Medical Terminology You've Probably Heard Of

These are great to know if you ever find yourself in a doctor’s office, hospital, or watching a medical drama on TV. 


Are you a fan of any of these medical shows and dramas: Grey’s Anatomy? House? The Resident? Scrubs? The Good Doctor? (I’m quite fond of Doogie Howser, M.D.)

If so, you’ve probably heard of the following medical terminology and think you’re a wiz. Check your knowledge of medical words or learn what they mean if the show confused you!  These terms may be just good to know if you ever find yourself talking to your doctor or a healthcare professional at a hospital. Let’s see if you can have an M.D. (a degree in Medical Drama).


 

Acute: sudden but usually short

Aneurysm: a sac formed by an enlarged weakened wall in arteries, veins, or the heart

Angina: pain in the chest related to the heart that comes and goes

Antibiotic: bacteria-killing substance

Antidote: remedy that acts against poison

Antiseptic: a substance that stops or slows down the growth of microorganisms; used in hospitals and other medical settings to reduce the risk of infection during surgery and other procedures

Anti-inflammatory: reduces swelling, pain, and soreness

Benign: not cancerous; harmless

Biopsy: a tissue sample for testing purposes

Body Mass Index (BMI): body fat measurement based on height and weight

Capillary Hemangiomas: strawberry birthmarks

Carcinogenic: cancer-producing

CAT Scan: computed axial tomography; an x-ray image of an organ

Coagulate: to thicken or clot, or to cause to do so (as in blood)

Comatose: unconscious; in a coma

Comminuted Fracture: a broken bone that shatters into many pieces

Compound Fracture: a broken bone that protrudes through the skin

Concussion: brain injury due to violent blow or impact

Convalescence: gradual recovery; period of recovery

Diagnosis: decision or opinion based on an examination

Edema: swelling

Embolism: blood clot

Epidermis: the outermost layer of skin

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Heartburn

Hematoma: a collection of blood, usually clotted, outside a blood vessel

Hypertension: high blood pressure

Hypotension: low blood pressure

Incision: a cut (in surgery)

Inpatient: patient overnight for one or more days

In Remission: the disease is not getting worse; not to be confused with being cured

Lacerated: torn (as in a wound)

Lesion: an injury; wound, sore, or cut

Malignant: cancerous

Melanoma: malignant skin tumor

Membrane: a thin layer of pliable tissue that serves as a covering or lining or connection between two structures

Migraine: intense, recurring headache

Modalities of Therapy: treatments

MRI: magnetic resonance imagining; a scan of the body that uses magnetic energy rather than radiation to view an organ or body part

Noninvasive: doesn’t require entering the body with instruments; usually simple

Outpatient: those who check in and out of the hospital on the same day

Plasma: a fluid portion of blood

Polyp: mass or growth of thin tissue

Prognosis: prediction of the probable course of a disease and the chances of recovery

Remission: the disappearance of the disease symptoms

Surgery: a medical term where healthcare professionals investigate or treat a disease or injury

Sonogram: a visual image from soundwaves used to determine the gender of a baby before birth

Spontaneous Involution: disappearing on its own

Sutures: stitches; joining two edges together

Toxic: poisonous

Ulcer: open sore in the stomach lining

 
 

How Wingspan Can Help

Don’t understand medical speak and just want to know if you’re doing okay? See how Wingspan can help make your healthcare more for you and less like a full-time job.

 
 
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