoimmune Immune response against self Pseudo- False Pseudotumor False tumor Eu- Good/Normal Eupnea Normal breathing Word Root
The word root usually refers to a body part. The word root contains the fundamental meaning of the word. Each medical term contains at least one-word root. Examples: In the word: play/er (play is the word root)
In the medical term: arthr/itis (arthr – meaning “joint” – is the word root) In
medical terminology, the root may indicate a body part or body system or colors. Example Neuro (root: neur) – Refers to nerves or the nervous Gastro (root: gastr) – Refers to the stomach. cyanosis – blue - A medical word may be simply be a root or it may be a combination of word elements: Gastr/o = Stomach Enter/o = Intestine "gastroenterology"  Word Root Examples
 “dent” means tooth
 “dermat” means skin
 “cardi” means heart
 “gastr” means stomach
 “pancreat” means pancreas  “Leuk” means white
 “hepat” means liver
 “Nephr” means kidney
 “Cyte” means cell  Suffixes
Suffixes are word parts that are located at the end of words. Suffixes can CHANGE the meaning of medical terms. Examples In the word: king/dom (“-dom” is the suffix)
In the medical term: hepat/itis (“-itis” is the suffix) When defining a medical term, you often begin with the meaning of the suffix. For example: hepat/itis would be defined as “inflammation of the liver.” Changing the suffix, changes the meaning of the word. -dental – ―al/ means pertaining to - dentist – ―ist/ means specialist Suffixes often indicate:
Procedures: such as -scopy, meaning visual examination Conditions: such as -itis, meaning inflammation Diseases: such as -oma, meaning tumor Common Suffixes Suffix Meaning Examples -genic Causing/Forming Carcinogenic (causing cancer) -oma Tumor or swelling Myoma (muscle tumor) -osis abnormal condition of cells Leukocytosis (high white blood cell count) -pathy Disease Neuropathy (disease of the nervous system) lysis Breakdown/Destruction Fibrinolysis (breakdown of a clot) -ectomy Excision/Removal Nephrectomy (kidney removal -itis Inflammation Arthritis (inflammation of joints) -ia condition Anemia (low red blood cell count), Leukemia (cancer of blood cells) Common Suffixes Suffix Meaning Examples poiesis Production Hematopoiesis (production of blood cells) -pathy Disease Neuropathy (disease of the nervous system) -plasty -Surgical repair -Angioplasty (surgical repair of blood vessels) -stomy Opening Colostomy (portion of the colon is opened and brought through the abdominal wall) -tomy Incision Thoracotomy (surgical opening of the chest wall) -scope Observe, visual tool Endoscope (tool for observing the interior of body organs) Combining Vowel
The combining vowel is a word part – most often an o – that helps pronunciation. The combining vowel is placed to connect two-word roots or to connect a word root and a suffix. DO NOT place a combining vowel to connect a prefix and a word root. Not all medical terms will have combining vowels.  Singular and Plural Endings
Many medical terms originated from the Greek and Latin languages causing some difficulties when changing from a singular word to a plural. There are several rules that will assist in this procedure: Points to remember:
1. Learn to analyze words by breaking them down into different word elements to determine their meaning. When breaking words down, define: a. The end of the word 1st (suffix) b. The beginning of the word 2nd (prefix or word root) c. The middle of the 3rd (word root or roots) 2. Use a medical dictionary to look words up to check the meanings if you are not completely sure. 3. Medical dictionaries will also help you learn how to pronounce a w o r d.
4. Be careful of the word spellings to make sure you are using the right word when documenting. Quiz 1. Name the 4 word elements that form a medical word. 2. The combining vowel in a combining form is usually _______. 3. The word element that follows a word root and changes the meaning is a _________. 4. The word element that is located at the beginning or a word is a ________. 5. Change the following singular words into plural words. Bacterium Bronchus Deformity Apex Ganglion Carcinoma Pleura