Vocabulary

Some of the most common

medical terms
 Word Meaning Example sentence
part of speech
abnormal not normal for the human body This amount of weight loss is abnormal
adj for women your age.
ache pain that won't go away I can't sleep because my knees ache in
noun/verb the night.
acute quick to become severe/bad We knew the baby was coming right
adj away because the woman's labour
pains were acute.
allergy noun a body's abnormal reaction to certain foods or Your son is extremely allergic to
allergic adj environmental substances (eg causes a rash) peanuts.
ambulance emergency vehicle that rushes people to a We called the ambulance when Josh
noun hospital stopped breathing.
amnesia a condition that causes people to lose their I can't remember the accident because
noun memory I had amnesia.
amputation noun permanent removal of a limb We had to amputate his leg because
amputate verb the infection spread so quickly.
anaemia noun occurs when the body doesn't have enough I have low energy because I am
anaemic adj red blood cells anaemic.
antibiotics medication that kills bacteria and cures My throat infection went away after I
noun infections started the antibiotics.
anti-depressant medication that helps relieve anxiety and The anti-depressants helped me get
noun sadness on with life after Lucy died.
appointment a scheduled meeting with a medical I've made you an appointment with a
noun professional specialist in three week's time.
arthritis a disease that causes the joints to become My grandmother can't knit anymore
noun swollen and crippled because the arthritis in her hands is so
bad.
asthma (attack) a condition that causes a blockage of the I carry an inhaler when I run because I
noun airway and makes it difficult for a person to have asthma.
breathe
 Word Meaning Example sentence
part of speech
bedsore wounds that develop on a patient's body from lying in If you don't get up and take a walk, you will develop
noun one place for too long painful bedsores.

benign not harmful (not cancerous) We're hoping that the tests will show that the lump in
adj your breast is benign.

biopsy removal of human tissue in order to conduct certain The biopsy ruled out a number of illnesses.
noun medical tests

blood count the amount of red and white blood cells a person has You will be happy to know that your blood count is
noun almost back to normal.

blood donor a person who gives blood to a blood bank or other Blood donors have to answer questions about their
noun person medical history.

blood pressure the rate at which blood flows through the body High blood pressure puts you at risk of having a
noun (high/low) heart attack.

brace a device that holds injured body parts in place You will probably always have to wear a brace on
noun your ankle when you jog.

breech position of an unborn baby in which the We thought it was going to be a breech birth,
adj feet are down and the head is up but the baby turned himself around.

broken a bone that is divided in two or more pieces as a We thought it was just a sprain, but it turned out his
adj result of an injury leg was broken.

bruise noun injured body tissue that is visible The woman was badly bruised when she
bruised adj underneath the skin came into the emergency room.
Caesarean section, C-section procedure that involves removing a baby from its The baby was so large that we had to
mother through an incision in the woman's
noun lower abdomen
perform a Caesarean section.

cancer disease caused by the uncontrollable growth of cells There are many different options when it comes to
noun treating cancer.

cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) restoring a person's breath and circulation You saved your brother's life by performing CPR.
noun

cast a hard bandage that is wrapped around a broken My leg was in a cast for graduation.
noun bone to keep it in place

chapel, chapeline a place where loved ones can go to pray for a If you want a place to pray, the chapel is
noun patient's recovery; on the third floor.
a priest who visits patients in the hospital
 chemotherapy type of treatment used on cancer patients My mother has already had three rounds of
noun chemotherapy.

chickenpox a virus commonly contracted by children, characterized by itchy It is best to get chickenpox as a child so that
noun spots all over the body you don't get it worse as an adult.

coroner a person who determines the cause of death after a person We only call the coroner if we think a death is
noun dies suspicious.

critical condition requiring immediate and constant medical attention You can't see her right now; she's in critical
noun condition.

crutches objects that people with injured legs or feet use to help them I'd rather hop on one foot than use crutches.
noun walk

cyst a sac in the body-tissue filled with fluid (sometimes diseased) We're going to remove the cysts just to be on
noun the safe side.

deaf unable to hear The accident left the patient both deaf and
adj blind.

deficiency a lack of something necessary for one's health The tests show that you have an iron
noun deficiency.

dehydrated in need of water It is easy for the elderly to become dehydrated

adj in this heat.

dementia loss of mental capacity It is hard to watch a loved one suffering with
noun dementia.

diabetes type of disease typically involving insulin deficiency People with diabetes have to constantly check
noun their blood sugar levels.

diagnosis medical explanation of an illness or condition The doctor would prefer to share the
noun diagnosis with the patient himself.

discomfort experiencing pain This pain medication should relieve some of

noun your discomfort.

disease a medical disorder that is harmful to a person's health I understand that this disease runs in your
noun family.

dislocated when a bone is temporarily separated from its joint You will have to wear a sling because of your
adj dislocated shoulder.

emergency a medical problem that needs immediate attention It is important that children know which number
noun to dial in case of an emergency.

ER (emergency room) the hospital room used for treating patients with immediate and The child was rushed into the ER after he had
noun life-threatening injuries a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting.

external on the outside This cream is for external use only. Do not get
adj it near your ears, eyes, or mouth.
 family history medical background of a person's family The doctor was concerned about
noun members my family history of skin cancer.
fatal causing death The doctor made a fatal error
adj when he wrote the wrong
prescription.
fever noun higher than normal body temperature He is very feverish, and his
feverish adj temperature is near danger point.
flu (influenza) many types of respiratory or intestinal People who have the flu should
noun infections passed on through a virus not visit hospital patients.
fracture noun broken or cracked bone Your wrist is fractured and needs
fractured adj a cast.
germ a micro-organism, especially one that Flowers are not allowed in the
noun causes disease ward to avoid the risk of germs
being brought in.
genetic a medical condition or physical feature The disease is part genetic and
adj that is passed on in the family part environmental.
growth a ball of tissue that grows bigger than That growth on your shoulder is
noun normal, either on or under the skin starting to worry me.
heart attack instance in which blood stops pumping People who smoke are at greater
noun through the heart risk of having a heart attack.
HIV the virus that infects the human T-cells HIV can be passed down from the
noun and leads to AIDS mother to her fetus.
hives bumps that appear on the surface of the I broke out in hives after I ate that
noun skin during an allergic reaction potato casserole.
illness noun general term for any condition that Her illness went away when she
ill adj makes a person feel sick for a certain started eating better.
period of time
immune system the parts of the body that fight diseases, You can't have visitors because
noun infections, and viruses your immune system is low.
immunization noun an injection that protects against a Babies are immunized three
 incision cut in the body made during surgery I had to have stitches to close the
noun incision.

inconclusive unclear We have to do more x-rays because

adj the first ones were inconclusive.

infant young baby The nurse will demonstrate how to

noun bathe an infant.

infection noun diseased area of the body (viral or bacterial) The wound should be covered when
infected adj you swim to prevent it from becoming
infected.
inflamed appearance (red and swollen) of an injured body My right ankle was so inflamed it was
adj part twice the size of my left one.

injury damage to the body Her injuries were minor; just a few
noun cuts and bruises.

intensive care unit (ICU) section of the hospital where patients get She will remain in the ICU until she
noun constant attention and doctors rely on specialized can breathe on her own.
equipment
internal under the skin, inside the organs The doctors will be monitoring her for
adj any internal bleeding.

itchy feeling discomfort on the skin's surface If you are allergic to this medication
adj your skin will get red and itchy.

IV a tube that pumps liquids and medication into a The toddler was so dehydrated that the
noun patient's body doctor decided to get him on an IV.

lab results tests that come back from a laboratory and help The lab results have come in and you
noun doctors make a diagnosis are free to go home.
 lab (laboratory) place where samples of blood/urine etc. I'll take these samples down to the lab on
noun are taken for testing my way out.
life support a machine that keeps patients alive by The woman has severe brain damage
noun helping them breathe and is currently on life support.
life-threatening when injuries and conditions are The victim was shot in two places but the
adj extremely serious bullet wounds are not life-threatening.
light-headed feeling of dizziness and being off- If you are feeling light-headed again, lie
adj balance, caused by lack of oxygen in the down and call me.
brain
malignant expected to grow and get much worse I'm afraid at least one of the tumours is
adj (especially related to cancerous cells) malignant.
medical school (med. school) place where someone trains to be a After eight years of medical school I can
noun doctor finally practice medicine.
Newborn noun an infant that is less than three months You have to support her neck because
Stillborn noun old she is still a newborn.
An infant that was born without life.
numb no feeling in a certain body part The needle will make your lower body
adj feel numb.
OR (operating room) the place where major surgeries and You must wear a face mask and gloves
noun operations take place while you are in the OR.
operation noun a medical procedure that involves going The operation lasted seven hours, but it
operate on verb inside a person's body in an attempt to fix was successful.
a problem
pain strong discomfort in certain areas of the We gave your husband some medicine to
noun body relieve some of the pain.
pain killer, pain reliever type of medicine that takes away some You can take two pain killers every four
noun or all of the discomfort of an illness or hours.
injury
paralyzed unable to move certain areas of the body We thought her legs were paralyzed for
adj life, but she is learning how to walk.
patient a person staying in a hospital or medical The patients in Room 4 are not getting
 pharmacist a person who fills a doctor's prescription Ask the pharmacist if there is a generic
noun and gives people advice about brand of this medication.
medication
pharmacy, drugstore a place where people go to buy You should be able to buy a bandage at
noun medication and other medical supplies the pharmacy.

physician doctor Ask your family physician to refer you

noun to a specialist.

poison noun a substance that is very dangerous if it The child was bitten by a poisonous
poisonous adj enters the human body snake.

prenatal of the time period leading up to giving The woman was well prepared for labour
adj birth because she took the prenatal classes.

prescription noun the correct amount and type of You will need to visit your doctor to get
prescribe verb medication needed to cure an illness or another prescription.
relieve symptoms
privacy noun being alone; personal (eg test results) You will have to pay for a private
private adj hospital room if you don't want a room-
mate.
radiation high energy X-rays that destroy cancer If the radiation doesn't kill all of the
noun cells abnormal cells, the cancer will come
back.
residency part of a doctor's training that takes John is a resident under Dr Brown.
resident place in the hospital;
noun a student working under a doctor

routine check-up a doctor's appointment to check a I'd like to see you a year from now for a
noun person's general health routine check-up.

scrubs plain uniform (usually green, white, or I have some extra scrubs in my locker.
noun blue) worn by medical professionals
 scrub up carefully wash hands before and after I have to scrub up and get ready for
verb seeing a patient surgery.
second opinion input from a second doctor about an I went to another doctor to get a second
noun illness or symptom opinion about these headaches.
seizure sudden violent movements or People who suffer from epilepsy are
noun unconsciousness caused by electrical prone to seizures.
signal malfunction in the brain
shock body not getting enough blood flow The woman was in shock after being
noun pulled from the river.
side effects other symptoms that might occur as a One of the side effects of
noun result of a certain medication or antidepressants is a loss of appetite.
procedure
sore painful I have a sore throat and a runny nose.
adj
spasm the uncontrollable tightening of a muscle Ever since I injured my leg I've been
noun having muscle spasms in my upper
thigh.
specialist a doctor that is an expert in a certain kind My family doctor is sending me to a
noun of medicine specialist.
sprain an injury (less serious than a break) to a I sprained my knee playing soccer.
noun/verb joint (ankle, wrist, knee etc)
stable condition a patient is stable if their medical You can see your husband now; he is in a
noun condition is no longer changing rapidly stable condition.
sting sharp, temporary pain It may sting when I insert the needle.
noun/verb
stress noun worry that causes muscles to tighten and You need to take some time off work and
stressed adj blood pressure to rise relieve some of your stress.
swelling noun ligaments (parts that hold the joints I knew my ankle was sprained because it
swollen adj together) growing bigger and rounder was so swollen.
after an injury to a joint
 symptoms pain or physical changes that occur You have all of the symptoms of a
noun because of an illness or disease diabetic.

temperature amount of heat measured in a body; We brought Jesse to emergency

noun higher than normal temperature because he was running a (high)
temperature.
tender painful when touched or used The incision was tender after the
adj surgery.

test results medical information that helps doctors The test results came back negative.
noun understand a patient's condition or body You aren't pregnant.

therapy treatment aimed at improving a I was able to go back to work a few

noun person's mental or physical condition weeks after starting the therapy.

transplant moving of an organ from one human to The heart transplant saved your life.
noun another

ultrasound a test that examines the body's internal The ultrasound shows that we are
noun organs and processes using sound expecting a baby boy.
waves (often used during pregnancies)

umbilical cord the lifeline from the mother to the fetus I had an emergency C-section because
noun (when cut at birth this forms the belly the umbilical cord was wrapped
button) around the baby's neck.
unconscious alive, but appearing to be asleep and I hit my head on the steering wheel and
adj unaware of the surroundings was still unconscious when the
ambulance arrived.
urine sample a small amount of the body's liquid The urine sample tells us how much
noun waste that is tested for different medical alcohol is in your blood.
reasons
vein the thin tubes that transport blood I'm just looking for the best vein in
noun around the body and back to the heart which to insert the needle.
 vein the thin tubes that transport blood I'm just looking for the best vein in
noun around the body and back to the which to insert the needle.
heart

virus a dangerous organism that causes The virus is contractible through

noun the spread of minor and major the exchange of bodily fluids.
diseases

visiting hours time of day when friends and I'm afraid you'll have to come back
noun family are allowed to visit patients during visiting hours.
in hospital

vomit discharge of a person stomach The pregnant woman can't stop

noun/verb contents through the mouth vomiting.

ward a section of a hospital or health I should warn you that we're

noun facility where patients stay entering the mental health ward.

wheelchair a chair on wheels used for If you get in the wheelchair I'll
noun transporting patients from place to take you down to see the garden.
place

wound noun injury to body ("flesh wound" The wounded soldiers are being
wounded adj means not deep) airlifted to the hospital.

x-ray a photograph of a person's bones The technician took x-rays of my

noun/verb and organs shoulder to make sure it wasn't
broken.
 Two word verbs for medicine
Bring up: Vomit /be sick
My little girl was coughing so much, she brought up some yellowish
phlegm
Build up: Increase
I´ve been having headaches – the tension builds up, and I feel as though
my head is going to explode
Blow up: Swell
You say your stomach blows up after meals- you have a bloating feeling –
is that right?
Clear up: Heal
The eczema seems to have cleared up, the hydrocortisone must have
done the trick.
Clog up: Block
His ears are a little clogged up with wax, which is why he´s been having
problems hearing recently.
 Two word verbs for medicine

Ease up: Improve

You´ll probably find the pain will easy up when you lie down and relax
Flare up: Erupt, get worse
Doctor, the rash has flared up again. I was wondering if I could have a
prescription for some of that cream I had last time
Tighten up: Become tighter
Mr. Singh says her chest has tightened up, she´s also having difficulty
breathing.
Throw up: Vomit/ be sick
He threw up last night, he must have eaten something that disagreed with
him.
Shoot up: Rise dramatically, Inject
The pain just shoots up my arm, I don’t know what have I done.
 Two word verbs for medicine

Sum up:Recall, sumarize.

So, I´d like to sum up your history briefly to make sure I have all correct.
Puff up: Swell
Kieran´s eyes keep puffing up – I think he´s got conjunctivitis again.
Play up: Cause a problem
Dad says his arthritis is playing up again, he has had a lot of pain in his joints.
Dry up: Dehydrate
Every winter, my face really seems to dry up, especially my forehead – the
skin is all flaky
Cough up: Eject from the lungs by coughing
The patient cough up a little bit of blood this morning, but seems fine now.
 Prescription

All prescriptions contain the same information. The script begins with a letterhead at
the top identifying the name, address and contact number of the prescribing doctor.
This is important in case your pharmacist needs to contact them to clarify what's
written.
In the middle of the prescription is where the actual order for medications is located
in an abbreviated shorthand. It starts with the name of the drug, the dose of the
drug, a unit of measurement, the route to give it, how often to give it, and for how
long. Using a example: A prescription for arthritis joint pain: the order is for a pain-
killer called Voltaren, at a dose of 75 milligrams, given by mouth, once a day, for one
week - see how much easier it is to write in shorthand.
A prescription is a legal document which entitles the bearer access to controlled
substances. This is designed to protect us from medicines that could be hazardous to
use without direction.
Common Prescription Abbreviation Terms

od once a day
hs once nightly
bid twice a day
tid three times a day
qid four times a day
po taken by mouth
IM/IV by injection
ac before meals
nocte at night
prn as needed
stat right away
Past medical history (PMH)

Is the information regarding the patient´s previous health prior to the

presenting complaint.
Involves:
• past illnesses
• childhood illnesses (mumps, measles, chicken pox, etc)
• immunization
• surgical procedures
• accidents and injuries
• pregnancies (for women)
• allergies (including food, medication, over-the counter medication, hay
fever treatments, etc)
• medication (traditional and alternative medicine). A

Student doctors are encouraged to practice taking a complete PMH when

they begin their clinical training so as not to miss important information.
Family History

Obtaining a history of the patient’s family members (generally three

generations) is important for two reasons. Firstly the patient may be
suffering from a genetically determined disease (e.g. hypertension,
diabetes, coronary artery disease, rheumatoid arthritis, colon/breast
cancer) or single gene disorder (e.g. familial hypercholesterolemia,
sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis). Secondly, the patient´s concerns
about his/her presenting complaint may be related to the experience
of other family members (someone in the family had similar
symptoms and was diagnosed with cancer, for example). It is equally
important to explain the significance of taking a family history by
asking Is there a family history of …?
Patient´s Note

The patient note is a record of each encounter carried out by the patient´s
GP and/or specialist and, it should be remembered, is a legal document
that must be signed and dated each time it is updated. (In the UK, Ireland,
US the patient has the right to see his/her patient note if he/she wishes).
There is a particular layout that should be adhered to for ease of access
and the content should clearly communicate the history and physical
examination carried out on the patient, facilitating clinical reasoning and
conveying essential information to other consultants and healthcare
providers. The patient note can also include diagrams which serve to
indicate information regarding the findings of the physical examination.
Only relevant points should be included on a patient note.
 Standard Medical Abbreviations

 GP – General Practitioner – family practice FH – family history

 PUO – Pyrexia of unknown origin = FUO – Fever of W – white
unknown origin ETOH – alcohol
 HTN – Hypertension
ICU – intensive care unit
 M – Male
 F- Female
c/o - complaining of
 b – Black PC – Present complaint
 yo – years old HPC – History of presenting complaint
 Neuro – Neurologic DM – Dystrophia myotonica (muscle easting
 cig – cigarettes disease)
 CXR – Chest X-rays IHD – Ischemic Heart Disease
 PMH – Past medical history Ep – Emergency procedure
 MRI – Magnetic Resonance imaging
An – anisometrophia
 Abd – Abdomen
FH – Family History
 r – right
 l – left
A & W - Alive And Well
 GI – gastrointestinal DH – Drug History
 h/o – history of NKDA – No known drug allergies
Social H – Social History