Download Building Medical Terms

Learning Terminology
1
Objectives
After studying this chapter, you will be able to :
•Explain how medical terms are
developed.
•Describe the process of pluralizing
terms.
•Describe how to interpret
pronunciation marks.
•List basic legal and ethical issues
for health-related professionals.
•Describe how medical
documentation is compiled.
2
Objectives
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
•Define the four word parts used to
build medical terms.
•Define common medical combining
forms.
•Define common medical prefixes.
•Define common medical suffixes.
•Describe how word parts are put
together to form words.
3
Language of Medicine
•Dates to the time when
people had only spoken
language and no written
language
•Medical terminology
began to gain uniformity as
a result of the works of
Hippocrates
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Hippocratic Oath
Forms the basic ethical standards of
modern medicine with regards to:
•Abstaining from
voluntary acts of
mischief & corruption
•Keeping confidences
•Doing no harm
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Hippocratic Oath Part 2
•Some aspects are still debated
today such as:
Euthanasia
Abortion
6
Derivation of Medical
Terminology
•The study of the origin of words is
called etymology.
•Many medical terms used today
are based on Ancient Greek and
Latin.
•Word building became and remains
the primary way to describe new
medical discoveries.
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Derivation of Medical
Terminology
Part
2
Word knowledge was primarily
passed on through only verbal
communication which resulted in
words being pronounced very
differently.
The word heart is derived from
Old English heorte which comes
from a word related to Greek
kardia which means heart.
8
Medical Terms
• Medical terms are like
jigsaw puzzles.
• They are constructed of
small pieces that make
each word unique; Pieces
can be used in different
combinations in other words
9
Word Analysis
Words are divided into the
following components:
• Root: foundation of the term
• Ex: subgastric – gastr is the root meaning
stomach
• Suffix: word ending
• Ex: subgastric – ic means pertaining to
• Prefix: word beginning
• Ex: subgastric – sub means under
10
Reading Medical Terms
• To define medical terms
based on word parts, read
the meaning of medical
terms from the suffix back
to the beginning of the
term and then across
– Ex: hematology: logy means the
study of; hemat/o means blood so
this word means the study of
blood.
11
Medical Word
Classifications
• You will “decode” words by dividing terms into
component parts; You will need to memorize the
component parts.
• Decodable – Have Greek or Latin components parts
that can be analyzed; therefore the word can be
deciphered to reveal the meaning
– Examples:
• Term: Gastr/itis
– Analysis: Gastr/ is a word root meaning
stomach; -itis is a suffix meaning
inflammation
– Definition: Inflammation of the stomach
12
Medical Word
Classifications
• Nondecodable – Can not be divided
into component parts; definition of
terms must be memorized.
– Examples:
– 1. Cataract: Progressive
opacification of the
–
lens; Term is derived from the
Greek term
–
meaning waterfall
– 2. Asthma: Respiratory disorder
characterized by recurring
episodes of paroxysmal dyspnea;
Term is derived from Greek
panting.
13
Medical Word
Classifications
• Eponyms – Terms named after the person who
first identified the condition, described the
procedure or devised the object.
– Examples:
• Alzheimer Disease: A progressive
mental deterioration, named after
a German neurologist, Alois
Alzheimer
• Cesarean Section: The removal of
the infant from the uterus by
incising the uterine wall, named
after the manner in which Julius 14
Caesar was supposedly born.
Medical Word
Classifications
• Abbreviations –
Terms that have
been shortened to a
number of letters
– Examples:
– 1. CAD: Coronary
Artery Disease
– 2. CABG:
Acronym for
coronary artery
bypass graft.
15
Medical Word
Classifications
• Symbols –
Graphic
representatio
ns called
symbols used
in health care
terminology
– Examples:
• Increase: ↑
• Decrease: ↓
16
Word Root
Building Medical Terms
Prefix
Suffix
Combining forms
17
Forming Medical Terms
Medical Term
Word root
Prefix
Suffix
Combining forms
18
Forming Medical Terms Part 2
Medical terms are formed from two or more
Suffix
word parts.
Prefix
Root
•Word parts
•The main
part of a
word which
contains
the basic
meaning.
attached to
the
beginning
of a word
that
modifies
the
meaning.
•Word parts
attached to the
end of a word
that modifies the
meaning.
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Combining
Vowel
Vowel (usually
O) that links
the root to the
suffix or the
root to another
root
Combining
Form
The word root and a
combining vowel that
enable two parts to be
connected.
Ex: hematology- hemat is the root
meaning blood; O is the combining vowel;
logy is the suffix meaning the study of
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Word Roots and Combining
Forms
[ACANTH(O)]
Combining Forms
Meaning
acanth (o)
spiny, thorny
actin (o)
light
aer (o)
air; gas
athero
plaque; fatty substance
bacill (i)
bacilli; bacteria
bar (o)
weight; pressure
21
Word Roots and Combining
Forms
[BLAST(O)]
Combining Forms
Meaning
blasto
immature cells
carcin(o)
cancer
chrondro
cartilage
cry(o)
cold
crypt(o)
hidden
cyan(o)
blue
22
Word Roots and Combining
Forms
[CYT(O)]
Combining Forms
Meaning
cyt(o)
cell
dextr(o)
right
dips(o)
thirst
dors(o)
back
erythr(o)
red
esthesio
sensation,
perception23
Word Roots and Combining
Combining
Forms[GALACT(O)]
Meaning
Forms
galact(o)
milk
gluco
glucose
gero
old age
glyco
sugars
gyn(o)
women
home(o)
same
kin(o)
movement
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Word Roots and Combining
CombiningForms
Forms [KINESI(O)
Meaning
kinesi(o)
motion
lact(o)
milk
leuk(o)
white
lith(o)
stone
mio
smaller; less
narco
sleep; numbness
necro
death; dying
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Word Roots and Combining
Combining Forms
Forms [NOCT(O)]
Meaning
noct(i)
night
oncho
tumor
path(o)
disease
phago
eating
phon(o)
sound; voice
pseud(o)
false
pyo
pus
26
Word Roots and Combining
Combining Forms
Meaning
Forms
[PYRO]
pyro
fever
salping(o)
tube
schiz(o)
split; division
scler(o)
hardening
scolio
crooked; bent
somato
body
spiro
breath; breathe
27
Word Roots and Combining
Forms [TEL(O)]
Combining Forms
Meaning
tel(o)
distant; end; complete
tono
tension; pressure
tropho
food; nutrition
xanth(o)
yellow
xeno
stranger
Xer(o)
dry
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Prefixes
Prefix
•Prefixes are attached to the beginning of words.
•Modifies the meaning of the word or word root.
•Indicates size, quantity, position of, and location.
29
Prefix
Prefixes (a–aut)
Meaning
a
without
ab
away from
ambi
both, around
ana
up, toward
ante
before
anti
against
aut(0)
self
30
Prefixes
Prefix
(brachy–hypo)
Meaning
brachy
short
brady
slow
contra
against
dys
abnormal; difficult
hemi
half
hyper
above normal
hypo
below normal
31
Prefix
Meaning
Prefixes (inter–peri)
inter
between
iso
equal; same
mal
bad; inadequate
meta
after
micr(o)
small
olig(o)
few; little; scanty
peri
around; about; near 32
Prefix
Meaning
Prefixes (pro–un)
pro
before; forward
re
again; backward
retro
behind; backward
semi
half
supra
above; over
tachy
fast
un
not
33
Suffixes
Prefix
•Attaches to the end of the word and carries the
underlying meaning of the word.
•Suffixes can also be combining forms.
34
Suffix
Suffixes (ad–crine)
Meaning
-ad
toward
-algia
pain
-asthenia
weakness
-blast
immature; forming
-cidal
destroying; killing
-clast
breaking
-crine
secreting
35
Suffix
Suffixes (crit–ectomy)
Meaning
-crit
separate
-cyte
cell
-cytosis
condition of cells
-derma
skin
-dynia
pain
-ectasis
expanding; dilating
-ectomy
removal of
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SuffixSuffixes
(emesis–graphy)
Meaning
-emesis
vomiting
-emia
blood
-esthesia
sensation
-globin
protein
-gram
a recording
-graph
recording instrument
-graphy
process of recording
37
Suffix
-ic
Suffixes (ic–malacia)
Meaning
pertaining to
-ism
condition; disease
-itis
inflammation
-kinesia
movement
-logist
one who practices
-lysis
destruction of
-malacia
softening
38
Suffix
Suffixes (mania-pathy)
Meaning
-mania
obsession
-megaly
enlargement
-oid
like; resembling
-opia
vision
-ostomy
opening
-para
bearing
-pathy
disease
39
Suffix
Suffixes (penia-phrenia)
Meaning
-penia
deficiency
-pepsia
digestion
-pexy
fixation
-phage
eating; devouring
-phobia
fear
-phonia
sound
-phrenia
of the mind
40
SuffixSuffixes
(phylaxis-rrhaphy)
Meaning
-phylaxis
protection
-plasty
surgical repair
-plegia
paralysis
-pnea
breath
-ptosis
falling down; drooping
-rrhagia
heavy discharge
-rrhaphy
surgical suturing
41
Suffix Suffixes
(rrhexis-tropia)
Meaning
-rrhexis
rupture
-spasm
contraction
-stasis
stopping; constant
-stenosis
narrowing
-tomy
cutting operation
-trophy
nutrition
-tropia
turning
42
Apply Your Knowledge
Using various word parts, build terms for the
following meanings.
Meaning
Term
•Absence of blood
anemia
•Bluish color of hands and feet
cyanosis
•Equal vision in both eyes.
isopia
•Fast heart.
tachycardia
•Breakdown of sugar.
glycolysis
43
Apply Your Knowledge Part 2
Using various word parts, build terms for the
following meanings.
Meaning
Term
•Lack of white blood cells.
leukopenia
•Softening of bone.
osteomalacia
•Inflammation of a vein.
phlebitis
•Nerve pain.
neuralgia
•Science of skin and its diseases.
dermatology
44
Pluralizing Terms
Rules
•Add s to words ending in
any vowel or consonant
except s,x,z, or y (ex. jointjoints)
•Add es to words ending in
s,x, or z (ex. reflex - reflexes)
45
Pluralizing Terms Part 2
Rules Cont’d
•Remove x and add `ces to
Latin words ending in x (ex.
appendix - appendices)
•Remove the `y and add `ies
to words ending in `y
preceded by a consonant
(ex. mastectomymastectomies)
46
Pluralizing Terms Part 3
Rules Cont’d
•When an ending `y is
preceded by a vowel, the
usual plural suffix is `s (ex.
boy - boys)
•Add `e to Latin terms
ending in a (ex. lamina laminae)
47
Pluralizing Terms Part 4
Rules Cont’d
•Remove `us and add `i to
Latin words ending in us
(ex. bacillus- bacilli)
•Change `sis to `ses in
Greek words ending in sis
(ex. psychosis - psychoses)
48
Pluralizing Terms Part 5
Rules Cont’d
•Remove `on from and add
`a to Greek words ending in
`on (ex. criterion - criteria)
•Remove `um from and add
`a to Latin words ending in
um (ex. diverticulum diverticula)
49
Pluralizing Rules
Latin
Greek
Singular Plural
Singular
Plural
•fossa
fossae
•neurosis neuroses
•datum
data
•ganglion ganglia
•radix
radices
•calyx
calyces
50
Spelling & Pronunciation of
Medical
Terms
Misspellings and mispronunciations in
a medical setting can result in life
threatening situations
“The patient
was to have a
cholectomy NOT
a colectomy!!”
51
Spelling & Pronunciation of
Medical
Terms
2 each
Pronouncing
a word
outPart
loud
time you see the pronounciation will
help familiarize you with the sound
of the word.
reflex
RE-fleks
anemia
a-NE-me-a
typhoid
TI-foyd
Long and short vowels are a guide
to help you pronounce words.
52
Legal and
EthicalAssociation’s
Issues
The American
Hospital
Patient’s Bill of Rights gives
guidelines which provide a clear,
ethical standard for patient’s rights.
•Right to
refuse care
•Right to
considerate
and
respectful
•Right to
privacy
•Right to be
informed
care.
53
Using
MedicalisTerminology
Medical
Terminology
instrumental in
both verbal and written communication.
Documentation of health care services
must be complete for both ethical and
legal reasons.
54
Medical
MedicalRecords
Records
Formats for medical records depend on:
•State law
•Coding and billing
practices
•Institution’s
responsibilities
•Configuration of
its computer
systems
55
Records
MedicalMedical
Records
SOAP format
SOAP Format
•S- subjective
•O- objective
•A- assessment
•P- plan
56
Medical Records
Chronological
Chronological
Format
Format
• Interactions are
listed in
chronological
order.
•Earliest date is
at the top of the
patient record
57
Your Knowledge
Which Apply
of the following
statements is
correct regarding the derivation of
medical terms?
A. The change in medical terms has
been drastic over the years.
B. The change in medical terms has
not been drastic over the years.
Answer B.
58
Apply
Part 2
Make
eachYour
of theKnowledge
following terms
plural.
staphylococcus
staphylococci
vasectomy
vasectomies
paraplegic
paraplegics
appendix
appendices
59
Case Study
Case Study
After obtaining the ordered laboratory specimens
from a patient, Jamie(a laboratory technician)
prepares to leave the patient’s room when a
visitor asks “Does she really need to take all
those medications the nurse left in here?”
How should Jamie handle this question
and why?
Answer: Remembering patient’s rights to
confidentiality and the scope of his training as a
laboratory technician, Jamie should request
that the visitor speak with the nurse and or
physician.
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