This is vocabulary, not medical advice. It's here so you can follow what's being said and ask better questions \u2014 not so you can work out what's wrong or what to do about it. That's a conversation with your own clinician, who knows your history.
What you'd probably say, and what the chart, the lab report or the specialist calls it. Knowing the word turns \u201cI don't feel right\u201d into a question someone can actually answer.
Medicine is divided by organ system, by technique, and by setting. Knowing which specialty owns a problem saves referrals, appointments and months.
The working vocabulary. The last two groups \u2014 the numbers that matter and how to run the visit \u2014 are the ones I'd read first.
Charts, after-visit summaries and portal notes are written in abbreviation. Here's how to read yours.