Have you ever left a doctor’s appointment feeling completely baffled by all the big words and unfamiliar phrases that were used? From complicated medication names to anatomy terms, the language of healthcare sometimes appears like an entirely different language. But having a basic understanding of common medical terminology can go a long way when it comes to helping you take a more active role in your own care.
Breaking It Down by Root Words
Rather than memorizing endless definitions, learning the root words, prefixes, and suffixes that form medical terms can make them much easier to decipher. Many of these word parts derive from Greek or Latin and indicate the procedure, condition, body location, or descriptive quality.
For example, take the common term “cardiovascular.” The prefix “cardi/o” means heart, “vasc” means vessel, and the suffix “ar” means pertaining to. So cardiovascular refers to anything related to the heart and blood vessels.
Once you these building blocks are learned, even the most daunting words become much clearer. Let us take a look at some of the most commonly used roots and affixes in medicine.
Body Part Roots
To discuss any condition or procedure, doctors must refer to the part of the body involved. Some of the most widely used body roots are:
- Neur/o (nerves) – Neuropathy
- Cardi/o (heart) – Cardiologist
- Derm/a (skin) – Dermatology
- Gastr/o (stomach) – Gastritis
- Ren (kidney) – Renal disease
Descriptive Roots
There are also roots for indicating qualities, conditions, or processes:
- Rrhe/o (flow) – Diarrhea
- Cyto (cell) – Cytology
- Thalassemi/a (blood issues) – Thalassemia
- Carcin/o (cancer) – Carcinogen
Common Prefixes & Suffixes
Prefixes that modify the meaning and suffixes that show procedures or conditions are used constantly together with roots:
- Hyper (excessive) – Hypertension
- Dys (abnormal) – Dyspnea
- -ectomy (removal) – Appendectomy
- -plasty (surgical repair) – Rhinoplasty
Putting It All Together
Now let us apply some of those word roots to examples of complete medical terms:
- Tachycardia – From tach/o (rapid) and cardi/o, refers to abnormally fast heart rate.
- Osteoarthritis – Osteo (bone) and arthr/o (joint) with itis (inflammation) – Joint inflammation involving bones.
- Hysterectomy – Hystero (uterus) and ectomy (removal) – Surgical removal of the uterus.
As you can see from above, breaking down these big words into meaningful chunks makes them so much more understandable.
Reading Test Results & Reports
Beyond communicating during appointments, being able to interpret some basic medical language can help you make sense of test results, discharge instructions, and other clinical documents.
For instance, you may come across standard abbreviations such as SOB (shortness of breath), CP (chest pain), or PRN (as needed) when reading doctor’s notes. Diagnostic imaging reports commonly use terms like opacities, effusion, calcifications, and stenosis to describe abnormal findings.
Most documents will also list relevant diagnosis codes representing your condition. According to the experts over at Find-A-Code.com, these standardized code numbers from manuals like ICD-11 allow for consistency in categorizing and recording medical issues across providers.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
Of course, doctors should always take the time to explain things in plain language and ensure you understand your health situation. But it never hurts to be a little more familiar with common medical vocabulary yourself.
If a term or diagnosis is unclear, don’t hesitate to have your physician clarify it in a way that makes sense to you. Effective communication between patients and providers is vital for achieving the best possible care.
Conclusion
With this medical terminology primer as a starting point, you will be able to cut through some of the jargon and feel more empowered as an engaged, informed patient. Your health literacy is an important first step along your healthcare journey.
