1. Medical Terminology

2. Objectives Upon completion of this unit you will be able to:
Identify and define the four word parts
Identify and define a combining form
Analyze and define medical terms
Build medical terms for given definitions

3. Mrs. Jones is a 60 y/o admitted thru ER c abdominal pain in the RLQ
Mrs. Jones is a 60 y/o admitted thru ER c abdominal pain in the RLQ. CXR, EKG, CBC and ABG’s were done stat. It was decided to perform an exploratory laparotomy, but suspects she will end up needing a bilateral salpingoophorectomy.

4. pneumonultramicroscopicsilicovolcanonconiosis

5. Origins of medical language
Current medical vocabulary includes terms built from Greek and Latin word parts, some which were used by Hippocrates and Aristotle over 2000 years ago

6. Word Parts / Building Blocks
Medical terms are built from word parts with some or all of the following components:
Word roots
Suffixes
Prefixes
Combining vowels
Combining forms

7. Word Root The word root is the foundation of the word
Usually indicates the part of the body involved
All medical terms
must have one or more word roots

8. Examples: In the word…………………..play/er
(play is the word root)
In the medical term …………arthr/itis
arthr (which means joint) is the word root
In the medical term………….hepat/it is
hepat (which means liver) is the word root

9. Suffixes
Suffix is the word part attached to the end of the word root to modify its meaning.
The suffix usually indicates the procedure, disease, or condition
All medical terms must have a suffix.

10. Examples: In the medical term…………..hepat/ic
-ic (which means pertaining to) is the suffix
The term hepatic means pertaining to the liver
In the medical term ………… hepat/itis
-itis (which means inflammation) is the suffix
The term hepatitis means inflammation of the liver (inflammation being a condition)

11. Prefix
The prefix is a word part that is attached to the beginning of the word root to modify its meaning.
It usually indicates location, time, color, or number
Not all medical terms have prefixes

12. Examples: In the word ………………...re/play
re- is the prefix
In the medical term ………sub /hepat /ic
sub- (which means under)
The medical term subhepatic means pertaining to under the liver

13. Combining Vowel
It links the root to the suffix or the root to another root
The combining vowel is usually an “O”
A combining vowel has no meaning of its own. It just joins word parts and makes them easier to pronounce

14. Combining vowels Guideline #1: Guideline #2:
When connecting a root and a suffix a combining vowel is used unless the suffix begins with a vowel
Guideline #2:
When connecting two word roots, a combining vowel is usually used even if vowels are present at the junction

15. Exercise 1: True or False
There is always a prefix at the beginning of a medical term
A combining vowel is always used when connecting a word root and a suffix
A prefix modifies the meaning of the word
A combining vowel is used to ease pronunciation
“I” is the most commonly used combing vowel
The word root is the core of a medical term
A combining vowel is used between a prefix and word root
A combining form is a word part
Complete the phrases with the correct word part:
A __ is attached at the beginning of a word root
___ are usually an “o”
All medical terms contain one
or more ___
4. A ____is attached at the end of a word root.
5. The ______ _____ is the word root with the combining vowel attached

16. Analyzing and defining Medical Terms
osteoarthropathy
To analyze a medical term divide it into word parts, label each word parts, and label the combining forms.
Divide the word with slashes:
oste / o/ arthr / o/ pathy
Label each word part by using the following abbreviations:
WR WORD ROOT
P PREFIX
S SUFFIX
CV COMBINING VOWEL

17. Example of dividing and labeling:
WR CV WR CV S
Oste / o / arthr /o / pathy
CF CF

18. Putting it together!
To define medical terms apply the meaning of each word part in the term.
Begin by defining the suffix, then move to the beginning of the term to complete the definition

19. Fundamental rules for combining word parts
Abbr.
Definition
Root wr
Gives essential meaning to the word
Usually body part involved
Suffix s
is the word ending
Usually indicates, disease, procedure, or condition
Prefix p
Added to the beginning. Usually indicates times, number, color, position
Combing vowel cv
Connects roots to suffixes and root to other roots to make pronunciation easier
Combining form cf
Is the combination of the root and combining vowel

20. Root words
Acr/o - extremities
angi/o - vessel

21. arthr/o – joint

22. Common Medical Root Words
cardi/o – heart
cephal/o – head

23. col/o - colon
cost/o – ribs

24. crani/o - skull cyst/o – sac containing fluid
urinary bladder
derm/o, dermat/o, cutane – skin

25. enter/o - intestines
gastr/o - stomach
hem/o – blood
hemat/o

26. hepat/o - liver

27. my/o – muscle

28. nephr/o, ren/o – kidney

29. neur/o – nerve
or/o - mouth

30. oste/o - bone
ot/o – ear

31. pneum/o
pulmon/o, - Lung

32. psych/o -mind

33. rhin/o – nose
splen/o – spleen
thorac/o - chest

34. cyan/o blue erythr/o red leuk/o white melan/o black xanth/o yellow
Colors
cyan/o blue
erythr/o red
leuk/o white
melan/o black
xanth/o yellow

35. Common Medical Suffixes
-ac, -al, -ic pertaining to
-algia pain
-ectomy surgical removal
-itis inflammation
-malacia softening
-megaly enlargement
-ology the study of
-ologist specialist

36. Common Medical Suffixes
-oid -like, resembling
-osis - abnormal condition
-otomy - cut into
-pathy – disease
-scope - instrument to visually examine
-oma -tumor

37. Common Medical Prefixes
a - absence of; without
ab- away from
ad- toward, in the direction of
ante- before
anti- against
auto - self
dys- difficult, painful
dors- back
endo- within
epi- above, upon

38. Common Medical Prefixes (cont.)
hemi- half
hyper- over, above, increased
hypo- below, under, decreased
inter- between, among
intra- within, inside
macro- large
mal – bad
micro - small
peri - surrounding, around
poly- many

39. Common Medical Prefixes
post - after
sub- under, less, below
super- above, excessive, beyond
tachy - fast
(stop here)

40. Common Medical Abbreviations
c – with
s – without
a – before
p – after
po – by mouth
prn – as needed
NPO – nothing by mouth

41. Common medical Abreviations
ASAP – as soon as possible
ABG’s - arterial blood gases
ac – before meals
amb – ambulate or to walk
BP – blood pressure
BS – blood sugar
CBC – complete blood count
c/o – complaining of
CXR – chest x-ray

42. Common Medical Abbreviations
DNR – do not resuscitate
EKG – electrocardiogram
ER - emergency room
GI – gastrointestinal
ICU – intensive care unit
PACU – post-anesthesia care unit
PT - physical therapy
Pt - patient
SOB – shortness of breath
VS – vital signs
W/C – wheel chair
wnl - within normal limits
y/o – year old

43. Common Medical Abbreviations
stat – immediately
IV – intravenous (within a vein)
q.d. – every day
b.i.d. – two times a day
t.i.d. – three times a day
q.i.d – four times a day
Rx – prescription
Tx - treatment

44. Common Medical Abbreviations
Male
female

45. Communication Connection
A medication is to be taken once every day (q.d.), but a health care provider mistakenly writes q.i.d. on the prescription. What will be the result of writing the incorrect abbreviation?

46. A 76 y/o__ admitted amb. into the ER
A 76 y/o__ admitted amb. into the ER. c/o SOB and appears to be cyanotic. Tests ordered: ABG’s, CBC, CXR, and EKG STAT. IV started with 18 gauge butterfly infusing D5W at 20 gtts/min. VS wnl. Pt. to be sent to ICU per w/c ASAP. RX of Lanoxin 25 mg to be given po c meals qd