Understanding Medical Terms

Book excerpt: PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION The need for a thorough understanding of medical terminology has not diminished in the least for pharmacists and other health care practitioners in the five years between the publication of the first edition of this book and this second edition. If anything, it has become greater. The pharmacy profession has further solidified its clinical role in patient care, and pharmacists are more entrenched than ever before in the role of counselor and advisor to both patients and practitioners alike. For more than a few pharmacists, what not long ago was an occasional question from a physician about appropriate drug therapy has become regular consultation concerning the interaction of drugs with the patient, his life, and the many other therapies he may be facing. Pharmacy chains, which not long ago installed glass walls to separate the pharmacist from customers, have asked technicians to count pills while pharmacists are in continuous contact with the patient. Such practice changes have increased the demand for clinical knowledge among pharmacists, including a knowledge of medical terminology, and those demands have been passed on to the authors in preparation of the second edition of this book. While the role of the text is still to help pharmacists be more effective interpreters and counselors, some changes have been made in response to reader requests.