CHAPTER 2
ANATOMY
2-1. Medical Terminology
a. Every highly specialized field such as architecture, engineering, and electronics has its own vocabulary and technical terms. The same is true with medicine. Since medical terminology should never be obscure or ambiguous, medical words have precise meanings. The occupational therapy assistant must be able to understand and use many medical terms when reading, writing, or talking with other medical personnel. In this chapter, the ways in which medical terms are formed will be discussed and exemplified with commonly used words. b. While classical Greek and Latin are the sources for many medical terms, knowledge of these languages is not necessary for proper understanding and use of medical terminology. Medical terminology
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c. How medical terms are formed. Medical terms are generally structured for one or more roots or word elements. These roots give the word its primary meaning. Prefixes and suffixes may be added to words to explain them further, to change their meaning or to give them grammatical function. By knowing the meaning of some of the more common roots, prefixes, and suffixes, one can analyze the structure of many words and discover their meaning (see appendix A).
d. Medical use of common words. In addition to specific medical terms, it is necessary to be able to understand the exact meaning of common words of the English language. A vague idea of the meaning is not sufficient when it concerns the patient or any phase of his medical care. Many nonmedical works are used to describe a patient's condition, type of surgery, rate of progress, etcetera. A standard dictionary will provide meanings that can be applied appropriately. Some examples are:
(1) Generalized weakness.
(2) Diminished reflexes.
(3) Dynamic splints.
(4) Pinch graft.
(5) Proper alignment radical procedure.
Reconstructive surgery residual