Full Answer
What to do if you don’t know a medical term?
When you come across a medical term you don’t recognize, be sure to ask for clarity. Patient education is a huge part of a physician’s job. Doctors aim to foster an environment that generates dialogue. Having thoughtful conversations with your physician is about more than just gaining knowledge.
Why is it so hard for patients to understand medical terminology?
Medical terminology is often complex, and within the health‐care context everyday words can take on specific and uniquely clinical meanings.1 It is not surprising, then that patients find it difficult to understand the words that their doctors use or misinterpret their meaning.
Are there any medical terms that are completely unfamiliar?
As you probably already know, the medical field is not home for simple terminology. But don’t let these tongue-twisting polysyllabic behemoths discourage you. Most medical terms follow a naming convention that makes even the completely unfamiliar terms decipherable.
Do doctors correct misuse of medical terminology?
In three encounters, a doctor corrected a patient’s misuse of a word, and in five encounters doctors asked patients for more specific medical terminology. Here is an example of a doctor asking for clarification from a patient who uses ‘estrogen’ as a drug name:
What is it called when a patient does not follow the treatment plan?
“Intentional non-adherence is a process in which the patient actively decides not to use treatment or follow treatment recommendations, whereas unintentional non-adherence may be the result of forgetfulness, not knowing exactly how to use medications, or other unplanned behaviour.”1 It may also include missing ...
What is non routine medical care?
Non-Routine Medical Care means treatment for any medical or dental condition which requires hospitalization, emergency response, or specialization that cannot be performed or provided by the CCF physician or licensed nurses on-site and which is not otherwise provided by Contractor's off-site medical and dental ...
What does inpatient mean in medical terms?
Inpatient care is care provided in a hospital or other type of inpatient facility, where you are admitted, and spend at least one night—sometimes more—depending on your condition. As an inpatient: You are under the care of doctors, nurses, and other types of health care professionals within a hospital.
Why do patients not comply with treatment?
Lack of trust: If for whatever reason, you don't believe your treatment is going to make a difference in your health, you may not be motivated to comply. Apathy: When you don't realize the importance of the treatment, or you don't care if the treatment works or not, you are less likely to comply.
What is non-routine medical expense?
Non-Routine Medical Care Costs means actual expenses incurred in the provision of Non-Routine Medical Care provided to inmates by medical and dental providers located within the vicinity of CCF, as well as emergency transportation by ambulance to such medical and dental providers.
When a parent is opposed to a proposed course of non-routine treatment the case manager should?
Parent(s) Opposed to Proposed Course of Treatment: If a parent(s) is opposed to pursuing the recommended course of non-routine treatment, the case manager should attempt to ascertain why the parent(s) is in disagreement.
What is ambulatory patient?
relating to or describing people being treated for an injury or illness who are able to walk, and who, when treated in a hospital, are usually not staying for the night: an ambulatory surgery.
What is the meaning of outpatient and inpatient?
In contrast, if a consultation or treatment doesn't require hospital admission, you're an outpatient. Typically, appointments where you attend a hospital or clinic for check-ups or aftercare following treatment would fall under outpatient care.
What is the difference between inpatient and outpatient coding?
Outpatient coding refers to a detailed diagnosis report in which the patient is generally treated in one visit, whereas an inpatient coding system is used to report a patient's diagnosis and services based on his duration of stay.
What is a non compliant patient?
The term “non-compliant patient” generally refers to a patient who intentionally refuses to take a prescribed medication or does not follow the doctor's treatment recommendations. A non-adherent patient, on the other hand, refers to someone who unintentionally refuses treatment.
What is another word for non adherence?
In this page you can discover 14 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for noncompliance, like: nonconformity, protest, dissent, refusal, disagreement, insubordination, obedience, objection, resist, disobedience and compliance.
What is adherence to treatment?
Adherence to treatment, the extent to which patients are able to follow the agreed recommendations for prescribed treatments with healthcare provider, is a key component of chronic disease management.
What does "a" mean in medical terminology?
You likely know some of these from words outside the realm of medicine. 25. A-, an-: Lack of or without. 26. -ation: Indicates a process.
What are the medical terms used in medical charts?
You might even know some of them by a different name. 1. Abrasion: A cut or scrape that typically isn’t serious. 2. Abscess: A tender, fluid-filled pocket that forms in tissue, usually due to infection. 3.
What does ALS stand for in medical terms?
But unless you’re planning to become a doctor or another type of provider, this condensed lineup should get you up to speed. 55. ALS: Advanced life support.
What is the medical term for a nose repair?
Rhinoplasty – “surgical repair of the nose”. -itis. Inflammation. Pancreatitis – “inflammation of the pancreas”. -ologist. One who studies, specialist. Cardiologist – “one who studies the heart”. -ology. Study of, process of study.
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.
Importance of Medical Terminology
The importance of medical terminology in the healthcare industry enables those involved to use medical terms that are abbreviated so that they appear simpler to those involved. This standardised use of medical language helps to avoid errors especially when documenting a patient’s condition and medical needs.
Basic Medical Terminology Words used in Patient Care
The importance of medical terminology in patient care cannot be underestimated as it ensures a common terminology is used across the different areas of medicine. Here are 25 medical terms which show why medical terminology is important.
Conclusion
In the absence of medical terminology which is precise, there is a higher chance of incorrectly transferring information between healthcare providers and between the providers and their patients.
Working or applying to work in the medical field
You might not be a practicing doctor or nurse but, instead, might be working or looking to work in a medical environment, perhaps in a hospital's technology department, as an assistant in a clinic or as a medical transcriber.
Studying for some form of medical certification or degree
You may be planning to take certification exams to advance your career or engaging in a course of study to enter the medical profession. If so, you more than likely need to learn medical terminology in order to succeed.
Understanding your medical benefits
If your workplace offers medical benefits, you might receive documentation with those benefits detailing the various medical services and conditions that your provider covers. Knowing medical terminology can be helpful to you as you read the documentation and interact with your provider about your healthcare.
Medical slang
This is a list of some informal terms often used by medical professionals:
Prefixes and suffixes
You can often determine what a medical term means if you understand some basic prefixes and suffixes, such as:
Root words
Many medical terms come from Greek or Latin root words. Knowing some of these may help you determine the meaning of a term:
Why is clear understanding of information during diagnostic and treatment process important?
Clear understanding of information during diagnostic and treatment process by patients is considered an important factor of success, because researches show increasing of anxiety, depression and indifference, and decrease of involvement of patients in case of incomprehension or misunderstanding of medical information.
What are the main ideas of medical sublanguage?
Most common ideas include lack of comprehension, low medical literacy and complexity of medical language. Some authors insist on existence of "medical sublanguage", due to plenty of terminology, synonymic words and constructions, which can completely replace "normal" language in some situations.
What is the importance of close communication in medical practice?
Modern medical practice require close communication both doctors and patients. Development of medicine, especially seen in past decades, promoted changes in medical procedures and documentation, i.e. development of more accurate and valuable informed consent, which is an important part of treatment or diagnostic process. ...
What is acute care?
This is usually a short-term period of treatment, typically delivered in a hospital. Some examples of acute care could be the intensive care services provided after a serious head injury or car crash, or cardiac rehab after a heart attack.
What is referral for health care?
Health plans may require that your designated primary care providers authorize a referral for coverage of specialty services . Normally, this type of referral means a written order from your primary care doctor recommending that you see a specialist or get certain services . Without a formal referral, the plan may not pay for the care.
What is rehabilitative therapy?
Also known as rehab therapy, rehabilitative services are normally ordered by a doctor to help a patient recover from an illness or injury. These services are given by nurses and physical, occupational, and speech therapists. Examples include working with a physical therapist to help a patient walk after surgery or working with an occupational therapist to help a patient learn how to get dressed after a stroke.
How long does outpatient therapy last?
In the context of physical rehabilitation, outpatient therapy will usually involve a series of appointments with a team of medical and rehab professionals, over a course of weeks or months. Outpatient therapy might be recommended for long-term or chronic illnesses, like Multiple Sclerosis, or for sudden acute conditions, such as a mild stroke.
What is transitional care?
Transitional care may be suggested when a patient has completed a course of rehabilitative therapy but does not yet feel ready to return home. This form of care is usually paid privately and means that the patient will receive round-the-clock supervision and support from skilled nurses while they complete their recovery. It may also be used so that a patient can try out a longer-term stay in an assisted living environment.
What is skilled nursing?
A type of health care given when a patient needs skilled nursing or rehabilitation staff to manage, observe, and evaluate care. Generally less intense than inpatient hospital care, this type of care is often provided at a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) - a licensed institution, as defined by Medicare, which is primarily engaged in the provision of skilled nursing care.
What is assisted living?
We use the term assisted living for a broad range of residential care services for people who need assistance for day-to-day activities, but do not require nursing staff. For instance, assisted living might be appropriate for patients with mid-stage Alzheimer’s’ or dementia, or other mental disabilities that mean it is unsafe for them to live without support. It might also be recommended for elderly people who are having trouble physically managing the day-to-day routine of caring for themselves – for example, if they are unable to bathe, dress themselves, get to the bathroom or get out of bed. Typically assisted living will cost less than a nursing home.