Chapter 8: Medical Terminology

Introduction

As a healthcare professional, before you can begin reading or writing medical documentation in an acceptable manner, you must be familiar with the terminology commonly used in medical writing. Most medical terms have Greek- or Latin-based prefixes, suffixes, or roots. It is often easy to ascertain the meaning of a particular term if you know the commonly used prefixes, suffixes, and roots.

Teaching medical terminology and its prefixes, suffixes, and roots is outside the scope of this textbook. Some basic knowledge of medical terminology is assumed.

The worksheets below should serve as an appraisal of your knowledge of medical terminology. The terms used in these worksheets are encountered frequently by therapists and assistants. If you are unfamiliar with the terms and definitions used in these worksheets, we suggest that you review medical terminology before continuing in this textbook.

Summary and Objective

Clinicians need a working knowledge of medical terminology in order to function in practice. Teaching medical terminology is outside of the scope of this textbook. After completing the exercises, you should be able to determine whether you need further review of medical terminology.

Reference

Worksheet 1 Medical Terminology

1. Oophorectomy ____________________________________________________

   _______________________________________________________________

2. Cardiomegaly ____________________________________________________

   _______________________________________________________________

3. Cachexia ____________________________________________________

   _______________________________________________________________

4. Chondromalacia ____________________________________________________

   _______________________________________________________________

5. Osteotomy ____________________________________________________

   _______________________________________________________________

6. Oncology ____________________________________________________

   _______________________________________________________________

7. Gastritis ____________________________________________________

   _______________________________________________________________

8. Endocrinology ____________________________________________________

   _______________________________________________________________

9. Phlebitis ____________________________________________________

   _______________________________________________________________

10. Hypotension ____________________________________________________

    _______________________________________________________________

Worksheet 2 Medical Terminology