Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 at
6:25 pm
A medical dictionary provides definitions for medical terms such as diseases and treatments. Medical dictionaries may be in book form or on the Internet.
Some medical dictionaries are home medical references designed for parents. Home medical references often include a lot of information on childhood illnesses including photographs of rashes and other symptoms.
One purpose of a medical dictionary for home use is to allow people to judge whether the symptoms require emergency medical attention or a doctors appointment. If a person thinks that the symptoms might require emergency medical attention, the person should not hesitate to call emergency medical services instead of taking the time to look up the problem in a book.
Definitions for medical terms and the names of diseases or conditions can be found on websites with medical dictionaries. However, the definition may include medical terminology instead of plain language that is easy for everyone to understand. Also, very little information beyond a concise definition is found on most medical dictionaries on the Internet.
Health and medical websites designed for use by consumers often offer much more information in a format that is easy to understand.
Websites maintained by reputable hospitals often provide a wealth of information on diseases and medical conditions including possible causes, symptoms, and methods of treatment. These are typically easy for users to understand.
Medical dictionaries may be designed to provide information on terms or conditions related to a medical specialty. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) is the medical dictionary for psychiatric conditions. Each condition is defined and explained by the symptoms associated with that condition.
A search on a search engine can reveal numerous websites with related medical information. However, not all medical information available online is accurate.
Some medical information on websites is biased, inaccurate, or even potentially dangerous. If someone has a medical question, the person should consider asking a doctor rather than relying on information from the Internet.
