Course Description
Medical Terminology ●
Course Outcomes
At the end of the course, student will understand terms related to anatomy,
physiology, diseases, diagnosis, therapeutic, and instruments in medical
application. Student will
● apply the word-building process for the various word building systems, rules
of pronunciation, prefixes, and suffixes related to medical application;
● define terms referring to medicine and identify some pharmacological terms
and the classification, manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases as
well as terms referring to the practice of medicine and health related
profession;
● give examples of terms referring to pathological processes and distinguish
manifestations, allergy, and disorders of growth and blood circulations;
● identify terms referring to certain infectious diseases
● identify terms referring to diseases of the different body systems;
Medical Terminology
Deals with various medical nomenclatures and their usage as applied to specific
systems, disease processes, and injuries.
● A word-building system is introduced to include principal medical root word, terms
referring to some general aspects of the practice of medicine and its allied profession,
medical terms referring to certain general pathological processes, infective diseases,
diseases of various systems of the body, obstetric terms, and terms related to medical
instruments and equipment.
● This also includes an orientation to understanding radiographic orders and diagnostic
report interpretation.
Course Outcomes
At the end of the course, student will understand terms related to anatomy,
physiology, diseases, diagnosis, therapeutic, and instruments in medical
application. Student will
● categorize terms referring to other types of diseases;
● interpret medical abbreviations and symbols;
● critique orders, requests and diagnostic reports;
● define medical imaging and radiation oncology terms; and
● distinguish terms referring to various medical instruments and equipment
categorizing them according to its application.
Course Contents
I. Principal Medical Root Word References:
II. Terms Referring to Some General Aspects of Medicine, Medical Terminology and the Practice of
Medicine and its Allied Profession Medical Terminology Systems, A Body Approach Sixth Edition,
III. Medical Terms Referring to Certain General Pathological Processes Barbara Gylys, Mary Ellen Wedding,
IV. Medical Terms Referring to Certain Infectious Diseases
V. Medical Terms Referring to Diseases of Various Systems of the Body and Obstetric Terms
VI. Medical Terms Referring to Certain Other Types of Disease
Medical Terminology, 7th Edition, Barbara Janson Cohen and Ann
DePetris
VII. Radiologic Technology Procedures and Terminology
VIII. Medical Abbreviations and Symbols
IX. Understanding Orders, Requests and Diagnostic Reports
X. Medical Instruments and Equipment

The Importance of Medical Terminology in the Healthcare Field

What is Medical terminology?
Medical terminology is the study of terms that are used in
the art and science of medicine for effective and accurate
communication.
Because of advances in scientific computerized
technology, many new terms are coined daily; however,
most of these terms are composed of word parts that have
their origins in ancient Greek or Latin.
Speaking the Standardized “Language of Medicine”
● Medical terminology allows all medical professionals to understand
each other and communicate effectively. When everyone
understands what a condition, medicine, or procedure is, they are
able to fulfill their roles accordingly.
Improved Patient Safety.
● Quality communication among all members of a healthcare team
improves patient safety by reducing the number of mistakes.
 Rules of pronunciation
I. Principal Medical Root Word Here are rules regarding certain letter combinations and special sounds attributed to letters
based on their placement in a medical word:
1. Rules of pronunciation 1. For ae and oe, only the second vowel is pronounced.
Examples are bursae, pleurae, and roentgen.
2. Medical words, prefixes, suffixes, and root word
2. The soft sound of s and j are given to c and g, respectively, before e, i,
3. Building medical vocabulary and y in words of Greek or Latin origin.
Examples are cerebrum, circumcision, cycle, gel, gingivitis, gian.
4. Root words for each system 3. Before other letters, c and g have a hard sound.
Examples are cardiac, cast, gastric, and gonad.
4. The letters ch are sometimes pronounced like k.
Examples are cholesterol, cholera,

Rules of pronunciation Rules of pronunciation

5. When pn appears at the beginning of a word, p is silent and only n is
pronounced.
Examples are pneumonia and pneumotoxin.
6. When pn appears in the middle of a word, p and n are pronounced.
8. When forming the final letter(s) of a word, e and es are commonly
pronounced as separate syllables.
Examples are syncope, systole, and nares.

Examples are orthopnea and hyperpnea. 9. When i appears at the end of a word (to form a plural), it is pronounced
eye.
7. When ps appears at the beginning of a word, p is silent and only s is
pronounced. Examples are bronchi, fungi, and nuclei.

Examples are psychology and psychosis.

Pronunciation Marks
Diacritical marks and capitalization are used to aid pronunciations throughout the
Pronunciation Marks
text.

Diacritical marks used to show vowel sounds, and capitalization is used to show
emphasis.

Diacritical marks are symbols placed above or under vowels. They show vowel
sounds.

Two diacritical marks are used: the macron (¯) and the breve (˘).

Medical Word Elements

● Word Roots
● Combining Forms
● Suffixes
● Prefixes
Assignment 1: Assignment 1:
1. List at least 50 common medical root words. Provide the definition or meaning 3. Select 10 medical suffixes and provide their definitions.
for each root word.
Include examples of medical terms that incorporate these suffixes.
2. Choose 10 medical prefixes and define each one.Provide examples of
medical terms that use these prefixes. For example:

For example: Suffix: "-itis"

Prefix: "Sub-" Definition: Inflammation

Definition: Below, under Example: Arthritis (inflammation of the joints)

Example: Subcutaneous (under the skin)