What Is the Importance of Understanding Medical Terminology?

Medical terminology is not just a collection of words that are related to the healthcare field; however, just like many other fields such as computer science and coding, medical terminology is a language in itself. Thus, if you work in the healthcare field, you should be fully aware of medical terminology to be able to communicate effectively and accurately.

Whether you are a medical student, a doctor receptionist, or a healthcare professional, learning medical terminology is a prerequisite when it comes to patient care and if you find yourself in a critical health situation.

Understanding medical terminology may look intimidating at first due to the complexity of medical words. However, once you understand the standard structures, you can easily unlock the meaning of any medical term.

In this blog, we will go over the meaning of medical terminology, and its importance, and give you some examples to help you understand the building blocks of the most famous medical terminologies. Let’s jump right into it.

What is Medical Terminology?

It is a language used in the medical and health sectors only. Its vocabulary describes the different processes of the human body, diseases, procedures, medical treatments, and pharmacology.

The medical language is derived from the Greek and Latin vocabulary which sets medical words apart from the regular English words. Moreover, English medical terminology is used internationally by all medical institutions, conferences, and medical journals. Therefore, most people working in the healthcare sectors around the globe should be communicating in the same language.

Knowing every medical term may be difficult if you decided to study the medical terminology. However, there is only one way by which you can solve the mystery behind each medical term. This is by understanding that each medical term consists of three main parts: prefix, root, and suffix:

• The prefix comes at the beginning of the medical word and refers to quality, quantity, direction, or type.
• The root indicates the primary meaning of the medical term.
• The suffix comes at the end of the medical term and refers to a procedure, function, test, disorder, or status.

This means that you can add the same prefixes and suffixes to more than one root to create new meanings.

Now, after we have elaborated on the meaning and the main components of medical terminology, let’s briefly discuss its importance.

What is the Importance of Medical Terminology?

• Having a unified medical terminology is essential to ensure seamless communication among physicians and all healthcare professionals coming from different universities, hospitals, and other medical institutions.
• A singular medical terminology system can help in documenting medical information.
• When everyone working in the medical sector speaks one language, this will ensure a streamlined system and effective communication.
• Most new doctors or healthcare specialists are required to pass a course in medical terminology to prove that their education is based on universal standards.
• A successful healthcare system should be based on a sole medical language to avoid any miscommunications and guarantee that the right treatments and care are delivered to patients.

The following are some of the most common examples of medical terminologies and their components:

Neuroblastoma: a tumour made up of immature nerve cells.

Neuro (prefix): nerve

Blast (root): immature cells

Oma (suffix): tumour

Carcinogenic: having the potential to cause cancer.

Carcino (root): cancer

Genic (suffix): related to genes

Cardiovascular Disease: a class of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels

Cardio (prefix): heart

Vascular (root): about vessels or tubes

Hypertension: high blood pressure.

Hyper (prefix): above normal

Tension (root): Pressure

Osteoporosis: a condition characterized by weak, brittle bones.

Osteo (prefix): Bones

Porosis (suffix): It means porous which is weak or not secure

Here are examples of the most famous prefixes, roots, and suffixes in the medical language:

Prefixes

Anti: against

Bi: two

Intra: within

Trans: across

Pro: before

Macro: large

Neo: new

Poly: many

Post: after

Roots

Cyto: cell

Nephro: kidney

Histio: tissue

Onco: mass

Tox: poison

Uria: urine

Paed: child

Derma: skin

Neuro: nerves

Suffixes

Algia: pain

Osis: abnormal condition

Otomy: cutting into

Cyte: cell

Plasty: surgical repair

Emia: blood condition

Rrhea: flow

Why Choose Torjoman?

• At Torjoman, we have subject-matter experts who have experience in translating documents in more than 100 languages in almost all branches of medicine.
• We offer medical translation services for any type of medical content in different medical fields such as clinical protocols, physical manuals, patient reports, patent applications, website content, and many more.
• We apply a strict quality management system that has been audited and found in compliance with ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 17100:2015 standards.
• Our medical translation services cover almost all medical sectors.
• We are always keen on adding the newest medical terminologies in our translation memories to stay up-to-date.
• We provide you with top-notch translation services with the fastest turnarounds and the most affordable prices.
• Torjoman has provided translation services for many of the top medical institutions around the world.

If you are looking for a reliable language service provider to translate your medical documents, Torjoman will be your best choice. Talk to us today!