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Medical Terms
Medical terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Acute | occurs recently, or sharp severe symptoms |
| Chronic | a problem that occurs for a while |
| Abrupt | occurs suddenly |
| Febrile | has a fever |
| Afebrile | does not have a fever |
| Symptom | what the patient feels |
| Noncontributory | patient’s symptom is not related to the current problem |
| Lethargic | a decrease in level of consciousness |
| Genetic/Hereditary | it runs in the family |
| Malaise | not feeling well |
| Progressive | worsening of symptoms |
| Exacerbation | worsening of a condition |
| Alert | patient can answer questions; responsive, interactive |
| Oriented | patient knows who they are, where they are, and what time it is |
| Auscultation | to listen |
| Percussion | to hit or strike and then listen for the sound; the returned sound indicates the condition of the body |
| Palpation | to feel something; how something feels can indicate its condition, be it normal or abnormal |
| Unremarkable | normal |
| Marked | it stands out |
| Impression | another word for assessment |
| Diagnosis | using the subjective and objective data to determine the patient’s condition |
| Differential diagnosis | based on the subjective and objective data, the health care professional cannot yet determine the diagnosis; for example, vague chest pain could lead to a differential diagnosis of pneumonia or a heart condition |
| Benign | not cancerous |
| Malignant | cancerous |
| Degeneration | getting worse |
| Etiology | the cause |
| Idiopathic | no known cause |
| Remission | no longer having the symptoms of a disease; usually used when referring to cancer |
| Recurrent | to have again |
| Morbidity | risk of being sick or diseased |
| Mortality | risk for dying |
| Prognosis | chance of getting better or worse |
| Localized | one area |
| systemic/generalized | over a large area or body system |
| Occult | hidden |
| Pathogen | organism that causes the disease |
| Lesion | diseased tissue |
| Sequela | result of disease or injury; for example, paralysis can be the sequelae of spinal cord injury |
| Pending | waiting for |
| Disposition | where the patient went at the conclusion of the visit. Examples would be home, hospital, or a nursing home |
| Discharge | to send home, fluid coming out of a part of the body |
| Prophylaxis | preventative treatment |
| Palliative | relieve symptoms, but not cure |
| Observation | to watch |
| Reassurance | actions that make the patient feel better |
| Supportive care | treat symptoms to make the patient feel better |
| Sterile | extremely clean, germ-free conditions |
| Anatomical position | a person standing face forward, arms at the side with palms forward |
| Proximal | refers to the attachment to the trunk |
| Distal | used when describing the upper extremities (arms) and lower extremities (legs) |
| Lateral | describes the relationship to the center |
| Medial | describes the relationship to the center |
| Ventral/antral/anterior | all mean front when referring to the human |
| Dorsal/Posterior | all mean back when referring to the human |
| Superior | Above |
| Inferior | Below |
| Cranial | head |
| Caudal | tail |
| Supine | lying on the back; patient is looking up |
| Prone | lying on the belly |
| Ipsilateral | same side |
| contralateral | opposite side |
| Unilateral | one side |
| Bilateral | two sides |
| Plantar | sole of the foot |
| Palmar | palm of the hand |
| Dorsum | top/back of something, such as the hand or foot |
| Coronal plane | divides the body into anterior and posterior sides (front and back) |
| Sagittal plane | divides the body into right and left |
| Transverse plane | divides the body into superior and inferior (top and bottom) |
| Physician | A skilled health care provider who attended and graduated medical school |
| 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 and sedation and pain control |
| 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 |
| Emergency medical technician (EMT) | Specially trained in the emergency care of a patient before and/or during transport to 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 |
| Registered nurse (RN) | 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 | Rained 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 |
| Ultrasonagrapher | 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 task 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 illness, like high blood pressure, asthma, or diabetes |
| Past surgical history | Any of the patients past surgeries |
| Family history | Any significant illness that run in the patient's family |
| Social history | A record of habits like smoking, drinking, drug abuse, and sexual practices that can impact health |
| VS | Vital signs |
| HR | Heart rate |
| RR | Respiratory rate |
| BP | Blood pressure |
| T | Temperature |
| HT | Height |
| WT | Weight |
| BMI | Body mass index |
| I/O | Input/output |
| Dx | Diagnosis |
| DDX | Differential diagnosis |
| Tx | Treatment |
| Rx | Prescription |
| Hx | History |
| PMHx | Past medical history |
| FHx | Family history |
| H&P | History and physical |
| CC | Chief complaint |
| HPI | History of present illness |
| ROS | Review of systems |
| PE | Physical exam |
| PCP | Primary care provider |
| NKDA | No known drug allergies |
| Pt | Patient |
| y/o | Years old |
| h/o | History of |
| PCP | Primary care provider |
| f/u | Follow up |
| PERRLA | Pupils equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation |
| NOS | Not otherwise specified |
| RRR | Regular rate and rhythm |
| CTA | Clear to auscultation |
| A&O | Alert and oriented |
| NAD | No acute distress |
| PO | Per os (by mouth) |
| IV | Intravenous |
| SC | Subcutaneous |
| CVL | Central venous line |
| IM | Intramuscular |
| PR | Per rectum (anal) |
| NPO | Nil per os (nothing by mouth) |
Created by:
JAMLIP
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