Medical terms starting with H

61 entries

• HAIHealthcare-associated infection: an infection a patient acquires while receiving care.
• half-lifeThe time it takes for the drug level in the blood to drop by half.
• hallucinationSeeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling something that is not there.
• HAVHepatitis A virus, which causes a liver infection.
• HBVHepatitis B virus: a bloodborne virus that infects the liver; OSHA requires employers to offer the hepatitis B vaccine…
• hCGHuman chorionic gonadotropin: the hormone, made by the placenta, that pregnancy tests detect in urine or blood.
• HCPCSHealthcare Common Procedure Coding System; Level II codes cover supplies, equipment and services not in CPT.
• HCTHematocrit: the percentage of blood volume made up of red cells. As an abbreviation for hydrocortisone it is…
• HCTZHydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic. ISMP: do not abbreviate; HCTZ can be misread as hydrocortisone. Write the full name.
• HCVHepatitis C virus: a bloodborne virus that infects the liver.
• HDLHigh-density lipoprotein, often called good cholesterol.
• health care proxyA legal document naming a person to make medical decisions if the patient cannot; also the person named.
• health literacyA person's ability to find, understand and use health information to make decisions.
• healthcare-associated infectionAn infection a patient acquires while receiving health care.
• heart blockAn interruption in the heart's normal electrical conduction pathway, such as an AV block.
• heart failureA condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.
• hem/o, hemat/oBlood.
• hematocritThe percentage of blood volume made up of red blood cells.
• hematomaA collection of blood under the skin, causing swelling and a bruise; a common venipuncture complication.
• hematuriaBlood in the urine.
• hemi-Half or one side.
• hemoglobinThe iron-containing protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.
• hemolysisRupture of red blood cells, which releases their contents and can invalidate test results.
• hemoptysisCoughing up blood.
• hemostasisThe body's process for stopping bleeding.
• heparinAn anticoagulant; in green-top tubes it is used for plasma chemistry tests. It is also given as a blood-thinning drug.
• hepat/oLiver.
• hepatitisInflammation of the liver, often caused by a virus.
• herd immunityProtection of a community when enough people are immune to a disease to limit its spread.
• hetero-Other or different.
• Hgb, HbHemoglobin: the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells, or the test that measures it.
• HHAHome health agency: an organization that provides medical care in the patient's home.
• hidr/oSweat.
• hierarchy of needsMaslow's five levels of human needs: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.
• HIPAAHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which sets federal privacy and security rules for health…
• hist/oTissue.
• HIVHuman immunodeficiency virus: the virus that causes AIDS; a bloodborne pathogen.
• HMOHealth maintenance organization: a managed care plan that usually pays only for in-network care and uses a primary…
• Holter monitorA portable EKG recorder worn during normal activity, usually for 24 to 48 hours (Merck: 24 hours to 14 days).
• homeo-Similar, same, or unchanging.
• homeostasisThe body's ability to keep a stable internal environment, such as temperature and fluid balance.
• homo-Same or alike.
• hormoneA chemical messenger released into the blood that affects target cells elsewhere in the body.
• hospiceComfort and support care for people in the last stages of a terminal illness and their families.
• HPIHistory of present illness: the patient's description of how the current problem developed.
• HPVHuman papillomavirus: a common virus that can cause cervical cancer.
• HRHeart rate: number of heartbeats per minute.
• hs, HSLowercase hs means at bedtime; HS has meant half-strength, and each is misread as the other. ISMP: write HS or bedtime…
• HSVHerpes simplex virus, the cause of herpes infections; it is not curable.
• HTNHypertension (high blood pressure).
• hydr/oWater or fluid.
• hyper-Above normal, excessive, or beyond.
• hyperglycemiaAbnormally high blood glucose.
• hypertensionPersistently high blood pressure. Stage cutoffs follow the current AHA/ACC guideline (see the blood pressure cheat…
• hyperthermiaDangerously high core body temperature.
• hypo-Below normal, under, or deficient.
• hypodermisThe fatty connective tissue layer beneath the dermis; also called the subcutaneous layer.
• hypoglycemiaAbnormally low blood glucose.
• hypotensionLow blood pressure.
• hypothermiaAbnormally low core body temperature.
• hyster/o, uter/oUterus (womb).