When you go to your doctor, do you feel like he/sh is speaking in a foreign language? Having trouble reading about your own health issues because you do not understand most of the medical words? Medical terminology can be daunting. The National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus database has a new tutorial that will help you to understand common medical terminology. The tutorial entitled Understanding Medical Words: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine is located at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/medicalwords.html. You will need to have the latest version of Flash Player (downloadable free) on your computer to view the tutorial. If you cannot view it on your home computer, check your local library. You should be able to view it on their computers.
Here are some other sites that will help you understand medical words.
- Cancer and Medical Terminology. National Cancer Institute
- Understanding Medical Terminology. Genetics Home Reference. National Library of Medicine
- Dictionary of Medical Terms. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia. American Heart Association
- WORD! A Glossary of Medical Words. KidsHealth.org
- Kid Friendly Medical Dictionary. PBS.org
If you want a book on medical terminalogy, check with your local public library. The librarian will be able to help you find an appropriate text.
