Explanation:
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.
● Acute: Sudden but typically short as in an acute illness
● Angina: Irregular chest pains
● Anti-inflammatory: Treatment used to reduce swelling that lowers pain
● Benign: Not cancer
● Biopsy: A sample of tissue
● Body Mass Index (BMI): Measurement of body fat based on weight and height
● Cellulites: Skin inflammation and infection
● Commuted fracture: Broken bones that shatter into numerous pieces
● Compound fracture: A broken bone that sticks out of the skin
● Enema: Swelling
● Embolism: A clot of blood
● Epidermis: Outside skin layer
● Gastroesophageal: heartburn
● Hypertension: when blood pressure is high
● Hypotension: when blood pressure is low
● In remission: disease stopped for a while
● Inpatient: person staying one or more days in hospital
● Lesion: sore, wound or cut
● Malignant: Cancerous cells
● Membrane: Thin flexible layer of tissue that cover, lines, connects 2 structures
● Neutrophils: The commonest sort of white blood cell
● Outpatient: Check in and out on same day
● Polyp: Mass of thin tissue
● Sutures: Stitches
It doesn’t take much to work out why medical terminology is important in the medical field. It simplifies the way patients and medical practitioners interact in the medical care situation. It’s far easier for even the layman to learn basic medical terminology and once the terms have been heard a number of times they stick in the brain to be referred to when necessary. There are many people who really believe that inflammation and infection are one and the same thing, but in fact, they are two separate words and have two totally different meanings.
Problems sometimes occur in translation too and it can never be assumed that a word in English means the same in other languages. For example, when angina is translated into other languages it means a sore throat while in English it refers to a condition related to the heart. Because abbreviations are often used in the medical context it’s easy for the layman to get confused. For example, TUNA is not a fish in medical terminology and language but is an acronym meaning transurethral needle ablation or radiofrequency ablation. This is an outpatient treatment for a urinary disruption due to the presence of an enlarged prostate. You wouldn’t want to get those two meanings confused.
