Medical Terminology: Chapter 5 Lecture

Overview

• Objective: Post-chapter, you'll be able to use medical terms and abbreviations in communication, understand the purpose and components of medical terminology, define unknown terms, identify error-prone abbreviations, and discuss common directional, movement, and positional terms.

Importance of Medical Terminology for EMTs

• Effective Communication: Understanding key terms, symbols, and abbreviations is crucial for documenting and communicating with EMS and healthcare teams.
• Term Dissection: Knowing how terms are formed helps in deciphering unknown words.
• Medical Jargon: Essential for effective communication with team members.

Components of Medical Terms

1. Word Root
   • Foundation of the word.
   • Often indicates a body part.
2. Prefix
   • Occurs before the word root.
   • Describes location or intensity.
3. Suffix
   • Occurs after the word root.
   • Indicates procedure, condition, disease, or part of speech.
4. Combining Vowels
   • Connect word roots to suffixes or other roots.
   • Often 'o', but can be 'i' or 'e'.
   • Helps with pronunciation.

Word Roots

• Definition: Main part or stem of a word.
• Function: Conveys essential meaning.
• Examples: Some words have multiple roots.

Prefixes

• Function: Appears at the beginning; describes location/intensity.
• Examples: Common medical prefixes help derive meanings of unfamiliar terms.

Suffixes

• Function: Placed at the end; indicates procedure, condition, disease, or part of speech.
• Examples: -itis (inflammation), -ectomy (removal), -logy (study of).

Combining Vowels

• Function: Connects roots to suffixes or other roots.
• Commonly Used: 'o', 'i', 'e'.

Word Building Rules

• Prefix is at the beginning, suffix at the end.
• Use combining vowels when suffix begins with a consonant.
• Place a combining vowel between two roots even if the second starts with a vowel.

Plural Endings

• Certain rules apply to change singular to plural forms:
  • 'a' -> 'ae'
  • 'is' -> 'es'
  • 'ex/ix' -> 'ices'
  • 'in/um' -> 'a'
  • 'us' -> 'i'

Special Word Parts

• Numbers: uni-, di-, primi-, multi-.
• Colors: cyano- (blue), leuko- (white), melano- (black).
• Positions/Directions: ab-, ad-, supra-, trans-, peri-.

Directional Terms

• Context: Used to specify injury location, pain radiation, etc.
• Right/Left: Always refer to patient's sides.
• Superior/Inferior: Towards head/feet.
• Lateral/Medial: Away/toward midline.
• Proximal/Distal: Closer to/away from trunk.
• Superficial/Deep: Closer to/away from skin.
• Ventral/Dorsal: Belly side/spinal side.
• Palmar/Plantar: Palm of hand/sole of foot.
• Apex: Tip of a structure.

Movement Terms

• Flexion/Extension: Bending/straightening of a joint.
• Adduction/Abduction: Movement towards/away from midline.
• Bilateral/Unilateral: Both sides/one side of the midline.
• Prone/Supine: Face down/face up.
• Fowler Positions: Semi-reclining:
  • Semi-Fowler: 45-degree angle.
  • High-Fowler: 90-degree angle.

Examples of Medical Term Breakdown

• Nephropathy: Disease (pathy) of kidney (nephro-).
• Dysuria: Painful (dys) urination (uria).
• Hyperemesis: Excessive (hyper-) vomiting (emesis).
• Analgesic: Without pain (a- without, -algia pain, -ic pertaining to).

Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Symbols

• Use: Shorthand for faster communication.
• Authorities: Joint Commission & Institute of Safe Medicine Practices.
• Guidelines:
  • Use standard, accepted abbreviations.
  • Understand local agency accepted abbreviations.
  • Symbols must be widely understood and accepted.

Review Questions

• Word Root: Conveys essential meaning.
• Prefixes: Indicate colors, numbers, positions, directions.
• Bronchus plural: Bronchi.
• Superior: Closer to head.
• Adduction: Movement towards midline.
• Medial: Closer to the midline.
• Ventral: Belly side/anterior surface.
• Semi-Fowler: Patient sitting at a 45-degree angle.
• Plantar: Sole of the foot.
• Abbreviations/Acronyms: Use medically accepted, shorten documentation, know local usage.

Closing

• Thank you for attending the lecture on medical terminology.