Medical English Vocabulary Quiz – ESL / TEFL

Test your students’ knowledge with this medical English vocabulary quiz.

Answers at the bottom.

1. The hospital department that specialises in the treatment of bones and muscles.
2. What is the name of the doctor who induces unconsciousness in patients?
3. What hospital department deals with samples?
4. What is the name of the person who gives medicine and fills prescriptions?
5. What is a pressure mattress?
6. What is gauze used for?
7. What kind of patient would need a bedpan?
8. How are syringes disposed of safely?
9. A long robe worn by a patient is called a gown / gloves.
10. What is the name of a sharp knife used in surgery?
11. Holding tissue together with stitches is called suture / clamp.
12. The surgical removal of tissue or tumours is known as what?
13. After an operation, patients are placed in which room?
14. A patient who is in a state of unconsciousness for a long period of time is described as being in a what?
15. What is the name of the heart condition where fatty material gathers in the arteries and hardens the walls?
16. What is the name of the procedure that opens up an artery with a balloon and inflates it?
17. What is a staph infection?
18. What is the name of the station where patients are divided into groups depending on the gravity of their injuries?
19. What type of fracture is most common amongst children?
20. What is the function of the pituitary gland?
21. What is needlestick?
22. What kills bacteria in the body?
23. If someone has a contagious disease you may have to __________them.
24. What does C.P.R. stand for?
25. What is the name of the medical emergency whereby the circulatory system is unable to supply oxygen to the body?
26. What do these acronyms stand for - QID, PRN, TID and QH?
27. What do they words mean – BP, WNL, o/e, T and HR?
28. What is the name of the medical procedure that involves sending a camera into the colon?
29. What is the name of a liquid which kills bacteria and microorganisms?
30. What is the name of the upper chamber in the heart that receives blood from the veins?
31. What are some of the symptoms of migraine?
32. Name 4 treatments for tissue change caused by the Human Papilloma Virus?
33. What is the difference between refractory and recurrent Hodgkin lymphoma?
34. Some adult cancers are linked to lifestyle. Can you name some ways in which you can reduce your risk of contracting cancer?
35. What would you recommend for a patient to do who has just been diagnosed with depression?
36. What are some of the causes of eczema?
37. Coal Tar, Moisturisers, Light therapy, Methotrexate, Retinoids, Cyclosporine and Biologic therapies are some of the options used to treat what disease?
38. What tools can a physician use to help diagnose osteoarthritis?
39. What parts of the body does Rheumatoid arthritis affect?
40. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affects more men than women. True or false?

1. Orthopaedics
2. Anaesthesiologist
3. Pathology
4. Pharmacist
5. A pressure mattress is designed to prevent, manage or treat bed ulcers.
6. Gauze is a thin fabric which is used to wrap wounds and staunch bleeding.
7. Any disease or surgery that confines a patient to a bed would need a bedpan.
8. They are put in a biohazard waste container.
9. Gown
10. Scalpel
11. Suture
12. Excision
13. Recovery room
14. Coma
15. Atherosclerosis
16. Angioplasty
17. A staph infection is an illness caused by the bacteria staphylococcus
18. Triage station
19. Greenstick
20. The pituitary gland secretes hormones that control growth, sexual functions and blood pressure
21. Needlestick injuries occur when needles puncture the skin accidentally
22. Antibiotics
23. Quarantine
24. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
25. Shock
26. QID – four times a day, PRN – given as needed, TID – three times a day, QH – every hour
27. BP – blood pressure, WNL – within normal limits, o/e – on examination, T – temperature, HR – heartbeat rate
28. Colonoscopy
29. Disinfectant
30. Atrium
31. Pounding headache, sensitivity to light, dizziness, fatigue, paleness, blurred vision or nausea.
32. Time (it might go away on its own), Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP), Cryotherapy or Conization.
33. Refractory disease is when the disease does not respond to therapy. Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back after treatment.
34. Quit smoking, drink less alcohol, eat plenty of fruit and veg, do exercise, lose weight and go for regular screening.
35. Students’ own answers.
36. Genetics, environment, abnormalities in the immune systems and activities that make the skin more sensitive.
37. Psoriasis
38. Physical examination, Arthroscopy, X-ray and Arthrocentesis.
39. The lungs, joints and heart.
40. True