Medical Terminology
The medical profession uses specialized or technical language unique to the field that may not be understood by people outside of medicine. The use of informal words and expressions, as well as abbreviations, is common in the medical setting. International medical graduates (IMGs) who enter U.S. GME positions will find that there are many terms that are particular to U.S. medicine. These terms, which we call “Medicalese,” may be initially confusing even if you trained in a country where the language of instruction is English or are fluent in English.
ECFMG has developed this glossary of “Medicalese” to help orient you to terminology commonly used by doctors, nurses, and other medical staff in U.S. hospitals and clinics. It is our hope that this glossary will facilitate your understanding of these terms when they are used by others.
Note that the table below includes several abbreviations or acronyms. These are included because they are often spoken as such. However, it may be better, especially for those new to “Medicalese,” to say the complete term in order to avoid any confusion.
It is important to understand that some of the slang, abbreviations, and jargon commonly used within medical practice might sound insensitive to patients or their families. These terms, therefore, should not be used in situations where they may be overheard.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| A. fib | atrial fibrillation |
| ABG | arterial blood gas |
| AMA | against medical advice; a way of leaving the hospital |
| bag | to breathe for the patient artificially using a hand-operated device called an ambu-bag |
| BAL | blood alcohol level |
| banana bag | intravenous infusion bag containing multivitamins (appears yellow) |
| bili | bilirubin |
| bladder scan | a bedside ultrasound to measure the amount of residual urine |
| blow | to destroy a vein while trying to insert an IV |
| BMP | basic metabolic panel (electrolytes and renal function) |
| boarders | patients from other services occupying beds on the team’s ward or floor |
| boo-boo / owee | what children may call an injury |
| bounce back | patient returns to service from which he or she had recently been discharged or transferred |
| BP | blood pressure |
| brady / brady down | slowing heart rate |
| bronch (pronounced bronk) | perform a bronchoscopy |
| bugs | germs; infecting organisms (bacteria, viruses, etc.) |
| bump | to increase the dose of a drug |
| CABG (pronounced cabbage) | coronary artery bypass graft |
| CAD | coronary artery disease |
| call | 1) night or weekend duty at the hospital; also, "call night," "call schedule," etc. 2) short for judgment call; decision in which there is no clearly right answer |
| call a code | to initiate or announce the start of a patient resuscitation effort |
| capacity | a patient’s decision-making ability |
| cath | catheterization |
| CBC | complete blood count |
| Cdiff | clostridium difficile |
| Chem-7 | same as basic metabolic panel (electrolytes and renal function) |
| CHF | congestive heart failure |
| code | to use full emergency measures to resuscitate a patient who has suffered a heart or breathing stoppage; also, a noun referring to the process |
| consent [a patient] | go through the consent process with a patient in order to obtain his/her signed consent |
| CPS | Child Protective Services |
| crash | sudden, rapid, and often unanticipated deterioration of a patient |
| crash cart | a cart on wheels that contains all drugs, equipment, and devices for managing cardiac arrest and other emergencies that is brought to the patient’s bedside |
| crit | hematocrit |
| C-section | cesarean section |
| C-spine / T-spine / L-spine | cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spine |
| D&C | dilatation and curettage |
| D/C | 1) discontinue 2) discharge (Note: It is critical to distinguish between these two meanings.) |
| de-sating | decreasing oxygen saturation |
| dispo | disposition |
| DNR | do not resuscitate; a designation unofficially or in some cases officially given to patients who are not to receive heroic measures (not to be coded) in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest |
| DOA | dead on arrival |
| doc | common term of address or referral for physicians by patients and medical staff |
| DOE | dyspnea on exertion |
| DVT | deep venous thrombosis |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ED / ER | Emergency Department or Emergency Room |
| EKG / ECG | electrocardiogram |
| EMS | Emergency Medical Services (the ambulance and rescue system); see Fire Rescue |
| EMT | Emergency Medical Technician |
| EOM | extraocular movement |
| eyeball | to examine visually |
| Fire Rescue | medical emergency response service; see EMS |
| frequent flyer | a patient who has frequent admissions to the hospital or to the Emergency Department |
| GI cocktail | a combination of medications to treat gastric distress, variable by institution |
| GSW | gunshot wound |
| H&H | hemoglobin and hematocrit |
| H&P | a history and physical examination of a patient |
| high | under the influence of narcotics or other mood/mind altering drugs |
| I&D | incision and drainage |
| I&O | measurement of fluid intake and output |
| keep an eye on | watchful waiting, continued observation |
| Lap Choly | laparoscopic cholecystectomy |
| line | intravenous access |
| LOC | loss of consciousness |
| LP | lumbar puncture (spinal tap) |
| LWBS | left without being seen |
| lytes | electrolytes |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| M&M | morbidity and mortality |
| Met | metastasis |
| MI | myocardial infarction |
| migraine cocktail | a combination of medications to treat migraine headaches, variable by institution |
| MVA | motor vehicle accident |
| neb | medicate nebulizer treatment |
| orthopods, pods | orthopedists |
| out | unresponsive |
| out of it | confused |
| pace | regulate or provide a heart rhythm by applying an artificial pacemaker |
| PCP / PMD | primary care provider or primary physician |
| PE | pulmonary embolism |
| PEG / PEG tube | percutaneous gastrostomy used for enteral feeding |
| PET scan | positron emission tomography |
| PICC line | peripherally inserted central venous catheter – long catheter percutaneous |
| PND | paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea |
| preemie | a prematurely born baby |
| prepped | prepared for a procedure |
| pulse ox | pulse oximetry |
| round | briefly evaluate each patient on a service by physically visiting the patient at the bedside, reviewing his or her progress, and planning further management |
| ROS | review of the respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurologic systems |
| run the list | review updated diagnostic results, clinical course, and treatment plans for all patients on a service, on a patient-by-patient basis |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| sharps | needles, scalpels, IV catheters - anything that could be contaminated and needs to be placed in a sharps container before disposal |
| shock | defibrillate or cardiovert a patient by applying paddles to the patient’s chest to deliver a charge |
| shot | injection |
| SOB | shortness of breath |
| soft admission | patient for whom the need for admission is questionable |
| STAT | immediately, as opposed to routine |
| step down | monitored setting, not as intensive as the ICU |
| STD / STI | sexually transmitted disease / sexually transmitted infection |
| sundowning | tendency of altered or demented patients to become agitated as night falls |
| through and through | a gunshot wound that has both an entrance and an exit wound |
| TM | tympanic membrane or “ear drum” |
| tox screen | blood test to determine what drugs are in a patient’s system |
| trach (pronounced trake) | perform a tracheostomy |
| tracks | needle marks usually from IV drug abuse |
| triage | the system of prioritizing patients in an emergency situation in which there are a great number of injured or ill |
| triple-A | abdominal aortic aneurysm |
| tube | intubate |
| turf | transfer the patient to another service |
| V. fib | ventricular fibrillation |
| vent | a mechanical ventilator |
| WNL | within normal limits |
| zonked, zonked out | heavily sedated, asleep |
