Medical Terminology and Pharmacological Concepts
Essential Medical and Pharmaceutical Vocabulary
Common Drug Forms and Administration (English/Spanish)
- Dosage: Dosis
- Intravenous: Intravenosa
- Prescription: Receta
- Over the Counter (OTC): Medicamento sin receta
- Capsules, Tablets, Drops, Sprays: Cápsulas, tabletas, gotas y spray
- Painkillers: Analgésico
- Antibiotic: Antibiótico
Describing Symptoms and Side Effects
- Itchy (Comezón)
- When you want to scratch your skin.
- Drowsy (Somnoliento)
- Tired, feeling like you want to sleep.
- Dizzy (Mareado)
- Feeling like everything is turning around and you may fall.
- Rash (Erupción)
- Red spots on your skin.
- Constipated (Constipado)
- Unable to get rid of solid waste from your body.
- Insomnia (Insomnio)
- Difficulty falling asleep.
- Nausea (Náuseas)
- The feeling that you want to vomit.
- Diarrhea (Diarrea)
- Discharging solid body waste frequently and in liquid form.
Additional Vocabulary
- Diuretic / Diurético
- Increases / Aumento
- Urine / Orina
- Reduce / Reducir
- Amount / Cantidad
- Constipation / Constipación
- Side Effect / Efectos adversos
- Blood / Sangre
- Discharge (Medical) / Dar de alta
- Procedures / Procedimientos
- Edoxaban / Edoxaban
- Anticoagulant / Anticoagulantes
Understanding Drug Categories
- Painkillers (Analgesics): Analgésicos
- Antihistamines: Antihistamínicos
- Bronchodilators: Broncodilatadores
- Antibiotics: Antibióticos
- Immunosuppressants: Inmunosupresores
- Insulin Shots: Unidades de insulina
Pharmacokinetics: How Medicine Works in the Body
Key Anatomical and Chemical Terms
- Swallow
- To make food, drink, medicine, etc., go down your throat into your stomach.
- Foreign Substance
- Something that comes from outside your body.
- Blood Vessel
- A small tube through which blood circulates in your body.
- Liver
- An organ that cleans your blood.
- Enzyme
- A substance that is produced to make a chemical change happen.
- Molecule
- A group of two or more atoms.
- Kidneys
- Organs that remove waste from the blood and produce urine.
- Label
- A piece of paper on an object such as a bottle that gives information about it.
The Drug Processing Pathway (Ibuprofen Example)
- You take an ibuprofen for a sore ankle.
- The tablet disintegrates in your stomach.
- The ibuprofen goes into your blood vessels.
- The ibuprofen reaches your liver.
- The ibuprofen travels around your body through your veins.
- The ibuprofen molecules find the place where you’re feeling pain.
- The ibuprofen molecules stop the pain signals.
- Your kidney eliminates the ibuprofen through the urine.
Medical Abbreviations and Acronyms
- P/C
- Presenting Complaint
- LMP
- Last Medical Prescription / Last Menstrual Period
- BP
- Blood Pressure
- BMI
- Body Mass Index
- WT
- Weight
- DX
- Diagnosis
- FBC
- Full Blood Count
- II
- 2 Tablets
- BDS
- Twice a day (Bis Die Sumendum)
- OD
- Once a Day (Omni Die)
- PC
- After meals (Post Cibum)
- RTA
- Road Traffic Accident
- CXR
- Chest X-Ray
- CMHN
- A Community Mental Health Nurse
- EUA
- Exam Under Anesthetic
- EMU
- Early Morning Urine sample
English Grammar for Medical Contexts: Conditionals
Conditional Structures and Usage
The conditional structures help describe real, possible, or hypothetical medical situations.
Zero Conditional: General Truths
Used for things that are generally true. You can often replace “if” with “when.”
- Structure: If + Present Tense, Present Tense
- Example: If a patient takes this medication with milk, it doesn’t work properly.
First Conditional: Real or Possible Future Situations
- Structure: If + Present Tense, Future Tense (will + verb)
- Example: If you take these tablets twice a day, you will feel better soon.
Second Conditional: Impossible or Unlikely Situations (Present/Future)
- Structure: If + Past Tense, would + Verb
- Example: If your mother had high blood pressure, I wouldn’t prescribe this medication.
Third Conditional: Impossible or Unlikely Situations (Past)
- Structure: If + Past Perfect Tense, would + have + Past Participle
- Example: If you had told me of the side effects, I wouldn’t have taken this drug.