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The use of certain abbreviations can be dangerous and lead to patient injury or death. Examples of error-prone medical abbreviations include: IU (international unit): may be confused with “IV” (intravenous) µg (microgram): may be confused with mg (milligram) U (unit): may be mistaken for “0” (zero), increasing the dose tenfold.
Medical Dictionary. Search medical terms and abbreviations with the most up-to-date and comprehensive medical dictionary from the reference experts at Merriam-Webster. Master today's medical vocabulary. Become an informed health-care consumer!
ESR. erythrocyte sedimentation rate (a type of blood test used to help diagnose conditions associated with inflammation) EUA. examination under anaesthetic. FBC. full blood count (a type of blood test) FOBT. faecal occult blood test (a test to check for blood traces in your poo) FIT.
Meaning Origin language and etymology Example(s) a-, an-not, without (alpha privative) Greek ἀ-/ἀν-(a-/an-), not, without analgesic, apathy, anencephaly: ab-from; away from Latin abduction, abdomen: abdomin-of or relating to the abdomen: Latin abdōmen, abdomen, fat around the belly abdomen, abdominal -ac: pertaining to; one afflicted with
CDE: Complete dental (oral) evaluation. cc: Cubic centimeters. For example, the amount of fluid removed from the body is recorded in ccs. Chem panel: Chemistry panel. A comprehensive screening blood test that indicates the status of the liver, kidneys, and electrolytes. CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure.
- Basic Term Structure
- Word Roots
- Prefixes
- Suffixes
Medical terms are composed of these standard word parts: 1. Prefix:When included, the prefix appears at the beginning of a medical term and usually indicates a location, direction, type, quality, or quantity. 2. Root:The root gives a term its essential meaning. Nearly all medical terms contain at least one root. When a prefix is absent, the term be...
A root is the foundational element of any medical term. Roots often indicate a body part or system. Common word roots: Compound Words A medical word may include multiple roots. This frequently occurs when referencing more than one body part or system. For example, cardio-pulmo-nary means pertaining to the heart and lungs; gastro-entero-logy means t...
A prefix modifies the meaning of the word root. It may indicate a location, type, quality, body category, or quantity. Prefixes are optional and do not appear in all medical terms. Common prefixes:
Medical terms always end with a suffix.3The suffix usually indicates a specialty, test, procedure, function, condition/disorder, or status. For example, “itis” means inflammation and “ectomy” means removal. Alternatively, the suffix may simply make the word a noun or adjective. For example, the endings -a, -e, -um, and -us are commonly used to crea...
Jan 9, 2020 · Chronic: A long-developing syndrome or disease, such as osteoporosis or asthma. Comorbidity: Having two or more disorders or diseases at the same time. CT scan: Computed tomography (CT) scan. An imaging method that uses X-rays to create pictures of cross sections of the body.
