Medical terminology

The meaning of medical terms and abbreviations, of medical prescriptions and various medical specialties and when to use it correctly.

medical terms and abbreviations
technical terms in medicine
medical language

knowledge

cross-sector

Medical terminology is an essential knowledge of the following occupations:

Physiotherapist: Physiotherapists are autonomous health professionals who are responsible for developing, maintaining or restoring motor function and movement throughout the lifespan using evidence-based practice. They relieve pain and treat or prevent physical conditions associated with injury, disease or other impairments. Physiotherapists empower patients and their carers to manage the condition outside clinical settings. They work within their scope of practice and their professional Code of Conduct. 
Medicine lecturer: Medicine lecturers are subject professors, teachers, or lecturers, and often doctors who instruct students who have obtained an upper secondary education diploma in their own specialised field of study, medicine, which is predominantly academic in nature. They work with their university research assistants and university teaching assistants for the preparation of lectures and of exams, for grading papers and exams, for leading laboratory practices, and for leading review and feedback sessions for the students. They also conduct academic research in their respective field of medicine, publish their findings and liaise with other university colleagues.
Doctors’ surgery assistant: Doctors’ surgery assistants support doctors of medicine in medical measures, in performing simple support activities during medical procedures, standardised diagnostic programmes and standardised point-of-care tests, ensuring surgery hygiene, cleaning, disinfecting, sterilising and maintaining medical devices and performing the organisational and administrative tasks required for operating a doctor`s surgery under supervision, following the orders of the doctor of medicine.
Medical records clerk:
Medical records clerks organise, keep up-to-date and archive patients` records for medical staff availability. They transfer medical information from a patient’s paper records to an electronic template.
Biomedical scientist: Biomedical scientists perform all laboratory methods required as part of medical examination, treatment and research activities, particularly clinical-chemical, haematological, immuno-haematological, histological, cytological, microbiological, parasitological, mycological, serological and radiological tests. They perform analytical sample testing and report the results to the medical staff for further diagnosis. Biomedical Scientists may apply these methods in particular in the infection, blood or cellular sciences.
Picture archiving and communication systems administrator: Picture archiving and communication systems administrators manage picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). They store images taken by various types of medical equipment, such as X-rays, in order to enable easy access to these images for medical. PACS administrators ensure the day-to-day management and maintenance of the system.”
Occupational therapist: Occupational therapists assist individuals or groups who have occupational limitations due to diseases, physical disorders, and temporary or permanent mental disabilities, in regaining their ability to perform daily activities. They provide treatment and rehabilitation to enable them to actively participate in society, to live their lives according to their wishes and to perform those activities that are meaningful to them.
Front line medical receptionist: Front line medical receptionists greet clients and patients as they arrive at the medical facility and check them in, collect patient notes and make appointments work under the supervision and direction of healthcare institution manager.
Healthcare inspector: Healthcare inspectors visit healthcare facilities to ensure proper care is given to all patients in accordance with legal requirements. They also inspect if equipment, processes and staff operate adequately to prevent the spreading of infections and diseases.
Clinical perfusion scientist: Clinical perfusion scientists operate heart-lung equipment during surgical operations to ensure breathing and blood circulation. They work as part of the surgical team, connect patients to the heart-lung machines in preparation for surgery, monitor their condition during surgery, report to the team on the patients’ status and determine the necessary techniques according to their needs.
Medical transcriptionist: Medical transcriptionists interpret dictated information from the doctor or other healthcare professionals and convert it into documents. They create, format and edit medical records for patients based on the provided data and take care to apply punctuation and grammar rules.
Nuclear medicine radiographer: Nuclear Medicine Radiographers plan, prepare and perform nuclear medicine examinations, post-processing and treatment with a wide range of equipment and techniques using X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging and radiopharmaceuticals.
Clinical coder: Clinical coders read patients’ medical records. They analyse and interpret medical statements about diseases, injuries and procedures. Clinical coders convert this information into health classification codes in order to calculate treatment reimbursements, to produce statistics and to monitor health care performance.
Radiographer: Radiographers use a range of technologies to examine, treat and care for patients. They work in the fields of Medical Imaging, Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine and apply ionising radiation, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and radioactive sources.
Orthoptist: Orthoptists diagnose and treat anomalies of binocular vision. They examine, assess and treat vision impairments, squint, amblyopia and eye motility disorders. Orthoptists apply these methods in particular in the fields of paediatrics, neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, ophthalmology, orthoptics, optometry, pleoptics and strabology assessing functional diseases of the eye for improving functional disorders of the visual system. They also provide counselling, preventive measures and training activities and may refract and prescribe glasses, such as prism corrective glasses.
 
Respiratory therapy technician: Respiratory therapy technicians assist doctors and surgeons to treat respiratory problems. They work in hospitals and medical facilities where they operate medical equipment to test patients’ respiratory conditions and aid in their treatment. Respiratory therapy technicians also tend to breathing equipment and machines during surgery.
Diagnostic radiographer: Diagnostic radiographers plan, prepare and perform diagnostic imaging examinations and post processing, with a wide range of equipment and techniques using X-rays, strong magnetic fields or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and high frequency sound (Ultrasound).
Speech and language therapist: Speech and language therapists focus on the aetiology, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of communication and swallowing disorders in people of all ages in order to help them maintain, promote, improve, initiate, or recover the ability to communicate both verbally and nonverbally. They address the development of language, speech, vocal and hearing functions, and disorders and disabilities in the cranial, facial, and oral area.
Dietitian: Dietitians assess specific nutritional requirements of populations or individuals throughout their lives and translate this into advice which will maintain, reduce risk to, or restore people’s health. Using evidence-based approaches, dietitians work to empower individuals, families and groups to provide or select food which is nutritionally adequate, safe, tasty and sustainable. Beyond healthcare, dietitians improve the nutritional environment for all through governments, industry, academia and research.
Waiting list coordinator: Waiting list coordinators guarantee the day to day management of waiting list time. They plan when operation rooms are available and call patients in to be operated. Waiting list coordinators make sure to optimise the use of rescources.
Therapeutic radiographer: Therapeutic radiographers prepare and perform safe and accurate high-energy radiation treatments to patients, using a wide range of sophisticated equipment and techniques, to target the area to be treated, and computer planning to produce a plan of the dose distribution across the area to be treated.
Medical sales representative: Medical sales representatives promote and sell medical devices, equipment and pharmaceutical products to healthcare professionals. They provide product information and demonstrate features to healthcare professionals. Medical representatives negotiate and close sales contracts.

Medical terminology is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this knowledge may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Medical administrative assistant: Medical administrative assistants work very closely with health professionals. They provide office support such as correspondence, fixing appointments and answering queries of patients.
Anaesthetic technician: Anaesthetic technicians assist specialised doctors in anaesthetics. They prepare operating theatres and other specialised clinics for anaesthetic procedures, prepare the equipment needed for anaesthesia, and assist with inducing and maintaining adequate anaesthesia and post-anaesthesia procedures. They do so under supervision, following the orders of the doctor of medicine.
Interpreter: Interpreters understand and convert spoken communication from one language to another. They retain considerable amounts of information, often with the aid of note-taking, and communicate it immediately after whilst keeping the nuances and stress of the message in the recipient language.
Healthcare institution manager: Healthcare institution managers supervise the operations of healthcare institutions, such as hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, home care services and elderly care institutions to ensure the organisation meets requirements, the patients and residents are cared for, the organisation is maintained and the necessary equipment present. They also supervise the staff and ensure record maintenance.
Anatomical pathology technician: Anatomical pathology technicians assist specialised doctors in pathology in conducting post-mortem examinations, keeping records of the samples, specimens, organs and the respective findings and taking care of their appropriate disposal under supervision, following the orders of the doctor of medicine.
Podiatry assistant: Podiatry assistants help the podiatrist by carrying out supportive tasks such as assisting in diagnosing and treating the disorders, diseases and deformities of the feet, advising people on foot care techniques and the importance of foot care for promoting better mobility and general well-being. They also perform small tasks such as cutting toe nails, applying plasters and general clerical duties.
Phlebotomist: Phlebotomists take blood samples from patients for laboratory analysis, ensuring patient safety during the blood collection process. They transport the specimen to the laboratory, following strict instructions from the doctor of medicine.
Chiropractic assistant: Chiropractic assistants perform routine and administrative tasks to support patient care and work under the sole direction and supervision of a Chiropractor or Specialized Chiropractor. They may interview patients, keep records of the case history, assist Chiropractors or Specialized Chiropractors in providing patients examination and perform administrative tasks. Chiropractic assistants work within defined contexts using agreed protocols and procedures.
Emergency medical dispatcher: Emergency medical dispatchers respond to urgent calls made to the control center, take information about the emergency situation, the address and other details and dispatch the nearest ambulance or paramedic helicopter.
Dietetic technician: Dietetic technicians assist dietitians in planning nutritional programmes and in planning menus for patients as part of an overall treatment plan under supervision of a dietitian. Under supervision of a dietitian, dietetic technicians assist dietitians in patient reviews, enteral feeding discharge planning, and clinical auditing which includes nutritional screening.
Prosthetist-orthotist: Prosthetist-orthotists design and custom fit prostheses and orthoses for individuals who are missing a limb from accident, disease or congenital conditions or for individuals who have impairments, deficiences or weaknesses due to injury, pathology or congenital malformation. They mix patient care with the design and fabrication of these devices to address their patients’ needs.
Medical records manager: Medical records managers are responsible for managing activities of medical records units which maintain and secure patient data. They supervise, oversee and train employees while implementing medical department policies.
Court reporter: Court reporters type in word processors or any other software each one of the words mentioned in the courtroom. They transcript the hearings that take place in court in order to issue the official hearings of the legal case. They allow that the case can be further studied by the parties in an accurate fashion.
Cytology screener: Cytology screeners examine under a microscope samples of human cells obtained from various body parts such as the female reproductive tract, the lung or gastrointestinal tract, assist in identifying cell abnormality and disease such as cancer or infectious agents under supervision, following the orders of the doctor of medicine.The abnormal cells are being transferred to the pathologist for medical diagnosis. They may also work under the supervision of a biomedical scientist. They do not treat patients or assist in medical treatments.

References

1. Medical terminology – ESCO