Healthcare and Medicine: English Vocabulary List

the first medical treatment one receives for sickness, for instance, from a family doctor

"Primary health care important."

"Primary health care is very important for preventing diseases and promoting good health in communities."

to administer a drug or treat a patient using drugs

"Medicate the patient every six hours."

"The nurse was instructed to medicate the patient every six hours with the prescribed painkillers to keep him comfortable after his surgery."

to protect an animal or a person from a disease by vaccination

"The vaccine immunizes you against the virus."

"The flu shot helps to immunize people against the most common strains of the influenza virus each year."

to make a person or animal calm or unconscious using drugs, like sedatives

"The vet tranquilized the wild animal."

"The veterinarian had to tranquilize the injured wild deer before he could safely approach it and treat its wounds."

the process of boosting the immunity system of a person or animal against a disease by vaccination

"Vaccination is inoculation."

"Inoculation protects against infectious diseases."

to isolate a person or animal for a specific period due to illness, suspicion of illness, or to prevent the potential spread of a disease

"Quarantine the sick passengers immediately."

"Travelers arriving from countries with disease outbreaks may be required to quarantine themselves for fourteen days to prevent the potential spread of infection."

any drug that is used to make one feel calm or induce sleep

"Calming sedative given."

"The doctor gave a calming sedative to help the anxious patient relax before the operation yesterday."

a substance, usually a drug, used to stimulate evacuation of the bowels

"Mild laxative used."

"The mild laxative was used to relieve constipation effectively last week successfully."

a substance, usually smooth and oily, rubbed on the skin for medical purposes

"Apply the ointment to the burn twice a day."

"The pharmacist recommended a special ointment to help heal the rash on her arm."

preventing infection by avoiding contamination with bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens

"The wound is aseptic."

"The wound is aseptic and shows no signs of infection thanks to proper cleaning and bandaging."

a narcotic drug that is extracted from opium and is medicinally used to relieve pain

"Morphine painkiller used."

"Morphine is a strong painkiller used in hospitals for severe pain management carefully."

any medicinal ointment that accelerates the recovery of the skin barrier or protects it

"She put a healing salve on the small cut on her finger."

"A salve is a soothing medicinal ointment applied to wounds or skin irritations to promote healing and provide a protective barrier against infection."

the process of treating a disease, particularly cancer, using X-rays or similar forms of radiation

"Cancer radiotherapy treatment."

"The patient received cancer radiotherapy treatment at the hospital every week for several months."

the process of treating a disease, particularly cancer, using chemicals

"She lost her hair during the chemotherapy treatment."

"Chemotherapy is a systemic cancer treatment using powerful cytotoxic drugs that circulate throughout the body to destroy rapidly dividing malignant cells."

the process of treating a patient's physical or mental illness using specific activities

"Occupational therapy helps recovery."

"Occupational therapy helps patients regain daily living skills after serious injuries or illnesses."

the branch of medicine that is concerned with children and their conditions

"Pediatrics department treats."

"The pediatrics department treats children and infants with various health problems every day."

the branch of medicine that is concerned with bones and muscles, and their diseases and injuries

"Orthopedics specialist treated."

"The orthopedics specialist treated the patient's broken leg successfully last month."

the branch of medicine that is concerned with diseases that are specific to women, especially those that affect their reproductive organs

"Gynecology clinic visited."

"She visited the gynecology clinic for a regular health check last week carefully."

the branch of medicine that focuses on the healthcare of elderly people

"The hospital has a specialist ward for geriatrics and frail elderly care."

"Geriatrics is the branch of medicine focused exclusively on the health care and complex needs of elderly"

an alternative therapy in which pressure is put on specific parts of the body with hands and fingers

"Acupressure therapy helped."

"Acupressure therapy helped relieve her headache without using any medicine yesterday."

the process of using hypnosis as a therapeutic technique

"Hypnotherapy session attended."

"She attended a hypnotherapy session to help stop smoking successfully last month."

the medicinal and therapeutic use of plants and plant extracts to treat illnesses

"Traditional herbalism used."

"Traditional herbalism uses plants to treat various health problems naturally every day."

a wide range of treatments for medical conditions that fall outside of mainstream healthcare

"Herbal remedies are complementary medicine."

"Patients often use complementary medicine like acupuncture alongside conventional treatments for chronic pain."

a two-piece protective garment that is worn by surgeons in the operation room

"Wear medical scrubs."

"Doctors and nurses wear medical scrubs in the hospital every day for hygiene and identification."

an operation in which small sharp tools are used to remove material from inside the uterus or another body part

"Surgical curettage performed."

"The doctor performed surgical curettage to remove abnormal tissue from the uterus last week."

surgical removal of a limb or a part of it

"Leg amputation performed."

"The doctor had to perform leg amputation after the serious accident last month."

the process of removing and analyzing tissue from the body of a sick person to learn more about their condition

"The doctor took a biopsy to check for cancer."

"A biopsy is a medical procedure where a small sample of tissue is surgically removed from the body for pathological examination under a microscope to diagnose disease."

a professional opinion regarding the likely course of an illness

"The prognosis was grim."

"the long-term prognosis is very good."

a drug that reduces pain and causes sleepiness, confusion, or dullness

"Strong narcotic drug prescribed."

"The doctor prescribed a strong narcotic drug to relieve the patient's severe pain after surgery."

a small tablet containing medicine, intended to dissolve slowly in the mouth

"A lozenge can help."

"He sucked on a medicated lozenge to soothe his sore throat and combat the persistent cough."

a substance that prevents infection when applied to a wound, especially by killing bacteria

"Use antiseptic on cuts."

"She cleaned the wound with antiseptic before bandaging it to prevent bacterial infection."

any drugs with the same effects as opium, medicinally used for reducing extreme pain

"Opioids are strong painkillers."

"The doctor prescribed an opioid pain reliever for the patient suffering from severe post surgical pain."

any device, drug, or method that is used to prevent pregnancy

"Oral contraceptive pill taken."

"She takes an oral contraceptive pill every day to prevent unwanted pregnancy successfully."

(of medical procedures) comprising cutting into the body or body cavities

"The surgery is invasive."

"An invasive surgical procedure requires careful consideration of risks and benefits for the patient."

related to identifying or determining the presence of an illness or problem by analyzing various symptoms or signs

"The test was diagnostic."

"The test is diagnostic and will tell the doctor whether you have the disease or not."