Modern civilization is characterized by a high degree of communication and interaction between different communities, accompanied by globalization. In this regard, the intensity of scientific and professional communication between different parties, including those from different countries with unequal cultural backgrounds, is increasing. In order to maintain the efficiency of communication and to unambiguously denote the subject of discussion, it is necessary to use medical terminology. For example, knowledge of accurate terminology enables the communication between different professionals and improves the quality of medical services. The same is true for doctor-patient interactions: speaking the same language avoids differences in interpretation (PCC, 2017). Accurately stating the diagnosis, name of tests, and prescription of medications helps the doctor convey specific, detailed information to the patient.
Notably, knowledge of terminology is valuable for clinical coding as well. In general, this procedure refers to the translation of any medical information, whether it be a diagnosis, physician prescriptions, or recommendations, into a universal medical alphanumeric code (Malvik, 2019). The best-known example of coding is the ICD-10 system, which contains information about all the diseases of the world coded with numbers and Latin letters. In this context, knowledge of clinical terminology is critical because the final quality of the services provided depends on the quality of this translation. For instance, if the doctor who was treating the patient mistook the name of the diagnosis and put the wrong diagnosis code in the patient’s electronic card, it would lead to the impairment of further treatment and anamnesis errors during future visits to the clinic. At the same time, coding solves the issue of payment for medical services. If a doctor or nurse makes a mistake due to ignorance or inattention, it will result in financial payment errors. If the patient has to pay more than necessary, it will cause conflicts and a fall in the reputation of the clinic or health care provider.
References
Malvik, C. (2019). What is a medical coder? An easy explanation of this healthcare career. RU.
PCC. (2017). The importance of medical terminology in the healthcare field. PCC Institute.