CCHMedical Terminology

Medical Terminology

English is considered to be one of the hardest languages on the planet. Many scholars believe it is the most difficult because of the number of words that sound similar or are spelled the same but have different meanings. For example, if we said the word red, you might hear the word read. The first being a color, while the second is the act of being informed through the act of reading. These are two distinct meanings of a similar sounding word. Another example is the printed word of read, and read. The first being the act of interpreting the printed word. The later being the act of reading. Even in print, there are opportunities for misunderstanding. The medical community cannot live with such inconsistencies.

Latin and Greek are used as the basis for nearly all medical terminology. The human body, human conditions, and treatments are very complex. They need a language that supports this complexity—now, as well as in the time of Hippocrates. Most terms in medical vocabulary are made of three parts: the root of the word, a prefix, and a suffix. Figure 3-1 shows the structure of medical terms. (We’ll tell you more about Latin and Greek later in this chapter.)

Figure 3-1: Medical word structure

Reliance on a specific language that is clear and concise is important for accurate and effective communication. As stated earlier in the chapter, medical terminology has its roots in Latin and Greek. The human body, its conditions, and its treatments are very complex. The early physicians needed to have a language that supported this complexity, as well as one that was spoken and written during their time of discovery. Now, the terminology didn’t stay stagnant over the past centauries, so the terminology is ever expanding. As new treatment, ailments, and conditions present themselves, there will be a need to add definitions to the medical terminology. For now, though, the use of Greek and Latin has provided for a solid foundation.

Medical vocabulary is typically made of three parts: the root of the word, a prefix, and a suffix. English medical terms are often built from the Latin and Greek terms. When combining a suffix and the root word, if the suffix starts with a consonant, the letter o is added between the suffix and root. For example, let’s look at the word nephrology. Nephr is the root word, which is used when identifying the kidney. The suffix -logy is used to add the meaning “the study of.” However, pronouncing the word nephrlogy would be challenging in the English language. Adding the trailing o to the root allows for the word nephrology to flow from the tongue.

The rules for modifying the prefix are easy: We are not aware of any.

There are a plethora of medical suffixes. The most common are defined in Table 3-1.

Table 3-1: Medical Suffixes

Suffix	Meaning
ian	Specialist in the study of
iatrics	Medical specialty
iatry	Medical specialty
ics	Medical specialty
ia	The exaggerated feeling of
ism	Impaired control
ac	Pertaining to the heart
ar	Pertaining to muscles
ary	Pertaining to diet
ic	Pertaining to a measurement
oid	Toxin or poison
ory	Respiratory systems

Medical language has many more suffixes, but these are the ones you will most like run into. Learning the language of healthcare will improve your ability to deliver timely IT service and help with your understanding when medical staff is trying to communicate with you.

The most common prefixes we have run into are defined in Table 3-2.

Table 3-2: Medical Prefixes

Prefix	Meaning
Ante	Before
Dextro	Right
End	Inside
Hyper	Excess
Hypo	Under
Leuk	White
Melan	Black
Mon	One
Pan	All
Pseudo	False
Sinister	Left

Now, there are plenty more of the prefixes—enough to keep a student busy for a few months learning them all. Our goal was to present the ones we most frequently run into.

Thus ends our broad overview of the lingo used within the healthcare environment. We learned much of what we know regarding the healthcare language by listening to MP3s. You might be able to learn using the same tactic. You’re not becoming a doctor, so knowing every word is not essential.

You don’t need to speak Greek or Latin to succeed in this vertical. But you do need to understand that the technologies used specifically in the healthcare vertical have their own lingo and that certain terminology is based on color codes.