Medical Terminology: Introduction

Hippocrates

Greek physician; referred to as the father of medicine

abbreviations

shorthand way to record long and complex medical terms

homonyms

words that have the same sound but different meaning

acronyms

words that are formed from the first letter of each word of the term

eponymns

name given to disease, body parts or procedure from the person that discovered or perfected it

root

core of the word

suffix

end of the word

prefix

beginning of the word

etymology

study of the origin of words

disease

condition in which one or more body parts are not functioning normally

prognosis

prediction of the probable course and outcome of disease without achieving a cure

diagnosis

identification of disease or condition by use of signs, symptoms, history, lab tests, or procedures

infection

invasion of the body by disease producing organisms

inflammation

localized response to injury

lesion

pathologic change of tissue due to injury or disease

trauma

wound injury

laceration

torn skin

triage

medical screening of patients to determine priority of need and proper place of treatment

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996; law that protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs; also addresses security and privacy of health data

ICD-10

Internation Classification of Disease, 10th edition; set of diagnostic coding reference