The Medical Terminology Quizlet Article

Have you ever stared at the moving mouth of a healthcare professional and realized you had no idea what they were talking about? You’ve just been delivered some serious information in the treatment room, and you have no idea how to tackle a tough condition that you’ve just been diagnosed with. Even though you’re clinging to every word, the instructions are going by too fast, and the weight of the information handed to you has left you a bit overwhelmed. Most of us have been in this situation at some point and can relate.

The question is, how do we prevent this common predicament from happening in the first place?

In this article, we’ll learn how identifying medical terminology is the starting point to combating a major communication gap and how we can apply it in our medical discussions. Afterward, we will offer a short medical terminology quizlet to help you gage your ability to identify medically inspired terms and commit them to memory.

Typically, medical terminology education is often demonstrated on a higher-level and geared toward teaching medical students. This article simplified medical terminology for patients to learn how to navigate through their healthcare clinic more efficiently and ultimately become a better patient. Realizing that patients have a lot to gain by being able to learn medical terminology and a lot to lose by not being able to. Taking the medical terminology quizlet is your first step to learning the basics of health terms will help you become more self-reliant in your care and an expert health advocate.

By studying this medical terminology introduction, you’ll develop a fluency in the specialized language of medicine and join medical jargon and abbreviations into your health communication capabilities. You’ll better understand the origin and the importance of placements and application of words and gain confidence in communicating in a field where the difference between the right word and wrong word can change a life.

Benefits for patients communicating their medical terminology knowledge with professionals:

• Strengthens communication (and relationships) with clinicians and other caregivers.
• Enables a higher level of self-reliance and independence.
• Supports a more sustainable medical record.

Benefits for professionals knowing that their patients understand medical terminology:

• Establishes professionals’ ability to effectively communicate about your care to other professionals.
• Enables professionals to precisely give orders and treat patients more effectively.
• Reinforces professionals’ confident review of an accurate health history.

Step One: Define

Medical terminology refers to a list of universal words and terms used to precisely describe the human body and the processes within it. This includes anatomical structure, processes, conditions, treatments, as well as procedures performed.

Step Two: Discern

At first, these terms appear cryptic and complicated, but there’s a handy shortcut. Most medical terminology has a fixed word structure that makes it easier to parse once you grasp it. This fixed structure is made up of a prefix, a root, and a suffix.

• Prefix: This is placed at the beginning of the word to modify or change its meaning. Prefixes usually indicate a number, location or time.

• Root: This is the central part of the word. A root is the foundational element of any medical term. Roots often indicate a body part or system.

• Suffix: The ending part of the word that modifies its meaning. It usually indicates a disorder, function, study, or test.

Good to know: Many prefixes, roots, and suffixes are derived from their Greek or Latin analogs.

Step Three: Apply

Whether your next opportunity is to apply medical terminology during your office visit or on the phone with your insurance company, make sure that you have your documents in order and ready to be looked over by your health professional.

If you are questioning medical terminology in an office visit:

• Document your conversation in your designated Patient Better
• Repeat back the health professional’s instructions for clarity if necessary.
• Review your notes when you get home.

If you are questioning a document:

• Highlight all unclear words and phrases in the document in question.
• Have pertinent CPT and ICD codes
• Document your conversation in your designated Patient Better journal.