{"id":12733,"date":"2022-03-14T06:05:36","date_gmt":"2022-03-14T06:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mastermedicalterms.com\/?p=12733"},"modified":"2023-01-21T05:26:26","modified_gmt":"2023-01-21T05:26:26","slug":"introduction-to-medical-terminology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mastermedicalterms.com\/introduction-to-medical-terminology\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to Medical Terminology (The Ultimate Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Medical terminology<\/strong> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning Medical Terminology<\/strong> can be a daunting task, but there are ways to remember these medical words and can help in making informed guesses.  Medical terms can be divided into root words<\/a>, prefixes<\/a><\/strong> and suffixes<\/a><\/strong>. Each retains its meaning when appearing as part of a medical term. By knowing the component parts of medical terms, you can remember many medical words.<\/p>\n\n\n

What is the purpose of Medical Terminology?<\/strong><\/span><\/summary>
\n\n

A medical terminology system is a way to create a common language for medical professionals. This language helps medical staff communicate more effectively and it makes documentation easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical terminology allows medical professionals to communicate more easily with each other, and with other medical professionals allowing them to be more effective in their practice.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n

When is Medical Terminology used?<\/strong><\/span><\/summary>
\n\n

Medical terminology<\/strong> is used across the healthcare industry. Medical care is documented using it to ensure that every medical decision and procedures is documented for physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals to collaborate effectively about medical issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medications uses medical terms as well with other variety of medical settings, such as in patient care, lab tests, and more.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n

Who needs to learn Medical Terminology?<\/strong><\/span><\/summary>
\n\n

Medical terminology is essential for anyone who works in an environment where a basic understanding of medical terms is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with some popular healthcare professionals, such as doctors, nurses, radiologists, and pharmacists. The knowledge of medical terminologies is also required for health care assistants, medical transcriptionists, medical records clerks, medical coders<\/span>, and billers<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n

Why is it important for health professionals to use Medical Terminology?<\/strong><\/span><\/summary>
\n\n

Doctors and other health professionals are expected to communicate frequently, so they need to become familiar with medical terms. Medications, procedures, treatments, and medical conditions are often described using medical terms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthcare professionals need to understand medical terms so that they can convey accurate information to patients as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without medical terminology, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers would be at risk of misdiagnosing or prescribing the wrong medication. Also, they would make mistakes during medical procedures and health care related procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Medical terminology is the language of medicine. It is the foundation of any successful healthcare profession.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n

Basic Structure of Medical Terminology<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Medical terms<\/strong> are made up of word parts<\/strong>. Prefix, word root, suffix<\/strong>, and combining form vowel <\/strong>are these word parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Word Parts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. The prefix<\/a><\/strong> is a word part added to the beginning of a medical term that alters the meaning of the root. The prefix usually indicates direction, type, location, quality, or quantity. \u200b\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The word root<\/a><\/strong> (also known as the root<\/strong>) is the fundamental unit of every medical term. It identifies a word’s basic meaning and is the part to which modifying prefixes and suffixes are added.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The suffix<\/a><\/strong> is a word part that is added to the end of a word root that changes it\u2019s meaning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Combining forms vowels<\/strong> are used to connect word parts and to make pronunciation easier. In most cases, combining form vowels are an “o<\/strong>,” but sometimes they are “i<\/strong>” or “e<\/strong>.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    You can identify the meaning of medical terms or words by breaking them down into word parts. Here is an example of the medical word broken down into its parts.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"This<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    Word Root<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The Word Root<\/strong> is the foundational meaning of a medical term. Roots contain the essence of the word, and they are the part to which prefixes and suffixes are added for modifying meanings. Word roots for medical terms often describe an organ, tissue, or condition. Almost every medical term has one or more word roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hypotension<\/em>, for example, has the prefix “hypo-” <\/em>meaning “low” or “below”, and the root word “tension”<\/em> means “pressure”, so the word “hypotension”<\/em> denotes abnormally low blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Combining Form<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    In order to facilitate pronunciation<\/strong>, a vowel (mostly a letter o) is usually inserted between the root and the suffix when a suffix begins with a consonant.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"Illustration<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    The word part resulting from the combination of a root<\/strong> and a combining form vowel <\/strong>is an example of a combining form<\/strong>. In textbooks, you will notice that combining forms show a slash between the root and the vowel, as in cardi\/o<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Basically, combining forms<\/strong> are the combination of word roots<\/strong> + combining form vowels<\/strong>. Simply put, combining form is also a root word that has a combining form vowel on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    *Most textbooks automatically call Combining Form a Word Root as well. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Compound Words<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    A compound word<\/strong> is a medical term with multiple roots. This is often the case when referring to more than one body part or system. <\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"Illustration
    Both osteo<\/strong> and arthr<\/strong> are Word Root in one single medical term.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    Common Word Roots<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Below are lists of common word roots categorized by each system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Common Word Roots for Cells & Tissues<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
    Word Root<\/th>\n Combining Form<\/th>\n Body Part or Condition<\/th>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t<\/thead>\n
    aden<\/td>\n\t\t\taden\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\tgland<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t\t
    cyt<\/td>\n\t\t\tcyt\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\tcell<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t\t
    fibr<\/td>\n\t\t\tfibr\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\tfiber<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t\t
    hist, histi<\/td>\n\t\t\thist\/o, histi\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\ttissue<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t\t
    morph<\/td>\n\t\t\tmorph\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\tform<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t\t
    myx, muc<\/td>\n\t\t\tmyx\/o, muc\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\tmucus<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t\t
    nucle, kary<\/td>\n\t\t\tnucle\/o, kary\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\tnucleus<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t\t
    papill<\/td>\n\t\t\tpapill\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\tnipple<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t\t
    reticul<\/td>\n\t\t\treticul\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\tnetwork<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\t\t
    somat<\/td>\n\t\t\tsomat\/o<\/td>\n\t\t\tbody<\/td>\n\t\t<\/tr>\n\n\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n

    Here are the more detailed review flashcards<\/a><\/strong> for this topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udca1 Practice Quiz<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n