Medical Terminology for Healthcare Professions

Reviewed by Liz Bunjer, Instructor, Minnesota West Community & Technical College on 4/25/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This book provides a comprehensive approach to medical terminology.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

This text appears to be error-free and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Medical terminology does not change or update quickly. This text will remain relevant for years to come.

Clarity rating: 5

This book provides a helpful breakdown of medical terminology.

Consistency rating: 5

This book's consistency and framework will be helpful to students who are seeking to learn more about medical terminology.

Modularity rating: 5

The design of the content is helpful to the learner and will not provide much disruption to the reader.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This book is well organized in a thoughtful, logical fashion.

Interface rating: 5

The images in this book are well done and not confusing.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

This book does not contain grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

This text appears to be written in a manner that is inclusive, but the pictures used throughout the text could represent other races to promote inclusivity, as a majority of the pictures represent a certain race.

Comments

This is a well-done book, and I appreciate the time and effort that went into creating this. Medical terminology is difficult to understand at first, so having a good foundational text is helpful to understanding a new language, such as medical terminology.

Reviewed by Jessica Sellars, Medical assistant office instructor, Mt. Hood Community College on 12/14/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

I have had the opportunity to actually utilize this book in my course. I found it flow extremely well throughout. It is one of the few books that actually has a separate OB section instead of lumping that into the female section.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I found the book very accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book is very relevant for students who need to learn medical terminology as a prerequisite for nursing, medical assisting or any other medical position.

Clarity rating: 5

Very easy to read.

Consistency rating: 5

The book is broken up into very nice sections.

Modularity rating: 5

This book is very modular and can fit into courses quite easily.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is organized in an easy to use form. It begins with prefixes and works through the body systems.

Interface rating: 5

This book is very easy to navigate.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not see any grammatical issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I did not see anything offensive in the book.

Comments

Students really enjoyed the book and found it very easy to use.

Reviewed by Carolina Molina-Martin, Adjunct Faculty, Old Dominion University on 6/16/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book is comprehensive and informative. In addition to a Table of Contents that provides a breakdown of each of the 18 chapters, a Glossary follows the Table of Contents. Glossary terms are bolded in green and their definitions can be found in the glossary at the end of the book.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content is very accurate, . It is non biased, and inclusive. The chapters are very thorough and well-written. There are no glaring errors.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The information presented in the text is relevant and is not information that will become outdated, as it is focused on medical terminology.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is written in very accessible language. Terms are presented with appropriate depth and clarity. Each chapter opens with a list of word parts (prefixes, combining forms, and suffixes) related to the topic. References are included with each chapter.

Consistency rating: 5

The terminology and framework are consistent, Interactive content is built into each chapter. The structure of each chapter is consistent throughout. It starts with learning objectives.

Modularity rating: 5

The book is easy to read. It is written with well defined chapters broken into manageable paragraphs.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Extremely well organized. The order of presentation is overall logical and clear. Pertinent information for the topic of the chapter is covered.

Interface rating: 5

The interactive reinforcement activities require you to click, drag and drop, listen and repeat, flip, and test yourself. No issues were found with the features of the text. The interface is user-friendly, No problems with navigation.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No glaring errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is not culturally insensitive.

Comments

This OER book is different from many traditional medical terminology textbooks.
Kudos to the authors for all of their hard work on creating such a wonderful book. This resource will serve well future healthcare students and any healthcare profession.

Reviewed by Judith Guetzow, Lecturer II, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 5/22/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text offers comprehensive coverage of medical terminology for healthcare professions, presenting terms with appropriate depth and clarity. Each chapter opens with a list of word parts (prefixes, combining forms, and suffixes) related to the topic. Medical terms are prominently displayed in bold green font throughout the chapters, and a useful glossary is provided in the book, aiding students in quickly locating relevant vocabulary. Furthermore, at the end of each body system chapter, a vocabulary list is included, featuring terms associated with that specific system.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content is accurate, error-free, unbiased, and reflects the latest developments in the field; thus, providing students with reliable information essential for their understanding of medical terminology.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is current, ensuring students learn terminology that reflects existing practices. The authors provide a balance between current information and the established principles of medical terminology, ensuring the text remains relevant without quickly becoming obsolete. Its structured format allows for easy updates as medical terminology evolves.

Clarity rating: 5

Written in clear and accessible prose, the text provides explanations and context for technical terms, making it suitable for students at all proficiency levels and enhancing overall clarity.

Consistency rating: 5

Consistency is maintained throughout the text in both terminology and framework; thus, contributing to its reliability and lucidity. This is conducive to improving students’ comprehension and retention of the medical terms.

Modularity rating: 5

The modularity of the text facilitates flexible teaching approaches. The text is organized into eighteen chapters that can be further divided into reduced sections, allowing instructors to assign smaller reading sections without disrupting the flow of the material.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion guiding students through progressively more complex concepts in a clear and discerning manner. As students advance through each body system, they learn the corresponding medical terms, the word parts that form these terms, and the relevant abbreviations specific to each system.

Interface rating: 5

The interface of the textbook is user-friendly, free of significant navigation issues or display problems that could hinder the learning experience. There is a clear presentation of images and charts which enhances the learning experience. Each chapter integrates interactive content such as videos, flashcards, drag-and-drop exercises, and self-tests that are exclusive to the online format. Hyperlinks to the interactive content are provided to users of PDF or EPUB versions of the text. This content was accessible to a diverse range of learners, with closed captioning provided for the videos, and no errors were detected in the captions. Additionally, image descriptions were included for each picture. A minor concern is that certain flashcards lacked the text-to-speech feature.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors were found. The text is grammatically sound and written at a level appropriate for the students, ensuring readability.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The material is free from inappropriate or offensive content.

Comments

Overall, the authors created a comprehensive textbook that provides a thorough understanding of medical terminology relating to body systems and pathology, diagnostics, and medical procedures. It would be wonderful if PowerPoints, test banks, and assignments as learning exercises that require students to break down the terms into word parts were included in each chapter. However, I found reading the text and engaging with the interactive activities enjoyable. Reviewing this material has been valuable, as it has piqued my interest in potentially using it for my medical terminology class in the near future.

Reviewed by Gary McIlvain, Professor, Marshall University on 5/21/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

It covers the information very well. It tends to become an anatomy textbook too much.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The accuracy was on par. Again, too much "anatomy book" context for med term.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

With anatomy and medical terminology, it rarely changes. So, the text longevity would be good.

Clarity rating: 5

The ease of reading the text is great and students would be able to follow it well. It seems to become a better anatomy text than medical terminology or maybe the title should be "applied medical terminology" and it state it focuses on applying it within anatomy.

Consistency rating: 5

Yes, but more anatomy textbook than I would use for a med term class.

Modularity rating: 5

It is divided by systems, which is a common way to organize a medical terminology text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

It does do a good job applying it to common every day issues (e.g. M.S.)

Interface rating: 5

Great use of drag and drop and flash cards.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I didn't note any errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Yes, it did use pictures that depicted varying racx3es, ethnicities, and backgrounds. It is limiting in anatomy pictures to be able to do this...

Comments

I would like to see basic pharmacology used in it. I would not currently use this as the only text due to the lack of basic pharmacology. With that added it would be a great text.

Reviewed by Jenni Johnson, Assistant Professor, Marshall University on 5/21/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book provides appropriate medical terminology for all regions of the body as well as all healthcare disciplines. It is a great asset for any healthcare profession.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I found no mistakes within the textbook.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book is extremely relevant and it can be utilized for many years across many healthcare professions. This text is also good for a variety of learning styles by utilizing virtual flash cards and videos with audio.

Clarity rating: 5

The textbook is clearly and concisely written

Consistency rating: 5

Each chapter follows the same format which makes it very easy to navigate.

Modularity rating: 5

This book has 18 chapters and they are clearly outlined. Each chapter is broken up into sections that have an excellent flow that builds learning over time.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Each area is clearly defined

Interface rating: 5

Each chapter and learning tool is easy to navigate and there were no technical issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

There was no cultural bias in this text. It was inclusive of all cultures, and genders and free from religious bias.

Comments

I believe this text can be used for a wide variety of future healthcare professions. The flashcards, interactive videos and end of chapter quizzes appeal to all learning styles and assist with retention. Each word is broken down to easily understand the meaning and use of the terminology,

Reviewed by Wendy Schuh, Assistant Professor, Minnesota State University Mankato on 2/8/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book is clearly laid out with 18 different chapters covering all of the body systems + obstetrics. There are interactive figures, flash cards, and end of chapter quizzes. Vocabulary words have a linked definition within the text. It would be an added benefit to include pronunciation, which is an important component of medical terminology. Videos have a captioning option.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

No concerns with accuracy.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

References are included with each chapter. Publication date is 2021, and most references are within the last five years. In addition, this content is mostly stable over the years. CrashCourse videos are a little older (2015) but many students are familiar with Hank Green in this format. Information is relevant and easy to process.

Clarity rating: 5

Clear chapter content, sections, and headings.

Consistency rating: 5

Consistent style of writing, activities, page layout, etc. throughout the book.

Modularity rating: 5

Chapters organized in a logical manner. Flashcards and interactive body part activities are wonderful tools, even better since they can be completed multiple times.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The structure of the textbook is sound and consistent with other medical terminology textbooks. A more thorough Table of Contents would allow for easier navigation. It has a good balance of technical and non-technical writing that makes it easy to read and comprehend.

Interface rating: 3

Appealing and interactive. I attempted to take advantage of the “re-use” option below each activity but could not figure it out. Search function does not work well. I tried searching phrases directly from the text, and it would not pull up. The labeling activities were difficult to complete as the drag and drop feature would not scroll. Therefore, it would be useful to have a correct answer option to see the completed figure. It would be helpful to have descriptions included with different e-book options that explain interactive functions with each format.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Very clean and proofed!

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Appeared to be culturally inclusive, although it is difficult to assess in this type of resource. No diverse representation of skin color on diagrams.

Comments

This is a great textbook that mimics other medical terminology textbooks costing $100+ that don’t have interactive components. There could be some great additions to more effectively use this for a course textbook, such as a question bank, study guides, and suggestions for worksheets and projects to incorporate points into a course framework.

Reviewed by Sharon Schaeffer, Associate Clinical Professor, Bowling Green State University on 4/16/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Covers major body systems .

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I did not see any errors during my review.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Medical terminology is a pretty static topic. When students learn how to correctly combine forms, they will be ready to decipher new vocabulary that comes with progress in health care.

Clarity rating: 5

Easy to understand.

Consistency rating: 5

The depth of content is consistent.

Modularity rating: 5

I will allow students to choose their topic of the week after the first 3 chapters are complete. The module system will work well for this design. This design allows students taking A & P or similar courses the opportunity to learn med term at the same time as they are learning in other courses.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Well organized.

Interface rating: 5

I had no challenges linking to and using the added features.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No problems noted.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Inclusive content.

Comments

This book will help my students learn the basics of medical terminology as a foundation for building a strong professional vocabulary. I like the interactive activities in this book as it helps learners of different styles. It would be a bonus if there were quiz question banks available. It is not enough of a deal breaker to stop me from using this in my course next Spring semester.

Reviewed by Kristin Meyer, Professor, Drake University on 12/15/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text comprehensively covers medical terms in each body system, with a couple of introductory chapters. It covers the span of life with a dedicated obstetrics chapter, which I have not seen in other texts.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

No inaccuracies identified.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Medical terminology does not easily or often change, but the text could be easily updated from time to time to include new disease states or terms.

Clarity rating: 5

No issues with clarity identified.

Consistency rating: 5

Each chapter has a consistent format with link to video overview and active learning activities interspersed throughout.

Modularity rating: 5

The organization by body system allows an instructor to assign the appropriate amount of content to correspond with course credit hours.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The online version is easy to navigate. The search function doesn't work as I would expect it to.

Interface rating: 4

The online version is easy to navigate. The pdf download has none of the interactive features. It would be nice if the pdf version could somehow include the active learning exercises in each chapter, with an answer key appendix.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors identified.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Does not appear to be culturally insensitive.

Comments

I could easily adopt this text for my web-instructed undergraduate medical terminology class. The interactive features are helpful to engage students. A summary quiz at the end of each chapter would be a nice added feature.

Reviewed by Nancy Bouchard, Adjunct Professor, North Shore Community College on 11/14/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Very well done.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Very accurate and not biased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

If updates are needed, they could be added with ease.

Clarity rating: 5

Well written text.

Consistency rating: 5

Very consistent.

Modularity rating: 5

Very user friendly. Easy to read and assign chapters.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Very organized.

Interface rating: 5

I did not encounter any issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

None noticed.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Not insensitive or offensive.

Comments

My only concern is for the student who has no prior exposure to medical terminology, healthcare training or will not have a clinical role in healthcare. I would not want them to get overwhelmed by the depth of detail in each chapter. I would suggest a section in each chapter that contains exercises for students to test their understanding of the subject matter read, practice correctly writing the terms and the like. Visual learning is only one way for students to absorb content. I would have to create ways to test their understanding to be graded using quizzes, a research project, midterm and final exam. I'm on the fence if the content in the textbook is too deep for only needing a basic understanding of medical terms.

Reviewed by Martha Fabian-Krause, Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Rogue Community College on 9/1/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Systematic flow of each body system to include root word, prefix, suffix, anatomy, physiology, video and practice in each section. Logical to follow.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

No issues noted. Very accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Timeless interpretation of terminology would make the on line text need updating only if new medical information becomes available.

Clarity rating: 5

Detailed explanations of terminology, anatomy and physiology with pertinent examples and word practice at the end of each body system.

Consistency rating: 5

Each section is consistent by acknowledging medical diseases, disorders, and procedures related to the root words. Good follow through in each body system.

Modularity rating: 5

This on line book can be assigned in a particular order relevant to other class material and does not need to be completed in any particular time frame. Pleasurable reading.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The format of each section (body system) is in a progressive fashion and is put together with a video near the beginning and word games at the end of each section. Good sequencing noted throughout.

Interface rating: 5

Charts are easy to navigate.
There is an identical format what is easy to assimilate.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

None noted.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

No diversive issues noted. Represents the full spectrum of human anatomy and physiology.

Comments

Marvelous understanding of the root words, prefix, suffix and detailed anatomy and physiology. The videos and word matches at the end of each section put the meaning crystal clear.

Reviewed by Carla Tobin, Faculty, Century College on 6/17/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook covers all of the body systems, the word parts and rules, and prefixes and suffixes.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

This book is very accurate. No discrepancies or errors were noted in the textbook.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Medical terminology is a subject that does not change over the years. As new diseases and technologies arise, they can easily be incorporated into the content.

Clarity rating: 5

The language used in the book is clear and pronunciations of the terminology is provided throughout the e-book. This is an easy to read book for high school or college level students.

Consistency rating: 5

The chapters are consistent in there format and organization throughout the textbook. It is easy to follow for the student.

Modularity rating: 5

The chapters are broken down into sections which make it easy to read. The videos are shown within the textbook, so the user is not taken to another site. One suggestion would be to have a link to the next chapter at the bottom of the page rather than scrolling up to the top to choose the next chapter from the left side menu.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization of this textbook is exactly what you would expect for a Medical Terminology textbook. It is divided into chapters by body system.

Interface rating: 5

There are no apparent issues with the interface. As noted above, the videos are shown within the textbook window, so the user is not taken to another site.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not note any grammatical errors in this textbook.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Cultural sensitivity is not really relevant with medical terminology. This language is used in many countries in order to be able to communicate in the same language.

Comments

I agree that the best use of this book in the online internet version. This is a very comprehensive medical terminology book. It covers all of the body systems and word building of medical terminology. The chapters provide many opportunities to practice what the student has learned.
I liked that each chapter has the learning objectives listed at the beginning. I would have liked to see chapter summaries for the students to study.
I think that this book could easily be incorporated into an online class, however, some work would be involved making PowerPoints, homework and quizzes.
Overall, this is an excellent Medical Terminology book.

Reviewed by Renee Eaton, Advanced Instructor, Undergraduate Director, Virginia Tech on 5/17/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Systems-based organization and includes all body systems.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

No errors or issues noted

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Medical terminology is something that rarely changes. Context activities may change over time, as does disease prevalence and knowledge, but new terms or different terms are not common.

Clarity rating: 5

Clear descriptions and use of technical and non-technical language.

Consistency rating: 5

The organization is the same across each chapter making the book easy to access and navigate. Language and flow are consistent.

Modularity rating: 5

Text is easy to navigate. It may be helpful to provide some in-chapter navigation on the lower menu bar. For example, the previous and next chapters are linked on the left and right margins of the bottom, and chapter components such as diseases / anatomy / etc. could be added to the center. It may not all fit, but even having a couple of navigation points within the chapter would be helpful.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Good organization and order of chapters.

Interface rating: 3

This is one of my greatest difficulties. Navigation within chapters would be helpful. The incorporation of activities, particularly the labeling activities and Medical Terms in Context, are difficult with a regular laptop screen. The text and answer selections are often not on the same screen, making the activity more tedious to complete. Some of the labeling activities also have large images that put the image and answer selections on different screens.
The "Did You Know", "Objectives" and colored boxes contain wasted space. They're excessively large especially in the header, and when viewing on a laptop is often half the screen if not more.
The PDF version often has issues of inconsistent font size and misalignment of tables.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors found. I appreciated the bold and linked words, with the ability to see definitions with one click. It might be helpful to have a sidebar with the important words and definitions / information in the section, but that might not be feasible with formatting.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Hard to assess for medical terminology.

Comments

The best way to use this text is online with solid internet. The PDF version is frustrating as there are no activities or practice opportunities, and there are issues with the organization and appearance such as misaligned tables and font size differences. When internet is good but not great, none of the videos are viewable.
The activities and practice opportunities in the online book are very helpful and enjoyable. Their length is appropriate to encourage use and they are strategically placed throughout the chapters.
I did have trouble with the search tool, as things I entered went to the glossary but always included the beginning of the glossary. For example, a search for "diplopia" showed the following:

Glossary

Abdominal Pertaining to the abdomen (National Cancer Institute, n.d.) Abdominoplasty Surgical repair of the abdomen (National Library of Medicine, 2021) Abduction Moving the limb or hand laterally away from the body, or spreading the fingers or toes (Betts et al., 2013) Abductor Moves the bone away from the midline (Betts et al., 2013) Ablation The Read more »
Sensory Systems

Learning Objectives Examine the anatomy of the sensory systems Determine the main functions of the sensory systems Differentiate the medical terms of the sensory systems and common abbreviations Discover the medical specialties associated with the sensory systems Recognize common diseases, disorders, and procedures related to the sensory systems Sensory Systems Word Parts Click on prefixes, Read more »

Overall, the authors did a wonderful job of developing a thorough and practical text. I appreciate the thought that went into the interactive nature of the book and the availability to exercises to practice knowledge.

Reviewed by Debra Minzola, Associate Professor, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on 3/18/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook is very inclusive in the content area. It not only discusses the word but breaks down medical terminology to help learners to easily decipher the meaning of a medical term .

Content Accuracy rating: 5

There was no inaccuracies detected throughout the text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text is very relevant and will easily be updated if needed.

Clarity rating: 5

This is an easy to read text and would be a valuable resource for new learners. The ebook offers videos and learning activities throughout.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is internally consistent with an easy to follow framework.

Modularity rating: 5

The modules in this text are easy to navigate and locate specialty sections.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This text is clearly organized and easy to navigate.

Interface rating: 5

There is no significant navigation problems or confusing features.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There is clear grammar throughout the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

There is no offensive content in this textbook or language that can be viewed as culturally insensitive.

Comments

Learning objectives are listed at the introduction of each section followed by a guide on how to break down each system's medical terms. Throughout each section there are diagrams, charts, and additional videos in the ebook which reinforces the content. The book is organized and easy to navigate.