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Medical Terminolog

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Submitted By Tammgal8705
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What role does terminology play in the medical field?
Healthcare terminology provides a standardized “language of medicine” that allows healthcare provider and other healthcare professionals such as nurses, medical assistants and others the ability to get their daily work done. Although it seems scary at first glance, medical terminology is not rocket science. The majority of terms are derived from Greek and Latin and the science-based vocabulary follows a systematic methodology; each term contains two or three components and can be broken down into parts.

How does the use of medical abbreviations affect medical terminology?

At present, the only approved medical abbreviations that are acceptable for Local Health Department (LHD) documentation are in this section, the Immunization Section, and Marilyn Fuller Delong’s “Medical Acronyms, Eponyms & Abbreviations, 3rd Edition” or later. Regardless of their convenience, medical abbreviations have been responsible for serious errors and deaths. According to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) over 7,000 deaths per year may be attributed to medication errors. The use of abbreviation and medical notation makes a significant contribution to this statistic. The literature is filled with many examples of the problems arising from their use. The following are examples of the most common problem-types grouped for organization and clarity.

Do abbreviations reduce or increase medical errors?
Some abbreviations, symbols and dose designations are frequently misinterpreted and lead to mistakes that result in patient harm. The ISMP-FDA campaign seeks to promote safe practices and prevent serious and even potentially fatal mistakes when communicating medication

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