What is Medical Terminology?
Understanding medical terminology can make all the difference in critical health situations. And
while understanding medical language is serious business for care providers, learning medical
terminology can actually be a thought-provoking, interesting crash course in the history and
development of language and parts of speech.
For those who are new to, or are looking to enter the medical field, having a firm grasp on
medical verbiage, roots and meanings can give you a leg up as you continue your studies and
progress in your career. To get you started, here is our introductory guide to medical
terminology, which will serve as a solid foundation as you work to diversify and enhance your
medical language skills.
What is Medical Terminology
Medical terminology refers to the words and language used specifically in the medical and health
fields. The proper definition describes medical terminology as language used to describe
anatomical structures, procedures, conditions, processes and treatments in the medical field.
While memorizing terms across that many disciplines might seem impossible, medical language
can be simplified when you understand that nearly all medical terms can be broken down into
three parts: the prefix, the root and the suffix.
Prefix — appears at the beginning of a term and indicates a location, direction, type,
quality or quantity.
Root — can appear at the beginning of the word if prefix is absent, but the root indicates
the primary meaning of the medical term.
Suffix — appears at the end of the word and indicates a specialty, test, procedure,
function, disorder or status.
Why is Medical Terminology Important in the Medical Field
Medical terminology is the linguistic foundation on which the entire healthcare system is built.
Because physicians are trained at varying universities and complete their training across different
hospitals and disciplines and geographies, having a singular medical terminology system ensures
that effective care is delivered while reducing the potential for miscommunication.
More specifically, medical terminology is important for a few reasons, both for medical
professionals and the field itself. Medical terminology courses or certificates are usually a
prerequisite for most graduate degree or certificate programs in the healthcare field.
For those already working in the medical field — such as medical records specialists,
radiology techs and even physicians — a refresher on traditional and new medical
terminology can be helpful and may even be required for license renewal.
Why is Standardization of Medical Terminology Important?
Studies show that a standardized medical terminology system can improve overall hospital
operations — both in terms of data and clinical applications of such data. A second report found
that medical terminology and the usage of structured reporting can improve the usage of medical
information in secondary activities, such as research, public health and case studies. This not
only will help make research efforts more efficient, it will likely result in better outcomes for
patients and medical innovation.
Additional benefits of standardized medical terminology*include:
Ensures consistent documentation of clinical information
Creates a streamlined system for data entry and retrieval across electronic medical
records for billing and insurance purposes
Ensures a consistent understanding of language across the continuum of care
Ensures that all relevant parties are educated across a universal standard Improves patient
care and safety, research and evidence-based medicine
Helps promote efficient communication
Helps create a seamless patient experience
