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CHW 103: Health Across the Lifespan
103.1 Body Basics: Anatomy, Physiology and Medical Terms
Body systems in plain words and how to decode medical language
Your materials
Slides (PowerPoint) Handout (Word)
For instructors
Facilitator guide Printable pre and post tests Quiz (LMS import)
What you will learn
- Describe the main job of each major body system
- Explain how body systems work together to keep us well
- Break medical words into prefixes, roots and suffixes
- Read common abbreviations and ask what unknown terms mean
Start here
Think of a time a doctor used a word you did not understand. What did you do next?
Lesson
Body systems and their main jobs
| System | Main parts | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Heart and blood vessels | Heart, arteries, veins | Moves blood, oxygen and food to every cell |
| Lungs (respiratory) | Nose, airways, lungs | Brings in oxygen, lets out carbon dioxide |
| Digestion | Mouth, stomach, intestines, liver | Breaks food down so the body can use it |
| Kidneys (urinary) | Kidneys, bladder | Filters waste and extra water out of blood |
| Brain and nerves | Brain, spinal cord, nerves | Sends messages and controls the body |
| Hormones (endocrine) | Pancreas, thyroid, other glands | Chemical messengers that control blood sugar and growth |
More systems that hold us together
- Muscles and bones: Bones hold us up and protect organs. Muscles move bones, pump the heart and push food along.
- Skin: Our largest organ. It keeps germs out, helps control body heat and lets us feel touch.
- Immune system: White blood cells and other defenders that fight germs and keep us well.
- Reproductive system: The organs that make pregnancy possible. We study this more in the pregnancy module.
How systems work as a team
Follow one bite of food through the body:
- Digestion breaks it down: The stomach and intestines turn food into sugar and other nutrients.
- Hormones step in: The pancreas makes insulin, which lets sugar move from the blood into cells.
- Blood carries it: The heart pumps blood that delivers sugar and oxygen to muscles and brain.
- Kidneys clean up: Kidneys filter waste out of the blood and send it out as urine.
- When one struggles: High blood sugar over time can harm the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.
Decoding medical words
| Word part | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| cardi | Root | Heart | Cardiology: study of the heart |
| nephr, ren | Root | Kidney | Renal failure: kidneys stop working well |
| hyper / hypo | Prefix | Too much / too little | Hypertension: high blood pressure |
| tachy / brady | Prefix | Fast / slow | Bradycardia: slow heart rate |
| itis | Suffix | Swelling, inflammation | Arthritis: swollen, painful joints |
| ology / ectomy | Suffix | Study of / cut out | Appendectomy: surgery to remove the appendix |
Abbreviations CHWs often see
On charts and visit notes
- BP: blood pressure
- HR: heart rate (pulse)
- RR: respiratory rate, breaths per minute
- A1C or HbA1c: average blood sugar over months
- Dx: diagnosis; Hx: history
On prescriptions and orders
- Rx: prescription
- PRN: as needed
- BID: twice a day; TID: three times a day
- NPO: nothing by mouth
- SOB: shortness of breath
Why medical words become a barrier
- What we see: Mr. Reyes in Clark-Fulton leaves the hospital with papers he cannot read. He misses a follow-up visit.
- Why it happens (upstream): Health papers are often written above most readers' level, visits are rushed, and interpreters are not always offered.
- What we can build on (assets): His daughter's support, a Spanish-speaking CHW, the neighborhood library, a clinic with interpreters, and the teach-back method.
Situation: the word on the discharge paper
Situation: Ms. Turner in Glenville shows you her discharge paper. It says 'CHF exacerbation, follow up with cardiology in 7 days.' She asks if this means she is dying.
How do you help her without diagnosing?
- Stay calm and listen to her fears first
- Explain cardiology means a heart doctor, and the visit is in a week
- Do not explain her illness or guess how serious it is
- Help her make a question list and book the visit
How to ask what a term means
Asking is a professional skill. Try these:
- Ask plainly: 'Can you say that in everyday words?' Providers expect this question and most welcome it.
- Write it down: Spell the word, then look it up later in a trusted source like MedlinePlus.
- Use teach-back: Repeat what you heard in your own words and ask, 'Did I get that right?'
- Ask your RN: Your supervising nurse is a resource. Bring terms from home visits to supervision.
Study sheet
The big idea: When we understand the body and its language, we can help neighbors understand their own care and ask better questions.
Key points
- Each body system has a main job, and the systems depend on each other.
- Diabetes and high blood pressure strain many systems: heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.
- Most medical words break into a prefix, a root and a suffix.
- Abbreviations like BP, A1C and PRN show up on charts, orders and pill labels.
- Knowing a term is for education and asking questions, never for diagnosing.
- Ask plainly, write it down, use teach-back, and bring questions to your RN supervisor.
Remember
- cardi = heart; nephr or ren = kidney; gastr = stomach
- hyper = too much; hypo = too little; tachy = fast; brady = slow
- itis = inflammation; ectomy = remove; ology = study of
- PRN = as needed; NPO = nothing by mouth; Rx = prescription
Ask yourself
- Which medical words have confused me or my family, and how did that feel?
- How can I explain one body system to a neighbor in two sentences?
Vocabulary
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Anatomy | The study of the body's parts and where they are. |
| Physiology | The study of how the body's parts work. |
| Body system | A group of organs that work together to do one main job, like breathing or digestion. |
| Organ | A body part with a special job, such as the heart, lungs, liver or skin. |
| Prefix | A word part at the start that changes the meaning, like hyper (too much) or brady (slow). |
| Root | The main part of a medical word, often naming a body part, like cardi (heart). |
| Suffix | A word part at the end, like itis (inflammation) or ectomy (surgical removal). |
| Abbreviation | A short form of a word or phrase, like BP for blood pressure. |
| Insulin | A hormone made by the pancreas that helps sugar move from the blood into cells. |
| Teach-back | Saying information back in your own words to check that it was understood. |
Real-life situations
The confusing lab result
Mr. Hill in Fairfax shows you a lab sheet that says 'A1C 8.4, high.' He asks whether he has diabetes now.
What to do
- Explain that A1C is a test of average blood sugar over the past few months
- Do not say what the number means for him or whether he has diabetes
- Help him call his provider or book a visit to talk about the result
- Help him write down his questions before the visit
- Note the contact and tell your supervisor
Why: Explaining what a test measures is education. Telling him what it means for his health is diagnosing, which is the provider's role.
The pill label with letters
Ms. Lopez in Slavic Village has a pill bottle that says 'take 1 tab PO BID PRN pain.' She asks what the letters mean.
What to do
- Tell her you can explain the abbreviations but not change how she takes it
- Explain PO means by mouth, BID means twice a day, PRN means as needed
- Use teach-back to check she understood
- If she has questions about dose or safety, help her call the pharmacist
Why: Reading a label together supports health literacy. Dose questions belong to the pharmacist or prescriber.
The word you do not know
At a community meeting at a Hough church, a nurse uses the word 'edema'. Several older members look lost, and you are not sure of it either.
What to do
- Raise your hand and ask the nurse to explain it in everyday words
- Write the word down and look it up later in MedlinePlus
- Thank the nurse, which makes it easier for others to ask next time
Why: When the CHW asks, it gives the whole room permission to ask. Edema means swelling caused by fluid.
Activity: Build and break medical words
About 25 minutes.
- Work with a partner. Each of you writes five word parts from the decoding table on separate cards.
- Combine cards to build at least six real medical words, such as gastritis or tachycardia.
- For each word, write a one-sentence plain-language meaning a neighbor would understand.
- Find two of your words on a real health page such as MedlinePlus and check your meaning.
- Post your best plain-language explanation in the course discussion.
Post-test
Ten questions. You need 75% to pass, with one retake. Your result is saved in this browser.
Sources
- Ohio Administrative Code 4723-26-13, Standard curriculum
- MedlinePlus, Vital Signs
- MedlinePlus, Vital signs (body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, blood pressure)
- MedlinePlus, Understanding Medical Words: word parts (appendix A)
- MedlinePlus, Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) Test
- NIDDK, What Is Diabetes?
- NCI SEER Training, Body Functions and Life Process
- MedlinePlus, Understanding Medical Words: Abbreviations (appendix B)
- MedlinePlus, Medical Words Reference
- NHS, Abbreviations commonly found in medical records
- UCSF Hospital Handbook, Appendix B: Abbreviations
- MedlinePlus, Edema
- Cleveland Clinic, Skin: Layers, Structure and Function
- NCI SEER Training, Anatomy and Physiology
- Des Moines University, Online Medical Terminology Course