Learning Medical Terminology can Improve Communication with Healthcare Professionals

If you have a chronic condition, it will do you a world of good to have some basic knowledge of medical terminology.


It is handy when I can explain myself to doctors using terms they can relate to.


Very often, I explain pains and sensations. If I can say something like, “I have a burning sensation on the posterior of my left upper leg, it sounds really good. I could further explain the pain to be just distal to my gluteus maximus on the medial portion of my left bicepts femorus.


Doctors and nurses alike are often surprised when I am able to keep up with their medical jargon, speaking it as well as they can. It is useful.


Even when understanding basic rules: For instance, the letter “O” is often used to join “root” words.


Suffixes like “ic” and “osis” mean pertaining to, referring to, or abnormal condition of”.


Here are some root words:

Pathy - disease, illness
Hypo - low or slow or few
Hyper - Fast, swift, higher, more
Tachy - rapid
Brady - slow
Anterior - Front
Posterior - back
Dorsal - back
Ventral - front
Emia - blood
Hepato - liver
Cardiac heart
Cyst - bladder, sack
Idio - unknown
Erethryo- red
Leuko - white
Cyano - blue
Gastric - pertaining to the stomach
Entero - intestine
Presbyopia - far sightedness due to age. Term means (OLD EYES)
Lateral - to one side
Bi-lateral - both sides

This is where I’ll stop. If you want me to continue posting medical terms from time to time, let me know in a comment or in the guestbook.