Why are medical abbreviations needed?

Abbreviations are commonly used in the medical world to save time and space whilst writing in the
patients' medical records. As various specialties have evolved, each has developed a collection of
commonly used abbreviations within its practice, which may not be recognizable to those not working within
the same field.
can help patients receive the care and medications they need faster. This allows facilities to see a greater
number of patients and improve their overall efficiency.

Why is it important that nurses familiarize themselves with medical

abbreviations?
This language helps medical staff communicate more efficiently and makes documentation easier. This
enables staff to save time by ensuring they don't have to explain complex medical condition in plain English
and can focus on the treatment of patients.
Medical terminology allows all medical professionals to understand each other and communicate
effectively. When everyone understands what a condition, medicine, or procedure is, they are able to fulfill
their roles accordingly, whether that is delivering medicine or billing for a medicine.

Can medical abbreviations create confusion and lead to errors? Can medical
abbreviations create confusion and lead to errors?
Unfortunately, abbreviations can lead to confusion for both medical professionals and patients,
introducing the potential for dangerous misunderstandings. This can lead to errors in prescribing or
administering medication and other treatments.
Think about it: If you use an acronym that is unfamiliar to your addressees, they are forced to make a choice
of interrupting the conversation for an explanation, making an assumption about its meaning, ignoring
it, or making a mental note to look it up later.

Table 1: Common Medical Abbreviations

Note: This is not a complete list of medical abbreviations or error-prone abbreviations. Always speak with your
healthcare provider for any questions related to medical abbreviations or terms.
Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

1/2NS one-half normal saline (0.45%) Normal saline (NS) is 0.9%, so one-
half normal saline is 0.45%

5-ASA 5-aminosalicylic acid Can be misinterpreted as five tablets

of aspirin (per FDA).

Spell out full drug name.

a before

A.M. morning

aa of each

AAA abdominal aortic aneurysm Can be misinterpreted as 'apply to

(called a "triple-A") affected area'

AAA apply to affected area Can be misinterpreted as 'abdominal

aortic aneurysm'

ac before meals

achs before meals and at bedtime

AD right ear

ad lib freely; as much as desired

ad sat. to saturation

ad. to; up to Caution not to confuse with AD

(meaning right ear)

ALT alanine aminotransferase

alt. alternate

alt. h. every other hour

am, A.M. in the morning; before noon

amp ampule

amt. amount

ant. anterior

ante before

ap before dinner
Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

APAP acetaminophen Spell out drug name

"acetaminophen"

aPTT activated partial

thromboplastin

AQ, aq water

a.s., AS left ear

ASA aspirin Spell out drug name "aspirin"

AST aspartate aminotransferase

ATC around the clock

AU each ear; both ears

AZT zidovudine Can be misinterpreted as

azathioprine (per FDA).

Spell out drug name.

Ba barium

BCP birth control pills

Bi bismuth

bid, BID twice a day

BM bowel movement

BMI body mass index

bol bolus

BP blood pressure

BPH benign prostatic hypertrophy

BS blood sugar

BSA body surface area

BT bedtime In U.S., 'hs' or 'HS' is more commonly

used for bedtime.

c with
Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

C.C. chief complaint

c/o complaints of

C&S culture and sensitivity

CABG coronary artery bypass graft

CaCO3 calcium carbonate

CAD coronary artery disease

CAP cancer of the prostate Do not confuse with "capsule"

cap. capsule Do not confuse with "cancer of the

prostate"

CBC complete blood count

cc cubic centimeters May be mistaken as u (units) per

ISMP.

Use mL instead of cc.

CD controlled delivery

CF cystic fibrosis

cm centimeter

CNS central nervous system

conc concentrated

CPZ Compazine Can be misinterpreted as

chlorpromazine (per FDA).

Spell out drug name.

CR controlled-release

cr, crm cream

CV cardiovascular

CXR chest x-ray

D/C, dc, disc. discontinue OR discharge Multiple possible meanings; spell out
instead of using "D/C"
Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

D5/0.9 NaCl 5% dextrose and normal saline

solution (0.9% NaCl)

D5 1/2/NS 5% dextrose and half normal

saline solution (0.45% NaCl)

D5NS dextrose 5% in normal saline

(0.9%)

D5W 5% dextrose in water

DAW dispense as written

DBP diastolic blood pressure

dil. diluted

disp dispense

div divide

DKA diabetic ketoacidosis

dL deciliter

DM diabetes mellitus

DO Doctor of Osteopathic
Medicine

DOB date of birth

DPT diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus Better to spell out vaccine name; can

be misinterpreted as Demerol-
Phenergan-Thorazine per FDA

DR delayed-release

DVT deep vein thrombosis

DW dextrose in water, diabetes Multiple possible meanings; spell out

mellitus or distilled water instead of using "DW"

EC enteric-coated

EENT Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat

elix. elixir

emuls. emulsion
Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

ER extended-release Can also mean "emergency room"

ER emergency room Can also mean "extended-release"

ETOH ethyl alcohol

F Fahrenheit

f or F female

FBS fasting blood sugar

FDA Food and Drug Administration

Fe Iron

FFP fresh frozen plasma

fl or fld fluid

ft foot

G, or g, or gm gram "g" is preferred symbol

garg gargle

GERD gastroesophageal reflux

disease

GI gastrointestinal

gr. grain Apothecary measurement (obsolete

and may be misinterpreted as gram;
do not use)

GTT glucose tolerance test Can be confused with gtt for drops

gtt, gtts drop, drops Can be confused with GTT for

glucose tolerance test

GU genitourinary

guttat. drop by drop

h, or hr. hour

h/o history of

H&H hematocrit and hemoglobin

Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

H2 histamine 2

H20 water

HAART highly active antiretroviral

therapy

HCT, or Hct hematocrit

HCT hydrocortisone Better to spell out drug name; can be

misinterpreted as
hydrochlorothiazide per FDA

HCTZ hydrochlorothiazide Better to spell out drug name; can be

misinterpreted as hydrocortisone per
FDA

HR heart rate

HS half-strength better to spell out; do not mistake for

"bedtime"

hs or HS at bedtime, hours of sleep Do not misinterpret as 'half-strength'

HTN hypertension

hx history

IBW ideal body weight

ID intradermal OR infectious Multiple possible meanings; spell out

disease word instead of using "ID"

IJ injection better to spell out 'injection'

IM intramuscular

IN intranasal

inf infusion

inj. injection

instill. instillation

IP intraperitoneal

IR immediate-release

IU international unit(s) Mistaken as IV (intravenous) or the

Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

number 10 (ten); Instead use

"International Unit(s)" (per Joint
Commission's "Do Not Use" List of
Abbreviations)

IUD intrauterine device

IV intravenous

IVP intravenous push Could be confused with 'intravenous

pyelogram'

IVPB intravenous piggyback

J joule

K potassium

KOH potassium hydroxide

L or l liter Lowercase letter l may be mistaken

as the number 1 (per ISMP). Instead
use L (uppercase) for liter.

LA long-acting

lab laboratory

lb. pound

LDL low-density lipoprotein

LFT liver function tests

Li lithium

liq. liquid

LMP last menstrual period

lot lotion

LPN licensed practical nurse

LR lactated ringer (solution)

mane in the morning

mcg or µg microgram Can be misinterpreted to mean "mg"

or milligram, better to spell out
Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

'microgram'

MD medical doctor

MDI metered-dose inhaler

mEq milliequivalent

mEq/L milliequivalent per liter

Mg magnesium

mg milligram

MgSO4 magnesium sulfate May be confused with "MSO4"

(morphine sulfate), spell out
"magnesium sulfate" - Joint
Commission's "Do Not Use" List of
Abbreviations

mL milliliter Do not use ml as lowercase l may be

mistaken for the number 1. Use mL
(lowercase m, uppercase L) for
milliliter (per ISMP).

mm millimeter

MM or M million May be mistaken as thousand. Use

million.

M or K thousand May be mistaken as million. Use

thousand.

mm of Hg millimeters of mercury

mMol millimole

MMR measle-mumps-rubella
(vaccine)

mol wt molecular weight

MR modified-release

MS morphine sulfate or Can mean either morphine sulfate or

magnesium sulfate magnesium sulfate, spell out full drug
name - Joint Commission's "Do Not
Use" List of Abbreviations

MSO4 morphine sulfate May be confused with "MgSO4";

Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

instead spell out "morphine sulfate" -

Joint Commission's "Do Not Use" List
of Abbreviations

n or noct. in the night

N/A not applicable

N/V, N&V nausea and vomiting

Na sodium

NAS intranasal

NDC National Drug Code

Ng or ng nanogram May be mistaken as mg or

nasogastric. Use nanogram.

NGT nasogastric tube

NH3 ammonia

NKA no known allergies

NKDA no known drug allergies

noct. maneq. night and morning

NP nurse practitioner

NPO, n.p.o. nothing by mouth Preferred by AMA to spell out

"nothing by mouth"

NS normal saline

NSAID nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory

drug

NTE not to exceed

O2 oxygen

OC oral contraceptive

o.d., OD right eye Can also mean "overdose" or "once

daily"; better to spell out "right eye"

o.d. once per day Preferred in the UK; Can also mean
Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

"overdose" or "right eye"; better to

spell out "once per day"

OJ orange juice

o.s., OS left eye

OTC over-the-counter

PA Physician Assistant

pc after meals

PRN as needed

PM evening

PO orally or by mouth May be better to spell out "by

mouth" or "orally" (per AMA)

q every

q4h every 4 hours

q6h every 6 hours

q8h every 8 hours

q12h every 12 hours

qam every morning

qd, QD, q.d., every day Can be mistaken as q.i.d. Instead

Q.D. write "daily" (per The Joint
Commission "Do Not Use List") or
"use daily" per ISMP list

qhs each night at bedtime Can be confused with "qh" (every

hour); better to spell out "each night
at bedtime"

q.i.d. , QID four times a day

qod, QOD, every other day May be mistaken as qid or QID (four
q.o.d., or times daily).
Q.O.D.
Write "every other day" (per ISMP
and The Joint Commission).

RA rheumatoid arthritis
Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

Rx prescription

SA sustained action

SL, s.l. sublingual (under the tongue)

SC, SQ sq, or subcutaneous or Use SUBQ (all uppercase) or spell out

sub q subcutaneously subcutaneous or subcutaneously

SR sustained release

STD sexually transmitted disease

supp suppository

susp suspension

syr syrup

T temperature

tbsp or Tbsp tablespoon Mistaken as teaspoon(s). Use the

metric system (e.g., mL).

TID, t.i.d. three times a day

top. topical

TR timed-release

tsp teaspoon Mistaken as tablespoon(s). Use the

metric system (e.g., mL).

U or u unit Mistaken as the number "0" (zero),

the number "4" (four) or as "cc".
Write "unit" instead (per The Joint
Commission "Do Not Use" List).

ud, ut, dict, as directed

UD

ung ointment

UTI urinary tract infection

WBC white blood cell

XR extended-release

mcg, µg microgram µg mcg can be misinterpreted as

Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Meaning Notes About Confusion

"mg". Better to spell out "microgram"