The handwriting of doctors is notoriously illegible, but little attention gets paid to another form of frequent, albeit unintentional, alienation: medical language. Starting with abbreviations and moving on to a full dictionary of medical terminology, Charlotte Isler translates well over 1,000 terms and more than 500 abbreviations into standard, understandable English. You might not have known, offhand, that BAC stands for "blood alcohol concentration," that phlebitis is an inflammation of a vein, and that a smear, far from being a smudge of dirt or a type of hors d'oeuvre, is technical talk for "a thin layer of tissue or fluid spread on a glass side for microscopic examination." Practical for families, handy for medical students, and a pleasure for medical enthusiasts, Isler's dictionary takes some of the fear of the unknown out of medical jargon. --Stephanie Gold
Book Description
Have you ever left your doctor’s office confused by a term used to describe what’s wrong with you? As a patient, you need to know what your doctor has diagnosed, what tests are being ordered, and what your medical insurance is being billed. The Patient’s Guide to Medical Terminology helps you take the first step towards educating yourself so you can get the answers you need regarding a doctor’s diagnosis or recommended treatment.
Designed for the patient who is intimidated or just plain frustrated by medical jargon, this easy-reference guide provides brief, clear descriptions about common illnesses, diagnostic tests, terms and procedures. The alphabetical listings allow you to look up a word, an abbreviation or even a partial phrase to crack the code of "medicalese." Plus, an explanation of measurements and equivalents for prescription dosage is also included.
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