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Med Term Ch2
Question | Answer |
---|---|
acute | it just started recently or is a sharp, severe symptom |
chronic | it has been going on for a while now |
exacerbation | it is getting worse |
abrupt | all of a sudden |
febrile | to have a fever |
afebrile | to not have a fever |
malaise | not feeling well |
progressive | more and more each day |
symptom | something a patient feels |
noncontributory | not related to this specific problem |
lethargic | a decrease in level of consciousness; in a medical record, this is generally an indication that the patient is really sick |
genetic/hereditary | it runs in the family |
alert | able to answer questions; responsive; interactive |
oriented | being aware of who he or she is, where he or she is, and the current time; a patient who is aware of all 3 is "oriented 3" |
marked | it really stands out |
unremarkable | another way of saying normal |
auscultation | to listen |
percussion | to hit something and listen to the resulting sound or feel for the resulting vibration; drums are a percussion instrument |
palpation | to feel |
impression | another way of saying assessment |
diagnosis | what the health care professional thinks the patient has |
differential diagnosis | a list of conditions the patient may have based on the symptoms exhibited and the results of the exam |
benign | safe |
malignant | dangerous; a problem |
degeneration | to be getting worse |
remission | to get better or improve; most often used when discussing cancer; remission does not mean cure |
idiopathic | no known specific cause; it just happens |
localized | stays in a certain part of body |
systemics/generalized | all of body (or most of it) |
prognosis | the chances for things getting better or worse |
occult | hidden |
lesion | diseased tissue |
recurrent | to have again |
sequela | a problem resulting from a disease or injury |
pending | waiting for |
pathogen | the organism that causes the problem |
morbidity | the risk for being sick |
mortality | the risk for dying |
etiology | the cause |
disposition | what happened to the patient at the end of the visit; often used at the end of ED notes to reference where the patient went after the visit, (home, ICU, hospital bed) |
discharge | literally, to unload, 1. send home 2. fluid coming out of a part of the body |
palliative | treating the symptoms, but not actually getting rid of the cause |
observation | watch, keep an eye on |
reassurance | to tell the patient that the problem is not serious or dangerous |
supportive care | to treat the symptoms and make the patient feel better |
sterile | extremely clean, germ free conditions; especially important during medical procedures and surgery |
prophylaxis | preventive treatment |
proximal | closer in to the center |
distal | farther away from the center |
lateral | out to the side |
medial | toward the middle |
ventral/antral/anterior | the front |
dorsal/posterior | the back |
cranial | toward the top |
caudal | toward the bottom |
superior | above |
inferior | below |
prone | lying down on belly |
supine | lying down on back |
contralateral | opposite side |
ipsilateral | same side |
unilateral | one side |
bilateral | both sides |
dorsum | the top of the hand or foot |
plantar | the sole of the foot |
palmar | the palm of the hand |
sagittal | divides the body along a hypothetical plane from right to left |
coronal | divides the body along a hypothetical plane from front to back |
transverse | divides the body from top to bottom |
physician | a skilled health care provider who attended and graduated medical school. There are two types who practice in America: medical doctor (MD) and doctor of osteopathy (DO) |
pediatrician | a physician with special training in caring for children |
surgeon | a physician qualified to treat patients surgically, that is, by means of operation or invasive procedure |
anesthesiologist | a physician with special training in pain sedation and pain control |
epidemiologist | a specialist in the study of the causes and distribution of diseases in populations and the use of this data to enhance public health |
physician assistant (PA) | a midlevel health care provider who works under the license of a supervising physician; requires postgraduate training |
nurse practitioner (NP) | a nurse with postgraduate training that serves as a midlevel health care provider; works under the license of a supervising physician |
emergency medical technician (EMT) | specially trained in the emergency care of a patient before and/or during transport to a medical facility |
speech therapist | specially trained in evaluating and treating problems with speech and/or swallowing |
occupational therapist | specially trained in evaluating and treating problems with performing daily activities at home, school, or work |
physical therapist | specially trained in evaluating and treating physical impairments including disabilities or recovery from an injury |
respiratory therapist | specially trained in treating patient's respiratory issues under the guidance of a health care provider |
dietician | specially trained in evaluating the nutritional status of a patient and developing an appropriate diet plan |
licensed practical nurse (LPN) | trained and certified to provide basic care to a patient |
licensed vocational nurse (LVN) | trained and certified to provide basic care to a patient |
registered nurse (RN) | an advanced level nurse who has completed an associate's or bachelor's degree; often assists with patient care planning and patient education |
medical assistant | trained to carry out basic administrative and clinical tasks under the guidance of a health care provider |
pathologist | a physician with special training in both evaluating the causes and effects of disease and in laboratory medicine |
medical laboratory technician | trained in performing laboratory testing on bodily fluids |
phlebotomist | trained in the removal of blood from the body for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes |
radiologist | a physician specially trained in evaluating images of the body to diagnose illness or injury |
radiology technician | trained to perform radiologic testing or administer radiation therapy under the direction of a health care provider |
ultrasonographer | trained in performing ultrasound imaging on a patient |
pharmacist | trained and licensed in preparing and dispensing medicine |
pharmacy technician | trained to assist a pharmacist with pharmacy-related tasks |
patient service coordinator | handles administrative tasks and coordinates patient care |
medical transcriptionist | trained in converting the voice-recorded dictations of health care providers into text format |
chief complaint | the main reason for the patients visit |
history of present illness | the story of the patients problem |
review of systems | description of individual body systems in order to discover any symptoms not directly related to the main problem |
past medical history | other significant past illnesses, like high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes |
past surgical history | any of the patients past surgeries |
family history | any significant illnesses that run in the patients family |
social history | a record of habits like smoking drinking, drug abuse, and sexual practices that can impact health |
CCU | coronary care unit |
ECU | emergency care unit |
ER | emergency room |
ED | emergency department |
ICU | intensive care unit |
PICU | pediatric intensive care unit |
NICU | neonatal intensive care unit |
SICU | surgical intensive care unit |
PACU | post-anesthesia care unit |
L&D | labor and delivery |
OR | operating room |
post-op | after surgery |
pre-op | before surgery |
VS | vital signs |
T | temperature |
BP | blood pressure |
HR | heart rate |
RR | respiratory rate |
Ht | height |
Wt | weight |
BMI | body mass index |
I/O | intake/output: the amount of fluids a patient has taken in (by IV or mouth) and produced (usually just urine output) |
Dx | diagnosis |
DDx | differential diagnosis |
Tx | treatment |
Rx | prescription |
H&P | history and physical |
Hx | history |
CC | chief complaint |
HPI | history of present illness |
ROS | review of systems |
PMHx | past medical history |
FHx | family history |
NKDA | no known drug allergies |
PE | physical exam |
Pt | patient |
y/o | years old |
h/o | history of |
PCP | primary care provider |
f/u | follow up |
SOB (SOA) | shortness of breath (shortness of air) |
HEENT | head, eyes, ears, nose. throat |
PERRLA | pupils are equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation |
NAD | no acute distress (the patient does not display any intense symptoms) |
CV | cardiovascular |
RRR | regular rate and rhythm |
CTA | clear to auscultation (description of normal-sounding lungs) |
WDWN | well developed, well nourished (the patient is growing or has grown appropriately and does not appear to be malnourished) |
A&O | alert and oriented |
WNL | within normal limits |
NOS | not otherwise specified |
NEC | not elsewhere classified |
PO | per os (by mouth) |
NPO | nil per os (nothing by mouth) |
PR | per rectum |
IM | intramuscular |
SC | subcutaneous |
IV | intravenous |
CVL | central venous line |
PICC | peripherally inserted central catheter |
Sig | instructions short for signa, from Latin, for "label" |
BID | twice daily (bis in die) |
TID | three times daily (ter in die) |
Q | every x |
QD* | daily (quaque die) |
QID* | four times daily (quater in die) |
QHS | at night (quaque hora somni) |
AC | before meals (ante cibum) |
PC | after meals (post cibum) |
prn | as needed (per re nata) |
ad lib | as desired |