medical procedure medical procedure a medical procedure is a course of action intended to achieve a result in the delivery of healthcare. a medical procedure with the intention of determining, measuring, or diagnosing a patient condition or parameter is also called a medical test. other common kinds of procedures are therapeutic (i.e., intended to treat, cure, or restore function or structure), such as surgical and physical rehabilitation procedures. definition "an activity directed at or performed on an individual with the object of improving health, treating disease or injury, or making a diagnosis." - international dictionary of medicine and biology "the act or conduct of diagnosis, treatment, or operation." - stedman's medical dictionary by thomas lathrop stedman "a series of steps by which a desired result is accomplished." - dorland's medical dictionary by william alexander newman dorland "the sequence of steps to be followed in establishing some course of action." - mosby's medical, nursing, & allied health dictionary list of medical procedures propaedeutic auscultation medical inspection (body features) palpation percussion (medicine) vital signs measurement, such as blood pressure, body temperature, or pulse (or heart rate) diagnostic lab tests biopsy test blood test stool test urinalysis cardiac stress test electrocardiography electrocorticography electroencephalography electromyography electroneuronography electronystagmography electrooculography electroretinography endoluminal capsule monitoring endoscopy colonoscopy colposcopy cystoscopy gastroscopy laparoscopy laryngoscopy ophthalmoscopy otoscopy sigmoidoscopy esophageal motility study evoked potential magnetoencephalography medical imaging angiography aortography cerebral angiography coronary angiography lymphangiography pulmonary angiography ventriculography chest photofluorography computed tomography echocardiography electrical impedance tomography fluoroscopy magnetic resonance imaging diffuse optical imaging diffusion tensor imaging diffusion-weighted imaging functional magnetic resonance imaging positron emission tomography radiography scintillography spect ultrasonography contrast-enhanced ultrasound gynecologic ultrasonography intravascular ultrasound obstetric ultrasonography thermography virtual colonoscopy neuroimaging posturography therapeutic