General Subjective Terms Ch. 2 Flashcards
acute
it just started recently or is a sharp, severe pain
chronic
it has been going on for a while
exacerbation
it is getting worse
abrupt
all of a sudden
febrile
to have a fever
afebrile
to not have a fever
malaise
not feeling well
progressive
more and more each day
symptom
something a patient feels
noncontributory
not related to this specific problem
lethargic
a decrease in level of consciousness; in a medical record, this is generally an indication that the patient is really sick
genetic/hereditary
it runs in the family
alert
able to answer questions; responsive; interactive
oriented
being aware of who or she is, where he or she is, and the current time; a patient who is aware of all three is “oriented x3”
marked
it really stands out
unremarkable
another way of saying normal
auscultation
to listen
percussion
to hit something and listen to the resulting sound or feel for the resulting vibration; drums are a percussion instrument
palpation
to feel
impression
another way of saying assessment
diagnosis
what the health care professional thinks the patient has
different diagnosis
a list of conditions the patient may have based on the symptoms exhibited and the results of the exam
benign
safe
malignant
dangerous; a problem
degeneration
to be getting worse
remission
to get better or improve; most often used when discussing cancer; remission does not mean cure
idiopathic
no known specific cause; it just happens
localized
stays in a certain part of the body
systemic/ generalized
all over the body (or most of it)
prognosis
the chances for things getting better or worse
occult
hidden
lesion
diseased tissue
recurrent
to have again
sequela
a problem resulting from a disease or injury
pending
waiting for
pathogen
the organism that causes the problem
morbidity
the risk for being sick
mortality
the risk for dying
etiology
the cause
disposition
what happened to the patient at the end of the visit often at the end of the ED notes to reference where the patient went after the visit (home, ICU, hospital bed)
discharge
literally to unload
1. to send home (unload the patient from the health care setting to home)
2. fluid coming out of a part of the body (your body unloading a fluid)
palliative
treating the symptoms, but not actually getting rid of the cause
obeservation
watch, keep on eye on
reassurance
to tell the patient that the problem is not serious or dangerous
supportive care
to treat the symptoms and make the patient feel better
sterile
extremely clean, germ-free conditions; especially important during medical procedures and surgery
prophylaxis
preventive treatment
lateral
out to the side
medial
toward the middle
ventral/antral/anterior
the front
ventral means stomach
dorsal/posterior
the back
cranial
toward the top
caudal
toward the bottom
superior
above
inferior
below
prone
lying down in belly
supine
lying down on back
contralateral
opposite side
ipsilateral
same side
unilateral
one side
bilateral
both sides
dorsum
the top of the hand or foot
plantar
the sole of the foot
palmar
the palm of the hand
sagittal
divides the body along a plane from right to left
sagitta is latin for arrow
coronal
divides the body along a plane from front to back
corona is latin for crown
transverse
divides the body from the top to bottom
physician
a skilled health care provider who attended and graduated medical school
pediatrician
a physician with special training in caring for children
surgeon
a physician qualified to treat patients surgically, that is, by means of operation or invasive procedure
anesthesiologist
a physician with special training in pain sedation and pain control
epidemiologist
a specialist in the study of the causes and distribution of diseases in populations and the use of this date to enhance public health
physician assistant (PA)
a midlevel health care provider who works under the license of a supervising physician; requires a postgraduate training
nurse practitioner (NP)
a nurse with postgraduate training that serves as a midlevel health care provider; works under the license of a supervising physician
emergency medical technician (EMT)
specially trained in the emergency care of a patient before and/or during the transport to medical facility
speech therapist
specially trained in evaluating and treating problems with speech and/or swallowing
occupational therapist
specially trained in evaluation and treating problems with performing daily activities at home, school, or work
physical therapist
specially trained in evaluation and treating physical impairments including disabilities or recovery from an injury
respiratory therapist
specially trained in treating patient’s respiratory issues under the guidance of a health care provider
dietician
specially trained in evaluating the nutritional status of a patient and developing an appropriate diet plan
licensed practical nurse (LPN)
licensed vocational nurse (LVN)
trained and certified to provide basic care to a patient
registered nurse (RN)
an advanced level nurse who has completed an associate’s or bachelor’s degree; often assists with patient care planning and patient education
medical assistant (MA)
trained to carry out basic administrative and clinical tasks under the guidance of a health care provider
pathologist
a physician with special training in both evaluating the causes and effects of disease and in laboratory medicine
medical laboratory technician
trained in performing laboratory testing on bodily fluids
phlebotomist
trained in the removal of blood from the body for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes
radiologist
a physician specially trained in evaluating images of the body to diagnose illness or injury
radiology technician
trained to perform radiologic testing or administer radiation therapy under the direction of a health care provider
ultrasonographer
trained in performing ultrasound imaging on a patient
pharmacist
trained and licensed in preparing and dispensing medicine
pharmacy technician
trained to assist a pharmacist with pharmacy-related tasks
patient service coordinator
handles administrative tasks and coordinates patient care
medical transcriptionist
trained in converting the voice-recorded dictations of health care providers into text format
