Medical Terminology For Dummies

Become fluent in the standardized language of all medical fields

Medical Terminology For Dummies is a resource for current and prospective healthcare professionals who need to understand medical terms, from common to complex. This book clearly explains how to quickly identify, pronounce, define, and apply medical terms in a healthcare setting. You'll also find ideas for creating mind maps and games to help you study and retain the language of medicine. Pair those study tools with an understanding of the history and origins of key prefixes, suffixes, and roots, and you'll be confident in no time. This updated guide covers the 2022 updates to ICD-10 codes, and it includes added terminology related to public health and infectious diseases. Whatever healthcare field you're in, this book will serve as your glossary of terms and a gateway to future learning opportunities.

• Understand prefixes, roots, and suffixes, so you can confidently work out the meanings of complex terms
• Practice defining medical terms and get help memorizing key vocabulary elements
• Enhance your professional expertise in any healthcare setting
• Improve the safety and accuracy of medical communications

All medical and healthcare related careers require some knowledge of medical terminology. Start off on the right foot—or brush up what you already know—with Medical Terminology For Dummies.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Living for Linguistics 5

Chapter 1: Scrubbing In to Master Medical Terminology 7

Chapter 2: Medical Terminology: The How and Why 13

Chapter 3: Introducing the Big Three: Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes 21

Chapter 4: Acronyms, Antonyms, Eponyms, Homonyms, Multiples, and Plurals — Oh My! 35

Chapter 5: Say What? Pronunciation and Usage 53

Part 2: Mapping Words and Bodies 65

Chapter 6: As It Was in the Beginning: Prefixes. 67

Chapter 7: So It Shall Be in the End: Suffixes 81

Chapter 8: Hey, I Know You: Word Recognition 89

Chapter 9: Deconstruction Junction: Breaking Down Words 97

Chapter 10: An Org Chart to Live By: Organization of the Body 107

Chapter 11: All Systems Go: When Systems Combine 121

Chapter 12: Lockdown Life: The Terminology of Global Health Crises 131

Part 3: In Terms of Anatomy 139

Chapter 13: Boning Up on the Skeletal System 141

Chapter 14: Getting Ripped: The Muscular System 161

Chapter 15: Skin Deep: Skin, Glands, Nails, and Hair 177

Chapter 16: It Depends on Your Perception: The Sensory Systems 195

Part 4: Let’s Get Some Physiology Terminology 215

Chapter 17: The Heart of the Matter: The Cardiovascular and Lymphatic Systems 217

Chapter 18: Just Breathe: The Respiratory System 243

Chapter 19: Feeding Time: The Gastrointestinal System 261

Chapter 20: Gatekeepers of Health: The Endocrine System 281

Chapter 21: Calming Down: The Nervous System 299

Part 5: Name That Plumbing 315

Chapter 22: When You Gotta Go: The Urinary System 317

Chapter 23: Check the Plumbing: The Male Reproductive System 333

Chapter 24: A Life Force: The Female Reproductive System 347

Part 6: The Part of Tens 371

Chapter 25: Ten Essential Medical Terminology References 373

Chapter 26: Ten or So Useful Mnemonic Devices 377

Index 381

Beverley Henderson, CMT-R, HRT has more than 40 years’ experience in medical terminology and tran­scription. She’s helped develop course curricula and has written and produced medical terminology teaching videos.

Jennifer L. Dorsey, PhD is a writer and editor with more than 25 years’ experience.

An accessible, updated guide to medical terminology

Looking for an easy-to-follow handbook of medical terminology packed with clear guidance and accurate definitions? In Medical Terminology For Dummies, you’ll find updated and authoritative coverage of medical terms, including new language added to the 2022 ICD-10 code updates, as well as the correct language to use for body parts and organs, hints and tips to help you remember correct spelling, and information dedicated to the terminology of global health crises and pandemics. It’s perfect for all healthcare professionals and students looking for an expert guide to a critical subject.

Inside…

• Learn public health terminology
• Understand prefixes, roots, and suffixes
• Define medical terms
• Memorize key vocabulary
• Find helpful study tools
• Pronounce terms correctly
• Identify common terms