Christina Clay Week 2 HCA/220

There are seven particular organizational approaches to studying the human body. Each approach holds a purpose to studying healthcare and the human body. These seven approaches include: Body planes and body directions Body cavities Quadrants and regions Anatomy and physiology Microscopic to macroscopic Body systems Medical Specialties

A plane is an imaginary flat surface that divides the body into two separate parts. There are three main body planes that divide the body into sections. Body directions represent movement away from or toward the coronal or frontal plane, the sagittal plane, and the transverse plane (the 3 main body planes). Planes are used to locate or describe the location of structures in the body ("Healthpages.org", 03/27/2011). A body cavity is basically a hollow space on the body. There are five main body cavities, the cranial cavity, spinal cavity, thoracic cavity, abdominal cavity, pelvic cavity, and the abdominopelvic cavity. Quadrants and regions are basically a simple map or guide of the abdominopelvic area. Quadrants and regions can be referenced in healthcare to configure the location of pain or perhaps an obstruction. For example, if a gynecological patient was being seen for pelvic pain the physician could order a pelvic sonogram to investigate this pain with a diagnosis of pain in the LLQ (Lower Left Quadrant). The ultrasound tech would then see that this patient has pain in that particular quadrant and focus on that quadrant when performing the ultrasound to assist in finding the problem. Anatomy is the study of the structures of the human body and physiology is the study of the function of those structures. Understanding the structures of the human body and the function of these structures is vital when a physician is configuring a patients diagnosis and in the search for a cure to the patients problem. The microscopic to macroscopic approach is used to study the human body according to its smallest parts and how they combine to make larger and more complex structures and systems. This approach is somewhat similar to the previous because it is basically the study of the human body structures or systems, yet this approach focuses on how the structure or system was created rather than the actual functioning of the particular system. The human body can be studied according to its various structures and how they function together as a body system. There are fifteen main body systems which include: o Gastrointestinal (GI) system o Respiratory system o Cardiovascular (CV) system o Blood o Lymphatic system o Integumentary system o Skeletal system o Muscular system o Nervous system o Urinary system o Male genital and reproductive system o Female genital and reproductive system o Endocrine system o Eyes o Ears, nose, and throat (ENT) system Medical specialties are basically sectioned by body systems. For example, gastroenterology focuses on the anatomy (structures), physiology (functions), diseases and conditions, laboratory and diagnostic procedures, medical and surgical procedures, and drugs that are necessary for the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal system.

Christina Clay Week 2 HCA/220

References

Healthpages.org. (03/27/2011). Retrieved from http://healthpages.org/anatomyfunction/anatomy-terms/

Turley, S. (2011). Medical Language Chapter 2 [University of Phoenix Custom Edition eBook]. : Prentice Hall. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, HCA/220 website.

Christina Clay Week 2 HCA/220