Question

Write a didactic essay, minimum of 400 words, on the importance of medical/surgical terminology in the healthcare setting in general, and then include the importance in sterile processing specifically. Deal with the following concepts: importance of, facilitation of communication, uniformity of subject matter, patient safety, billing issues, etc.   (Add additional pages for writing if required

Answer 1

Importance of medical terminology in the healthcare setting

In a general healthcare setting, for everyone who work there should have a strong hold on medical or surgical terminology irrespective of their job description. Knowledge and understanding of these terms play a crucial role in providing quality and safe health care services with minimum possibilities of error. Clinical as well as nonclinical employee should be able to read, write and understand these terminologies while communicating with one another. Some people inside as well as outside of the healthcare setting find these terminologies difficult as well as useless to learn, but actually they are very important as they can contribute in improving the performance of one's job as well as for the better safety of patients who rely on them.

Understanding of surgical terminologies enhances the communication with a uniformity in subject matters between medical practitioners and relative staff members. With better understanding of these terms, there is no confusion among fellow members about their role and responsibility as well as about the different processes and medicine which allow them to work more accurately. Not only physicians, surgeons and nurses, but also people from sterilization staff, people with delivery role and billing staff can significantly benefit from this. There are also different training workshops that happens time to time in different healthcare bodies. A person can only benefit from these workshops when he/she understands it well and for that knowledge of medical terminology is important.

When a healthcare institution has a significant number of total workforce with better understanding of these terms, the quality of communication among the staff members is way better which directly results in ensuring the safety of patients by reducing the chances of mistake apparently. This can be understood by the fact that right from the time when a patient walks into the healthcare setting, he will be correctly attended by someone and will be properly diagnosed by a nurse with a record of appropriate and correct note that the physician will follow and prescribe a safe and correct treatment to the patient. The patient will be then attended by the pharmacy staff who will correctly provide them with the relevant medication with zero chances of any kind of billing issue. So, a whole new professional and safer eco-system is created within the health care setting with the proper knowledge of these terms.

A Healthcare body witness hundreds of patients every day and doctors and nurses have a whole load of patients to diagnose and treat. In such scenario, many a times they quickly write the short forms of certain medication or procedures to be followed. It is the duty of the whole healthcare team to be able to understand these notes and provide appropriate care to the respective patients

Another area where hold of medical terminology is extremely important is in the sterile processing department. This department encounters specialized surgical terms like the equipment name, set name, various surgical processes and are in constant touch with the surgical and perioperative departments. To work in an environment like this, one has to be really professional in understanding the basic as well as high levels of medical terminology lacking to which can have a serious effect on the career perspective.