Understanding the basic components of medical terminology in aged care is of utmost importance as it enables effective communication, accurate documentation, collaboration, resident safety, and professional growth. With a shared language, healthcare professionals can communicate clearly and precisely, ensuring accurate interpretation of medical information and facilitating coordinated care. Accurate documentation enhances continuity of care, while proficiency in medical terminology promotes efficiency and professional competence. Ultimately, understanding medical terminology contributes to the delivery of high-quality care, optimal resident outcomes, and a positive healthcare environment for the elderly population.
In this section you will learn to:
- Interpret medical terminology appropriately
- Apply appropriate medical terminology as directed in oral and written communication
- Define medical terms used in advanced care
Using and understanding the correct medical terms is crucial in the field of healthcare, especially for support workers in aged care. Precise medical terminology ensures clear communication among healthcare professionals, clients, and their families. It eliminates confusion and ambiguity, allowing accurate information exchange and treatment planning. The terms listed below are crucial for support workers in aged care. Please take your time to familiarise yourself with them and their meanings, as they play a significant role in your role as a support worker.
| TERM | MEANING |
|---|---|
| Palliation | The relief or alleviation of symptoms, discomfort, or suffering, particularly in the context of palliative care for individuals with life-limiting illnesses |
| Hospice care | A specialised approach that provides comprehensive support, comfort, and quality of life for individuals facing advanced illnesses, typically in the final stages of their life. |
| Comfort care | An approach focused on providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support to individuals with life-limiting illnesses. It aims to maximise comfort, relieve pain and symptoms, and enhance the overall quality of life during end-of-life stages. |
| Prognosis | The predicted outcome or course of a disease or condition based on medical assessment. It provides an estimation of the expected progression, potential complications, and the likelihood of recovery or decline. A prognosis helps guide treatment decisions and allows healthcare providers to communicate information about the expected future health status to patients and their families. |
| Terminal condition | An advanced illness or disease that is incurable and expected to result in death. It indicates that the condition has reached a stage where treatment is no longer able to reverse or halt its progression. In such cases, the focus of care shifts towards providing comfort, support, and ensuring the best possible quality of life during the remaining time. |
| Advance directive | A legal document that allows individuals to express their healthcare preferences and decisions in advance, specifically regarding medical treatment and end-of-life care, in the event that they become unable to communicate their wishes. It provides instructions about desired interventions, resuscitation, life-sustaining measures, and the appointment of a healthcare proxy to make decisions on their behalf. Advance directives ensure that an individual's autonomy and preferences are respected even when they are unable to actively participate in healthcare decision-making. |
| Allow natural death (AND) | A term used in healthcare to emphasise the approach of allowing a person to die without medical interventions or artificial life support. It means withholding or withdrawing treatments that would only prolong the dying process without offering a meaningful benefit or quality of life. The focus shifts towards providing comfort measures, pain management, and support to ensure a peaceful and dignified natural death in alignment with the person's wishes and goals of care. |
| Death | Death is the irreversible cessation of all vital functions, including the stopping of the heart, breathing, and brain activity. It represents the end of biological life and is a natural and inevitable part of the human experience. Death can occur due to various causes, such as illness, injury, or old age. It is typically followed by mourning and the process of grieving for loved ones left behind. |
| Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) | An emergency procedure performed to revive or restore the function of the heart and lungs in individuals experiencing cardiac arrest or respiratory failure. It involves a combination of chest compressions to circulate blood and rescue breaths to provide oxygen until advanced medical care can be administered. CPR aims to maintain vital organ function and increase the chances of successful resuscitation. |
Activity - Case Study
Using your understanding of the medical terminology above, read the following scenario and answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.
You are a support worker in an aged care facility, and you care for Mr. Anders, an 85-year-old resident with advanced heart disease. Mr. Anders condition has been deteriorating, and his medical team has discussed the possibility of transitioning to palliative care. You've been providing comfort care to him, ensuring he's as comfortable as possible and addressing his physical and emotional needs. During a recent care team meeting, the medical staff emphasized the importance of honoring Mr. Smith's wishes. Mr. Smith has expressed his desire for a peaceful and natural passing without unnecessary medical interventions.
Seeking Assistance and Clarification
Remember, if you have any confusion or do not understand any of the routine task, you must take initiative to speak up and seek assistance from your supervisors or more experience staff. Always clarify any doubts and seek clarity, and never carry out routine tasks without a clear understanding. If mistakes occur, you not only jeopardise the workplace’s reputation but also put the patient’s wellbeing at risk. That said, it should always be your responsibility to be as prepared as possible and make use of the sources of clarification instead of constantly approaching your supervisor for every single task.
Medical terms often have some combination of a prefix, a suffix and a root word. The prefix is the first few letters of the word, while the suffix is the ending of a word. A root word is the base of the overall term.
For example, the word cardiology has the prefix cardio, which means relating to the heart, and the root word -ology, which means a subject of study. Therefore, we can determine that cardiology means the study of the heart and its related systems.
Medical words can be hard to understand and even harder to pronounce. Watch this video featuring Susan Reid from Health Literacy. She breaks down what medical words mean, where they come from and how to pronounce them.
Many medical terms come from Greek or Latin root words. Understanding these and some basic prefixes and suffixes may help you determine the meaning of a term:
Choose the correct meaning of these root words.
These are some common medical terms you may hear and use frequently as an aged health worker.
Activity: Fill the gaps
Using the list of the medical terms above. Choose the correct word to fill the gaps.
Activity - Fill the gaps
In the role of a support worker, effective communication is paramount to ensure the well-being of aged care clients. Healthcare providers have a responsibility to convey information, care, and services in a manner that aligns with the diverse needs of health consumers.
Think and reflect
Can you recall a time when you were exposed to unfamiliar jargon or terminology in a field outside your expertise? How did you feel trying to understand and engage with the information? How might this experience relate to the challenges clients face when encountering medical terminology they're unfamiliar with in the context of their healthcare?"
Activity - Watch
Watch this video and consider how you would answer the questions asked by the interviewer in the video.
Communication with Clients
Here are some strategies that will help clients, whanau and other non-healthcare professionals understand and engage with healthcare information effectively:
| Plain Language Usage | When communicating with clients, it's essential to use plain language whenever possible. This applies to both written and spoken communication. Plain language makes information more accessible and understandable to individuals, regardless of their background or education. |
|---|---|
| Explaining Clinical Language | As a support worker, it's important to be able to explain clinical language and sector-specific terms to clients. Often, medical terminology can be overwhelming, so breaking it down into simpler terms helps clients comprehend their health conditions, treatments, and procedures better. |
| Connecting New Information | Prior knowledge plays a crucial role in learning. Before providing new information to clients, assess their existing understanding. This allows you to connect new concepts with what they already know, making it easier for them to grasp and retain important health-related information. |
| Navigating Referrals | Support workers should guide clients through referrals to unfamiliar health services. This ensures that clients are aware of what to expect and reduces anxiety about the unknown. Clear communication about the referral process empowers clients to take charge of their healthcare journey. |
| Ensuring Information Comprehension | When clients engage with health professionals support workers can help ensure that clients have received all the necessary information in a manner that makes sense to them. This step involves confirming understanding and clarifying any doubts the client might have about their care plan, medications, or next steps. |
| Diverse Formats of Information | Different people have different learning preferences. To cater to a diverse audience, healthcare providers should offer information in various formats, such as videos, mobile apps, and interactive tools. This approach allows clients to choose the format that suits them best for absorbing and retaining information. |
| Visual Aids for Support | Support workers can enhance written content by incorporating visual aids. Photos, illustrations, diagrams, and other non-written aids assist clients in comprehending complex information. Visual elements are particularly valuable for clients who learn better through visual cues. |
| Understanding Medical Terminology | Medical terminology can be intimidating, but it's essential for effective communication in the healthcare field. Support workers should familiarise themselves with common medical terms and be prepared to explain them in simpler language to clients. |
| Simplifying Medical Terms | As part of providing client-centred care, support workers should simplify medical terms when communicating with clients. Breaking down complex terms into understandable language helps clients participate actively in discussions about their health and treatment options. |
Read for more information and strategies to help communicate with clients.
Be sure to watch the videos on Techniques ‘Ask, Build, Check’ and ‘Teach back’ for strategies to help communicate important medical terminology in a way that makes sense for your clients.
Communication with other health professionals
Effective communication among healthcare professionals is vital for providing comprehensive and coordinated patient care. Proper use of medical terminology enhances collaboration and contributes to improved patient outcomes.
Here are some key points on how to effectively use medical terminology when communicating with other healthcare professionals.
It can be challenging and overwhelming when you are faced with new terminology, especially if you are new to the field or need to refresh your knowledge. Here are some tips and strategies on how to learn medical terminology that will help you in your role in the Health and Wellbeing sector.
Start with the basics
One of the best ways to learn medical terminology is to start with the basics, such as the prefixes, suffixes, and roots that form the building blocks of most medical words. By understanding these components, you can break down complex terms into simpler parts and infer their meanings. For example, the word gastroenteritis means inflammation of the stomach and intestines, and it is composed of the prefix gastro- (stomach), the root enter- (intestine), and the suffix -itis (inflammation). You can use flashcards, quizzes, or online resources to memorize and practice these basic elements.
Visit medterminology.com for some free interactive Medical terminology Exercises. Spend 60 Minutes doing exercises to help you learn the language of medicine.
Use context clues
Another way to learn medical terminology is to use context clues, such as the specialty, the body system, the symptoms, or the diagnosis that is related to the term. For example, if you encounter the word nephrology, you can use the context clue that it is a medical specialty to deduce that it is the study of the kidneys, since the root nephro- means kidney. Similarly, if you encounter the word dysphagia, you can use the context clue that it is a symptom to deduce that it is difficulty swallowing, since the prefix dys- means abnormal or impaired, and the root phag- means to eat or swallow.
Learn by association
A third way to learn medical terminology is to learn by association, which means to connect the term with something that you already know or can easily remember. For example, you can associate the word bradycardia with the name Brad, and remember that it means slow heart rate, since the prefix brady- means slow, and the root cardia- means heart. You can also use mnemonics, acronyms, rhymes, or images to help you associate the term with its meaning. For example, you can use the mnemonic FAST to remember the signs of a stroke: face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, and time to call medical professionals.
Seek feedback and support
A fourth way to learn medical terminology is to seek feedback and support from others who are more experienced or knowledgeable in the field. You can ask questions, clarify doubts, or request explanations from clinical staff, supervisors, or peers who can help you understand and correct your mistakes. By seeking feedback and support, you can enhance your confidence and motivation in learning medical terminology.
Review and apply
A firth way to learn medical terminology is to review and apply what you have learned regularly and in different situations. You can review your notes, flashcards, or online resources periodically to reinforce your memory and recall. You can also apply your knowledge by reading medical articles, reports, or charts, listening to medical podcasts or videos, or engaging in conversations with other healthcare professionals. By exposing yourself to different sources and formats of medical information, you can improve your comprehension and fluency in medical terminology.
Youtube has many videos on medical terminology to start you on your journey to understanding more about common medical terms.
