What are the 25 medical terms to know?
Golden hour: Refers to the first hour after a traumatic injury or event where chances of successful treatment are highest. Medical procedures and tests. Blood culture: A test used to find any unusual bacteria or fungi in a patient’s blood. Blood gas: A test to show the gas-phase components of blood including oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH balance, etc.
When can a physician undertake a treatment intervention that is life-sustaining?
Jun 22, 2021 · Contusion: A bruise. 8. Defibrillator: A medical device that uses electric shocks to restore normal heartbeat. 9. Edema: Swelling caused by fluid accumulation. 10. Embolism: An arterial blockage, often caused by a blood clot. 11. Epidermis: The outer layer of the skin.
How do you break down common medical terms?
Aug 13, 1999 · Simply put, competency refers to the mental ability and cognitive capabilities required to execute a legally recognized act rationally. 3 The determination of incompetence is a judicial decision, i.e., decided by the court. An individual adjudicated by the court as incompetent is referred to as de jure incompetent.
Are there any medical terms that are completely unfamiliar?
Most medical terms follow a naming convention that makes even the completely unfamiliar terms decipherable. All you need to know is where to look. ... the texts reads that most medical terms come in two formats. The first is the combining a form of the word root + (optional) combining form of word root + suffix, while the second applies the ...
What is triage in medical terms?
When used in medicine and healthcare, the term triage refers to the sorting of injured or sick people according to their need for emergency medical attention. It is a method of determining priority for who gets care first. Triage may be performed by emergency medical technicians (EMTs), emergency room gatekeepers, soldiers on a battlefield, ...
Who performs triage?
Triage may be performed by emergency medical technicians (EMTs), emergency room gatekeepers, soldiers on a battlefield, or anyone with knowledge of the system during an emergency situation. Caiaimage / Robert Daly / Getty Images.
What is triage in healthcare?
When used in medicine and healthcare, the term triage refers to the sorting of injured or sick people according to their need for emergency medical attention. It is a method of determining priority for who gets care first. Triage may be performed by emergency medical technicians (EMTs), emergency room gatekeepers, ...
Where does the word "triage" come from?
The word triage comes from the French word trier, which means to sort or select. Its historic roots for medical purposes go back to the days of Napoleon when triaging large groups of wounded soldiers was necessary. Over the centuries, triage systems have evolved into a well-defined priority process, sometimes requiring specific training depending ...
When is triage used?
Triage is used when the medical-care system is overloaded, meaning there are more people who need care than there are available resources to care for them. 1 There may be mass casualties in a war zone, terrorist incident, or natural disaster that results in many injuries. There may be a need for triage when ...
What is triage system?
Triage systems run the gamut from verbal shouting in an unusual emergency to well-defined colored tagging systems used by soldiers and EMTs when they arrive on the scene of a mass casualty accident or a battlefield with many wounded soldiers. Each organization has its own triage system.
Who is Trisha Torrey?
Trisha Torrey is a patient empowerment and advocacy consultant. She has written several books about patient advocacy and how to best navigate the healthcare system. Learn about our editorial process. Trisha Torrey. Fact checked by. Fact checked by Ashley Hall on December 07, 2020. linkedin.
Breaking down common medical terminology
The world of medical terminology is quite vast, so this list is organized by category to make it a little easier to digest.
Advance your medical terminology knowledge
It’s clear that you can benefit from having these medical terms at your disposal, especially when it comes to speaking one-on-one with your physician. If you don’t happen to have a physician you regularly see, it’s wise to start looking so you can maintain good health.
What is the prefix for otorhinolaryngology?
The prefix, “ot/o” is related to the ear, “rhino” is related to the nose, laryng/o is related to the larynx and “logy” is the study of something. One could then deduce that “otorhinolaryngology” is the study of the ear, nose and larynx. Beneath the example, the texts reads that most medical terms come in two formats.
What is the meaning of a prefix?
A prefix is found before a combining form of a word root and usually will indicate a location, time, number or status of the word root. A suffix is found after a combining form of a word root and adds to the meaning of the word root.
What does a suffix mean in a word?
Suffixes usually indicate a procedure, condition, disorder or disease. The remainder of the infographic is a chart, broken in three sections. The first indicates examples of prefixes, what they mean and the examples.
What is medical terminology?
Medical terminology is used to explain every facet of the body. This includes the various conditions that the body is in as well as diseases that may affect the body. There are different types of diagnoses that can be given for a disease, and you have to be able to understand the difference between them. Once the doctor gives the diagnosis, he ...
What is acute illness?
These are considered to be acute illnesses. An acute illness is one that has a sudden onset and is short-lived. This is in contrast to if a person is diagnosed with something like cancer. Cancer develops over time, and the signs and symptoms show up gradually. The disease is continuous and usually cannot be cured.
What does an ER doctor do?
The ER doctors examine you for the signs of what is going on with your body. They realize that it could be a few possible causes since the signs and symptoms, or syndrome, don't point to one particular disease. They decide to run tests for the top three likely diseases or conditions that could cause what is going on.
How is differential diagnosis determined?
The differential diagnosis may be determined based on the elimination of the other possibilities. This is actually the most common way of determining the diagnosis. It is also determined sometimes by the doctor treating the most likely and most dangerous possibility first.
What are some examples of chronic illnesses?
Some other examples of chronic illnesses include Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Parkinson's disease. Lesson Summary. This lesson covered the differences between a diagnosis and a differential diagnosis.
What is differential diagnosis?
A differential diagnosis is the most likely disease or condition causing the signs and symptoms based on elimination of other possible diseases or conditions that could cause the same signs and symptoms.
Can chronic illnesses be curable?
Chronic illnesses can be lifelong, or they rarely can be curable over an extended period of time. Learning Outcomes. After reviewing this lesson, you'll have the ability to: Define signs, symptoms and syndrome. Differentiate between a diagnosis and a differential diagnosis. Distinguish acute versus chronic diseases.
What happens if a child is treated with antibiotics?
In scenario 1, the child treated with antibiotic drops likely had a viral conjunctivitis that did not need specific treatment. 7 If the child has become sensitive to the prescribed medication, his recurrent symptoms represent morbidity related to an unnecessary prescription.
How many prescriptions were purchased in 2001?
In 2001, persons in the United States younger than 65 purchased a mean of 10.8 prescription drugs and those 65 or older purchased a mean of 26.5 prescription drugs. 1 With that level of prescribing, it is not surprising that errors occur.
History of Triage
- The word triage comes from the French word trier, which means to sort or select. Its historic roots for medical purposes go back to the days of Napoleon when triaging large groups of wounded soldiers was necessary. Over the centuries, triage systems have evolved into a well-defined priority process, sometimes requiring specific training depending o...
When Triage Is Used
- Triage is used when the medical-care system is overloaded, meaning there are more people who need care than there are available resources to care for them.1 There may be mass casualties in a war zone, terrorist incident, or natural disaster that results in many injuries. There may be a need for triage when a school bus accident or a large pile-up of cars on a highway results in too …
How Triage Works
- Triage systems run the gamut from verbal shouting in an unusual emergency to well-defined colored tagging systems used by soldiers and EMTs when they arrive on the scene of a multi-casualty accident or a battlefield with many wounded soldiers. Each organization has its own triage system. They all create priorities for who gets care or is transported for care. The most co…
Changes to Triage
- Triage systems have been changing due to technology.2 There is increased use of telephones, cell phones, the Internet, and closed teleconferencing systems between trauma centers and rural hospitals that cannot afford the latest equipment or high-level specialties.