Medical Terminology in Health Professions

It is well known that the medical terminology was created to unify the way physicians
communicate with each other. Body parts, systems, tissues, all of them receive particular
names in different languages and cultures, this fact made necessary to develop a set of
standard terms that can be understood by everyone, in order to allow a clear understanding
of the patient’s condition and situations. This would make people who dedicate their lives
to the medical branch able to establish the diagnoses, prognoses and treatments.

Now we live in a hyper-connected and globalized world where information or

misinformation is widely spread. So, to be able to access to the vast universe of medical
knowledge and communicate effectively, it is very important to understand the medical
terminology. This is essential for both, people dedicated to the medical branch and those
who play administrative or supportive roles in a healthcare institution, they must be able to
use the terminology easily in order to perform their works correctly. Avoiding the risk of
miscommunication contributes to the patient’s safety and reduces the number of mistakes
that can develop in a greater problem. For instance, if a physician knows the patient’s full
medical history, including procedures or prior conditions, it helps him to prescribe a safer
and more effective treatment. If someone confuses the terminology, setting or stating a
wrong condition or procedure into the chart, there will be a considerable difference in the
care and nursing the patient will receive. Treatment, if terminology is mistaken or
misunderstood, may be less effective, or in some cases, dangerous.

Although dealing with this terminology may seem complicated, in fact, medical
terminology uses a very logic way to systematize concepts. It uses words, prefixes and
suffixes that often come from Greek or Latin. This makes easier to decode the term by
dividing the word into its morphemes and to determine the meaning of the prefixes or
suffixes, as long as the root word. For this reason, it is also important to have basic
knowledge of etymology in order to be able to understand the meanings without the need of
consulting books or do research. This knowledge must be constructed with constant effort,
study and practice. This is why I find useful the book used for this course. It included a
detailed description of terminology for body structures, tissues, physiology and, of course,
it also has information about diseases, diagnoses and treatments, even in specialized areas
such as nuclear medicine. In the book, everything is shown, described and presented in an
easy way with a colorful design and numerous pages full of exercises. It emphasizes on
working with suffixes and prefixes which makes easier to learn because of the amount of
resources it offers to master this important aspect of medicine.

“La técnica al servicio de la patria”