Medical term:

barrier

[bar´e-er]

1. an obstruction.

2. a partition between two fluid compartments in the body.

3. a covering used to prevent contact with body fluids.

alveolar-capillary barrier (alveolocapillary barrier) see under membrane.

blood-air barrier alveolocapillary membrane.

blood-aqueous barrier the physiologic mechanism that prevents exchange of materials between the chambers of the eye and the blood.

blood-brain barrier see blood-brain barrier.

blood-gas barrier alveolocapillary membrane.

blood-testis barrier a barrier separating the blood from the seminiferous tubules, consisting of special junctional complexes between adjacent Sertoli cells near the base of the seminiferous epithelium.

barrier methods contraceptive methods such as condoms and diaphragms in which a plastic or rubber barrier blocks passage of spermatozoa through the vagina or cervix. See discussion under contraception.

placental barrier the tissue layers of the placenta which regulate the exchange of substances between the fetal and maternal circulation.

bar·ri·er

(bar'ē-er),

1. An obstacle or impediment.

2. In psychiatry, a conflictual agent that blocks behavior that could help resolve a personal struggle.

3. In psychotherapy, anything that acts as an impediment to the insight, constructive change, healing, and growth of a patient (for example, an unhealthy or primitive defense mechanism; secondary gain; conflicted ambivalence; unconscious motivation derived from residual conflict from an earlier developmental stage; stubbornness; lack of ability to detach, observe, or analyze).

[M.E., fr. O.Fr. barriere, fr. L.L. barraria]

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

barrier

(băr′ē-ər)

1. Physiology A membrane, tissue, or mechanism that blocks the passage of certain substances.

2. Ecology A physical or biological factor that limits the migration, interbreeding, or free movement of individuals or populations.

barrier

Physiology
A physical or functional hurdle which a substance or cell must surmount or circumvent to have free access to a tissue or site in the body.

Social medicine
An impediment in access to a service or activity, defined in the context of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which may be architectural (e.g., requiring widened doors, wheelchair ramps and others) or communication-related (e.g., linguistic barrier, vision defects).

According to the ADA, the existance of barriers may require an employer to make reasonable accomodations in the form of obtaining an interpreter or braille forms (e.g., for paperwork), or by altering the physical layout of an office or work space.

barrier

Physiology A physical or functional hurdle which a substance or cell must surmount or circumvent to have free access to a tissue or site in the body. See Blood-brain barrier, Bone marrow barrier Social medicine An impediment in access to a service or activity, defined in the context of the Americans with Disabilities Act–ADA, which may be architectural–eg requiring widened doors, wheelchair ramps, and others or communication-related–eg linguistic barrier, vision defects. See Americans with Disabilities Act, Architectural barrier, Cultural barrier, Disability, Inequitable barrier, Reasonable accommodations.

bar·ri·er

(bar'ē-ĕr)

1. An obstacle or impediment.

2. psychiatry A conflictual agent that blocks behavior that could help resolve a personal struggle.

[M.E., fr. O. Fr. barriere, fr. L.L. barraria]

bar·ri·er

(bar'ē-ĕr)

An obstacle or impediment.

[M.E., fr. O. Fr. barriere, fr. L.L. barraria]

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