1. “I HEAR AND I FORGET, I SEE AND I REMEMBER, I DO AND I UNDERSTAND!”

2. CHAPTER 1 Medical Term Book INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

3. WORD PARTS ARE THE KEY  Important to understand how word parts work together to form medical terms  Rules for using word parts, like learning math  Learn the rules & follow them to make Medical Terminology easier

4. 3 TYPES OF WORD PARTS 1. Word Roots (Combining Forms)  Combining Vowels 2. Suffixes  Suffixes meaning “pertaining to”  As noun endings  Suffixes meaning “abnormal condition”  Suffixes related to pathology  Suffixes related to procedure  Double RR’s 3. Prefixes  Contrasting and Confusing Prefixes

5. WORD ROOTS CContain the basic meaning of the term UUsually, but not always, indicate the involved body part MMost of them are specific to body systems AAct as the foundation of most medical terms LLearning roots now will make studying future chapters a little easier AA SINGLE WORD ROOT (COMBINING FORM) CANNOT STAND ALONE. A SUFFIX MUST BE ADDED TO COMPLETE THE TERM

6. WORD ROOTS – combining vowels  May be needed between the word roots and suffix to make the medical terms easier to pronounce  The letter “O” is the most commonly used combining vowel  THE RULES FOR THE USE OF COMBINING VOWELS APPLY WHEN ADDING A SUFFIX. THESE RULES ARE EXPLAINED IN TABLE 1.3

7. SUFFIXES  Usually, but not always indicate the procedure, condition, disorder, or disease  Added to the end of a word root to complete the term Tonsillitis = inflammation of the tonsils  Tonsill/o: (means tonsils)  -itis: (means inflammation) Tonsillectomy = the surgical removal of the tonsils  Tonsil/o: (means tonsils)  -ectomy: (means surgical removal)

8. SUFFIXES MEANING “PERTAINING TO” SSome suffixes complete the term by changing the word root into an adjective (a word that describes a noun) Cardiac = pertaining to the heart CCardi/o: (means heart) --ac: (means pertaining to) SSEE APPENDIX A FOR A LIST OF THIS TYPE OF SUFFIX

9. SUFFIXES – as noun endings SSome suffixes complete the term by changing the word root into a noun (a word that is the name of a person, place, or thing) Cranium = the portion of the skull that encloses the brain CCrani: (means skull) --um: (is a noun ending suffix) SSEE APPENDIX A FOR A LIST OF THIS TYPE OF SUFFIX

10. SUFFIXES MEANING “ABNORMAL CONDITION” SSome suffixes have a general meaning of “abnormal condition or disease” Gastrosis = any disease of the stomach GGastr/o: (means stomach) --osis: (means abnormal condition or disease) SSEE APPENDIX A FOR A LIST OF THIS TYPE OF SUFFIX

11. SUFFIXES RELATED TO PATHOLOGY  Pathology means the study of disease and these suffixes describe specific disease conditions Gastralgia = means pain in the stomach  Gastr/o: (means stomach)  -algia: (means pain and suffering)

12. SUFFIXES RELATED TO PROCEDURE  These suffixes identify a procedure that is performed on the body part identified by the word root Abdominocentesis = the surgical puncture of the abdominal cavity to remove fluid  Abdomin/o: (means abdomen)  -centesis: (means surgical procedure to remove fluid)

13. PROCEDURAL SUFFIXES -centesis -graphy -gram -plasty -scopy

14. DOUBLE RR’s TThese suffixes are particularly confusing because there are several “look-a-likes” Hemorrhage = means the loss of a large amount of blood in a short time HHem/o: (means blood) --rrhage: (means bursting forth) RREFER TO YOUR APPENDIX A FOR A COMPLETE LIST

15. PREFIXES  Usually, not always, indicate location, time, number, or status Added to the beginning of a word to change the meaning of that term  WHEN A PREFIX IS NECESSARY, IT IS ALWAYS PLACED AT THE BEGINNNING OF THE WORD  Watch how changing the prefix of a term, changes the meaning of the term completely Prenatal = means the time and events before birth  Pre-: means before  -nat: means birth  -al: means pertaining to Perinatal = refers to the time and events surrounding birth  Peri-: means surrounding  -nat: means birth  -al: means pertaining to Postnatal = means the time and events after birth  Post-: means after  -nat: means birth  -al: means pertaining to

16. CONTRASTING AND CONFUSING PREFIXES  Some prefixes are confusing because they are similar in spelling but opposite in meaning ab - away fromad – towards hyper – abovehypo - below

17. DETERMINING MEANINGS BASED ON WORD PARTS OOnce you have learned the meaning of the word parts, you will be able to figure out the definition of an unfamiliar medical term OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY

18. TAKING TERMS APART  To determine a word’s meaning by looking at the pieces, first separate it into word parts  otorhinolaryngology word root 1 = ot/o: (means ear) combining vowel 1 “O” used because ot/o is joining another word root word root 2 = rhin/o: (means nose) combining vowel 2 “O” used because rhin/o is joining another word root word root 3 = laryng/o: (means larynx and throat)  *note there is not a combining vowel used because the laryng/o is joining a suffix that begins with a vowel suffix = -ology: (means the study of)  otorhinolaryngology: the study of the ears, nose, and throat

19. MEDICAL DICTIONARY USE  Learning to use a medical dictionary is an important part of mastering the correct use of medical terms  Guessing at Meanings Using your medical term knowledge to guess at the meanings of medical terms is sometimes effective, but guesses must always be checked for accuracy look up the word “lithotomy” means a surgical incision for the removal of a stone  lith/o: (means stone)  -otomy: (means surgical incision)  HOWEVER – Lithotomy is also the name of an exam position in which the patient is lying on her back with the feet and legs raised and supported in stirrups  If You Know How to Spell the Word Start with the first letter of the word Start in the appropriate section of the dictionary Alphabetically look for words that start with the first and second letters of the word you are researching Check for correct spelling, terms can have similar spellings but very different meanings Check all definitions  If You Do Not Know How to Spell the Word Listen carefully to the term and write it down If you cannot find your word based on your spelling, start looking for alternative spellings based on the beginning sound  Med dictionaries use categories such as Diseases and Syndromes to group disorders with these terms in their titles i.e. Fetal alcohol syndrome would be found under Syndrome, fetal alcohol

20. PRONUNCIATION  A medical term is easier to understand and remember when you know how to pronounce it properly sounds-like pronunciation system: edema (eh-DEE-mah) = means excess fluid in body tissues, causing swelling

21.  A Word of Caution frequently, there is more than one correct way to pronounce a medical term  Spelling is Always Important accuracy in spelling medical terms is extremely important changing one or two letters can completely change the meaning of the word – and the difference literally could be a matter of life or death for the patient Look-a-like Sound–a-Like Terms at end of chapter to help become aware of some frequently confused terms  Using Abbreviations Abbreviations are frequently used as a shorthand way to record long and complex medical terms See Appendix A for list  Singular and Plural Endings Many medical terms have Greek or Latin origins. As a result there are unusual rules for changing a singular word into a plural form