Medical Terminology....Commonly Accepted Abreviations...

Fundamentals of Nursing Common_Clinical_Abbreviations


Medical Terminology

I). Why Latin?

A). Some of the terms are over 2000 years old.

B). It is the language of educated men.

C). It is the basis for many of the European languages.

D). It is a ‘dead’ language so it does not change.

II). Analyze the words by dividing them into components.

A). Root Word:

B). Prefix:

C). Suffix:

D). Combining Vowel:

E). Combining Form:



HEMAT/O/LOGY

Root Word: HEMAT: means blood

Suffix: LOGY: study of

Combining Vowel: O



Start with the suffix and read backwards to the beginning of the term.

Thus hematology is not blood the study of but the study of blood.



ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM

root /root/ suffix

electric/heart/recording

recording of the electricity of the heart



SUB/GASTR/IC

prefix/root/suffix

under/stomach/pertaining to

pertaining to under the stomach

III). Relate the medical terms to the structure and function of the human body.

Cardi-heart

Hepat-liver

Ren-kidney

IV). Beware of spelling and pronunciation problems

ie. ilium: part of the pelvis

ileum: part of the small intestine

............and handwriting problems

V). Capitals



VI). Beware of abbreviations

Abbreviations and acronyms mean different things to different people
Always define abbreviations before you use them



VII). Units

UNITS MUST ALWAYS BE EXPRESSED