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EMT Basic · Chapter 5 · Review · Core terminology

Medical Terminology

Referencing the content of EMT-Basic training and emergency patient care

Shared language reduces error and makes handoffs safe.

Learning objectives (7)

  1. Break down the meaning of a medical term based on the components of the term — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 164); confirm wording in your course copy.

  2. Describe the following directional terms: anterior (ventral), posterior (dorsal), right, left, superior, inferior, proximal, distal, medial, lateral, superficial, and deep — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 164); confirm wording in your course copy.

  3. Describe the prone, supine, Fowler, and semi-Fowler positions of the body — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 164); confirm wording in your course copy.

  4. Explain the purpose of medical terminology — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 164); confirm wording in your course copy.

  5. Identify error-prone medical abbreviations and symbols — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 164); confirm wording in your course copy.

  6. Identify the four components of a medical term — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 164); confirm wording in your course copy.

  7. Interpret selected medical abbreviations and symbols — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 164); confirm wording in your course copy.

Chapter outline

  1. Word parts: prefixes, combining forms, roots, suffixes; pronunciation discipline
  2. Singular/plural patterns common in medicine
  3. Directional and positional language (anatomic position, planes, regions)
  4. Abbreviations: safety culture—avoid ambiguous abbreviations; course/agency approved list
  5. Symptom vs sign; acute vs chronic; exacerbation
  6. Pathophysiology preview at vocabulary level: inflammation, infection, hypoxia (terms only as introduced)
  7. Documentation discipline: define terms patients use in professional language without losing their meaning

Chapter web resources

Optional reading from authoritative sites. Your textbook remains the primary source for this course.

When sources disagree (5 topics to verify before you teach from this chapter alone)

Printable study sheetPrintable flashcards (PDF)Read first, then practise the track.

Showing Core terminology material. Switch tracks on the chapter page.

Vocabulary · 24

  • a/pnea

    without breathing

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Acute

    Sudden or short course. Utilization: Contrast with chronic in interviews.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Anterior / posterior

    Front surface versus back surface of the body. Utilization: Used in anatomy-based documentation and exam.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Auscultation

    Listening with a stethoscope to breath, heart, or bowel sounds. Utilization: Supports airway and circulatory assessment when noise allows.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • brady/pnea

    slow breathing

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Chief complaint

    Brief statement of why help was sought, usually in the patient's words. Utilization: Anchors interview and documentation even when later findings broaden the picture.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

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  • Chronic

    Long-standing condition. Utilization: Impacts baseline function and medications.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Combining vowel

    Letter (often o) linking roots for pronunciation. Utilization: Seen in cardi/o and gastro/o.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Diagnosis

    Identification of a disease or condition based on findings. Utilization: EMTs often document impressions consistent with scope rather than hospital-grade diagnoses.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Differential diagnosis

    List of possible causes considered by clinicians. Utilization: EMTs form field impressions rather than definitive diagnosis.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Eponym

    Term named after a person. Utilization: Examples appear throughout anatomy and signs.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • History of present illness

    Chronologic symptom story including onset, quality, severity, timing, context. Utilization: Guides differential concerns and targeted exam.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Homeostasis

    Stable internal balance maintained by body systems. Utilization: Background concept linking pathophysiology chapters ahead.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Inflammation

    Local response with redness, heat, swelling, pain, sometimes loss of function. Utilization: Explains suffix patterns such as -itis in diagnostic language.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Medial / lateral

    Toward midline versus away from midline. Utilization: Standard directional language for wound description and neuro checks.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Palpation

    Assessing texture, temperature, tenderness, or pulses by touch. Utilization: Use gentle-to-firm technique comparing sides when assessing abdomen or pulses.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Pathogen

    Organism capable of causing disease. Utilization: Connects terminology of infection to scene safety and reportable exposures.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Prefix

    Word beginning that modifies meaning. Utilization: Example: brady- suggests slow.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Prone

    Lying face down. Utilization: Important after trauma for spine considerations and special airway situations.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Proximal / distal

    Closer to trunk versus farther from trunk along a limb. Utilization: Describes injury locations and pulse checks relative to the torso.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Sign versus symptom

    Objective finding versus subjective report. Utilization: Vital signs are signs; nausea described by patient is a symptom.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Suffix

    Word ending that often indicates condition or procedure. Utilization: Example: -ectomy removal.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • Supine

    Lying face up. Utilization: Common transport position; note airway considerations for respiratory distress.

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • tachy/pnea

    rapid breathing

    SourcePrinted pages 164–188. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, 12th ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning / American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

Sequences · 22

  • Parts of a medical term — Order the standard word parts as they appear in a medical term.
  • From standing to supine — Order the body positions from upright to lying face-up.
  • Build a term: a- + arthr/o — Order the word parts left to right as they appear in a medical term.
  • Build a term: an- + arthr/o — Order the word parts left to right as they appear in a medical term.
  • Build a term: brady- + arthr/o — Order the word parts left to right as they appear in a medical term.
  • Build a term: dys- + arthr/o — Order the word parts left to right as they appear in a medical term.
  • Build a term: epi- + arthr/o — Order the word parts left to right as they appear in a medical term.
  • Build a term: hyper- + arthr/o — Order the word parts left to right as they appear in a medical term.
  • Build: tachypnea — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: bradypnea — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: apnea — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: dyspnea — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: tachycardia — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: bradycardia — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: hypertension — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: hypotension — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: dermatitis — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: arthritis — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: gastritis — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: hemorrhage — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: neuropathy — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.
  • Build: subcutaneous — Order the word parts left to right, then the completed term.