Lecture Notes: Medical Terminology for Sterile Processing Technicians

Introduction

• Importance of understanding medical terminology for effective communication and job success.
• Medical terminology describes body parts, diseases, instruments, and surgical procedures.

Learning Objectives

1. Importance of medical terminology for Sterile Processing technicians.
2. Elements of medical terminology: prefixes, roots, suffixes.
3. Terminology related to human anatomy, disease processes, surgical instruments, procedures.
4. Usage in surgical procedures and schedules.
5. Importance for service quality in the operating room.

Introduction to Medical Terminology

• Essential for Sterile Processing technicians to understand medical terms used by healthcare professionals.
• Enables effective communication and timely response to requests.

Importance of Medical Terminology

• Facilitates communication with healthcare teams and ensures safe patient care.
• Understanding terminology is crucial for responding to urgent requests (e.g., emergency cardiac procedures).
• Stat means immediate action required.

Anatomy of a Medical Term

• Word Elements:
  • Root Word: Primary meaning (e.g., cardio for heart).
  • Prefix: Before the root, modifies meaning (e.g., peri- around).
  • Suffix: After the root, modifies meaning (e.g., -itis for inflammation).
  • Combining Vowel: Usually 'o', eases pronunciation.
• Understanding these elements facilitates comprehension of complex terms.

Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes

• Prefixes: Modify meaning (e.g., peri- around, ab- away from).
• Roots: Core meaning (e.g., cardio for heart, thoracic for chest).
• Suffixes: Modify meaning, often indicate procedure or condition (e.g., -ectomy removal, -itis inflammation).

Examples of Medical Terms

• Hemiarthroplasty: Surgical restoration of half of a joint.
• Septorhinoplasty: Surgical restoration of the nose.
• Cystectomy: Surgical removal of the gallbladder.
• Suffixes denoting 'pertaining to' (e.g., cardiac for heart, dermal for skin).

Usage and Understanding

• New medical terms are created with advances in healthcare technology.
• Sterile Processing technicians must understand procedures and terminology to provide proper instrumentation.

Common Surgical Procedure Abbreviations

• AAA: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm repair.
• ACF: Anterior Cervical Fusion.
• BSO: Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy.
• LVH: Laparoscopic Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy.

Anatomy of a Surgical Procedure

• Surgical terms indicate procedure purpose (e.g., -oscopy examination, -otomy incision).
• Approach or method affects the instruments required (e.g., laparoscopic).

Conclusion

• Understanding medical terminology is crucial for Sterile Processing technicians to ensure correct instrumentation and supplies are provided, avoiding delays in surgical procedures.

Exercise

• Reflect on the learning objectives and test your understanding by answering questions related to each objective.