The four steps involved in the CARD method of using Greek and Latin word components to break down the meanings of medical terms are:
- Check – Examine the medical term and identify the word parts you recognize, such as roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
- Assign – Assign meanings to each of the identified word parts based on their definitions (e.g., root words, combining vowels, suffixes).
- Reverse – Reverse the order of the meaning of the suffix to the front of the term’s definition, starting from the suffix and moving backward through the word parts.
- Define – Combine the meanings in this reversed order to clearly define the entire medical term.
For example, in the term gastroscopy :
- Check the parts: gastr/o (stomach), scopy (process of viewing).
- Assign meanings: gastr = stomach, scopy = viewing process.
- Reverse the suffix meaning to the front: viewing process of the stomach.
- Define the term accordingly: the process of viewing the stomach
This method helps systematically decode complex medical terminology by focusing on the structure of Greek and Latin components.
