The Language of Healthcare - If You Recognize the Parts, You'll Understand the Whole.

A basic understanding of medical terminology allows you to develop a vocabulary about your body and how it is affected and responds to disease and disfunction. It allows you to better understand your options for treatment and confidently enter into a conversation with your healthcare provider with assurance that you are doing what you can to protect your health, your family’s health and the health of our communities.

Informed decision making is based on undertanding. In medicine and healthcare that means that you have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the information presented during the diagnostic and treatment process including the risks, benefits, and alternatives of proposed treatments or procedures. Yet many Americans admit they struggle to understand health information in general and during most encounters with healthcare providers. One reason for this is that we don't seem to be speaking the same language. Communication in healthcare is based on an understanding of medical terminology, the language of healthcare.

So what can you do to better understand the language spoken by healthcare professionals to be confident and comfortable understanding what your doctor says?

Well first of all let me remind you that you know more than you think. Some med terms have even become part of the common vernacular. The popular 2005 TV series Grey’s Anatomy proved to be a significant source for bringing med terms into our general vocabulary. Medical terms like intubation, shunt and abbreviations like CT, V-Fib, C.diff which were previously unknown outside the medical profession were said to have been made relatable to the general population because of the show.

Word Parts

Medical terminology doesn't have to feel like a totally new language. Many English language word parts have the same meaning in medical terminology as they do in the English language. You will see that you know more than you think you know by relating commonly used English word parts to define the meaning of a MedWord.

For example the prefix (a word part added to the beginning of a word that modifies its meaning) intra- meaning within as in intramural sports (activities that take place within the walls of an institution; school or area). The same prefix can be found in many the medical terms including "intracranial" (pertaining to within the cranium) and intravenous (pertaining to within vein). The suffix endings -al and -ous mean pertaining to.

Another example of a word part that is commonly used in the English language that has the same meaning in medical terminology is the word root therm/ meaning heat. The italicized word part is called the word root/and it gives the word its essential meaning.

As in the English word thermos, a bottle, flask or similar vessel designed to maintain the temperature of its contents. The word root therm/ comes from the ancient Greek word θερμός thermós, meaning warm. Many medical terms have their origin in Ancient Greece. The main reason for this is that the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates together with his followers were among the first to systematically study the field of medicine and anatomy and develop a vocabulary of medical terms for common use.

The recording of information by Greek physicians developed a standardized vocabulary which the Romans expanded on as Greek medicine migrated to Italy. Latin became the language of science and up to the beginning of the 18th century all medical texts were written in Latin.

Knowing that the word root therm/ means heat allows you to decode any medical term with that word root as having to do with temperature/heat. Decode the medical term thermesthesia. Therm/ is the word root meaning heat and -esthesia is a suffix ending meaning feeling or sensation. When you dissect a medical term you get the meaning of the word by reading it from back to front. So the medical term thermesthesia means feeling or sensation of heat or sensitiveness to heat.

If You Recognize the Parts, You'll Understand the Whole

Medical terms no matter how simple or complex are made up of basic word parts. Learning the meaning of each word part and how they are put together to form a word is the key to learning medical terminology. Many of these word parts have the same meaning across body systems and medical conditions. Others are divided into groups according to a specific body parts. Once you know the meaning of the word part it can be applied to any medical term no matter how simple or complex. f you recognize the parts, you'll understand the whole.

When you know common root words and related suffix endings and prefix beginnings and how to combine them you are building a set of tools that can be used to decode any medical words you encounter.

Here is an example of the suffix ending -itis, meaning inflammation. It can be combined with any number of word roots (a body part or body function) and when added as a suffix ending will always mean inflammation.

For example

• cardi/o is the word root for heart - carditis means inflammation of the heart

• neur/o is the word root for nerve - neuritis means inflammation of the nerve

• gastr/o is the word root for stomach - gastritis means inflammation of the stomach

• ot/o is the word root for ear - otitis means inflammation of the ear

You can look on the internet for a list of medical term word parts (word roots, prefixes and suffixes). Learn those that are specific to your medical condition to better communicate with your health care provider and understand your medical record.

Abbreviations, Acronyms and Eponyms

This is more difficult because as in any language there are a vast number of abbreviations, acronyms (words spelled with the initial letter of each word such as NFL or CPR) and eponyms ( words that refer to a person, a place or a thing for which someone or something is named) such as Alzheimer's disease, named after Alois Alzheimer). In medical terminology abbreviations can have multiple meanings depending on context of usage. Lists of this category of medical terms are extensive and even health care providers may have some they are unfamiliar with if not in their specialty. So once again you can look them up on the internet for those that are specific to your body system or medical condition.

Medical Terms relating to body parts (anatomy), body functions (physiology), directional terms and terms related to biology and disease (pathology).

These terms are the most difficult for a person without professional or specialized knowledge in healthcare to understand. They are part of their academic backgound and training. These terms and any others that you are not familiar with will need further explanation from your health care provider.

In Plain Language

Also there has been a movement to minimize the use of medical terminology in patient-provider conversations with providers replacing med terms with laymen’s terms if appropriate. However because it is the standardized language of medicine, peer to peer communications and medical records medical terminology will continue to be a significant part of healthcare communications. You should know that healthcare providers are more than happy to translate a med term into layman’s language and are encouraged by their training to use common language as much as possible. You do not need a medical dictionary or a course in medical terminology to be comfortable in medical conversations. You can look on the internet for a list of medical term word parts (word roots, prefixes and suffixes). Learn those that are specific to your medical condition to better communicate with your health care provider and understand your medical record.

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