Medical Terminology
These flash cards contain the vocabulary of medical terminology. This set includes the words needed to understand orientation such as sub, trans and peri. It includes commonly used abbreviations such as “q” for every or each and “NPO” for nothing by mouth. It also includes many of the prefixes that describe the parts of the human body, such as “nephro” for kidneys and “entero” for intestines. Understanding medical terminology is a matter of memorizing the prefixes and root words. This enables one to understand complex medical jargon.
Learning medical terminology can be difficult. However, memorizing it is the first step towards understanding for those pursuing a career in the healthcare field. It is also vital for those entering the field of medical transcription, since understanding what doctors say is essential for transcribing it. Medical terminology flash cards are a helpful resource.
Cards
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| epi | on, upon | |
| epi | on, upon | |
| ml | milliliters | |
| tsp | teaspoon | |
| sub | under, below, down | |
| peri | around | |
| trans | across, through, over | |
| NPO | Nothing by mouth | |
| -itis | inflammation | |
| brady | slow | |
| tachy | rapid | |
| hypo | under, below, beneath | |
| hyper | above, excessive, beyond | |
| uro | pertaining to urine | |
| algia | pain | |
| emesis | vomit | |
| q | every or each | |
| ac | before meals | |
| bid | 2 times daily | |
| mg | milligrams | |
| po | by mouth | |
| qid | 4 times daily | |
| as lib | as desired | |
| H20 | water...DUH! | |
| OOB | out of bed | |
| NPO | nothing by mouth | |
| F | farenheight | |
| BP | blood pressure | |
| I&O | intake and output (pertaining to liquids. Ex: how much a patient drinks and how much they urinate) | |
| PERRLA | pupils equal, round, reactive to light, accommodation | |
| vs | vital signs | |
| 4X4 | size of gauze | |
| cm | centimeters | |
| MRSA | Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus | |
| PRN | as needed | |
| UA | Urine Analysis | |
| PO | by mouth | |
| PPN | Peripheral Parenteral Nutrition | |
| PR | per rectum | |
| atrophy | wasting or decrease in size | |
| arthro | joints, articulations | |
| abduction | movement of limbs away from the body | |
| adduction | movement of limbs toward the body | |
| bilateral | having 2 sides, occuring on 2 sides | |
| paraplegia | paralysis characterized by motor and sensory loss in lower extremities | |
| dysarthria | difficult, poorly articulated speech from a nuero injury | |
| pyrexia | a febrile response; fever | |
| hyperthermia | much higher than normal body temperature; overheating of the body | |
| hypothermia | termperature drops below that required for normal body metabolism and body function; oral temp below 95 degrees | |
| afebrile | without fever | |
| syncope | temporary loss of consciousness and posture, described as "fainting" or "passing out." | |
| hemato | blood | |
| edematous | pertaining to or resembling edema (excessive fluid casuing swelling) | |
| analgesics | drug that relieves pain | |
| tactile | pertaining to the sense of touch | |
| dysrhythmia | any disturbance or abnormality in a normal rhythmic pattern | |
| cysto | bladder, cyst or sac | |
| auditory | pertaining to the sense of hearing | |
| osteo | bone | |
| adipose | fatty | |
| cephalo | head | |
| encephalo | brain | |
| necrotic | pertaining to the death of a tissue | |
| dysphagia | difficulty in swallowing | |
| excoriation | injury to the skin | |
| erythema | redness of the skin | |
| peristalsis | movement of contents through intestines | |
| dehiscence | separation of a surgical incision or rupture of wound | |
| evisceration | removal of viscera from abdominal cavity (internal organs) | |
| serous | pertaining to resembling or producing serum | |
| sanguineous | pertaining to blood or containing blood | |
| serosanguinous | containing or consisting of both blood and serious fluid | |
| purulent | producing or containing pus | |
| aphasia | language function is disordered or absent due to neuro disorder of the cerebral cortex | |
| diuresis | increased formation and secretion of urine | |
| epistaxis | nosebleed | |
| entero | intestines | |
| glycosuria | abnormal presence of a sugar, especially glucose, in the urine | |
| nephro | kidneys | |
| gastro | stomach or abdomen | |
| gavage | process of feeding a patient through a nasogastric tube | |
| lavage | to wash out, usually an organ | |
| nocturia | excessive urination at night | |
| polyuria | excretion of an abnormally large amount of urine | |
| oliguria | dimished capacity to form and pass urine, little urine output |