CPCT Medical Terminology and Documentation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the medical abbreviation 'NPO' mean?
- Normal pulse oximetry
- Nothing by mouth (Correct answer)
- No pain observed
- Normal post-operative
Correct answer: Nothing by mouth
NPO (nil per os, Latin) means 'nothing by mouth' and indicates the patient must not eat or drink anything.
Question 2: The prefix 'brady-' refers to:
- Fast
- Slow (Correct answer)
- Painful
- Difficult
Correct answer: Slow
'Brady-' is a Greek prefix meaning slow, as in bradycardia (slow heart rate) or bradypnea (slow breathing).
Question 3: Which abbreviation indicates a medication should be given four times per day?
- BID
- TID
- QID (Correct answer)
- QD
Correct answer: QID
QID (quater in die) means four times a day; BID = twice, TID = three times, QD = once daily.
Question 4: The suffix '-ectomy' means:
- Surgical repair
- Surgical removal (Correct answer)
- Surgical opening
- Inflammation of
Correct answer: Surgical removal
'-ectomy' means surgical removal, as in appendectomy (removal of the appendix) or tonsillectomy.
Question 5: Documentation in a patient's medical record should be:
- Written in pencil for easy correction
- Timely, accurate, objective, and legible (Correct answer)
- Completed the next day to ensure accuracy
- Shared verbally with other staff instead of written
Correct answer: Timely, accurate, objective, and legible
Medical record entries must be timely, accurate, objective (fact-based), and legible to provide a reliable legal and clinical record.
Question 6: What is the correct action if a PCT makes an error in a written medical record?
- Use correction fluid (Wite-Out) to cover the mistake
- Scribble out the error completely
- Draw a single line through the error, write 'error,' initial, and correct it (Correct answer)
- Tear out the page and rewrite the entry
Correct answer: Draw a single line through the error, write 'error,' initial, and correct it
A single line through the error with 'error,' your initials, and the date preserves the original entry while marking the correction for legal integrity.
CPCT Medical Terminology and Documentation 1
What does the medical abbreviation 'NPO' mean?