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Feb 8, 2024 · If you are unfamiliar with common abbreviations, it can make understanding medical notes challenging. We’ve curated a list of medical abbreviations/acronyms to help you understand entries in the medical notes. Remember, using ambiguous abbreviations increases the risk of miscommunication.
Find definitions of medical abbreviations commonly found in health records. If you do not know an abbreviation, you may be able to find out what it means here.
- Table of Contents
- Medical and Nursing Terminologies
- Precautions
- Official “Do Not Use” List
- List of Common Medical and Nursing Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Terminologies
Healthcare professionals, including nurses and doctors, use a specialized set of vocabulary to ensure precise and efficient communication. These terms, often abbreviations or acronyms, are essential for clear documentation and effective patient care. When working within the medical and nursing fields, it’s important to distinguish between abbreviat...
Medical abbreviations and acronyms are essential for efficient communication within healthcare settings. However, their meanings can vary significantly between different agencies, hospitals, and regions. To prevent miscommunication and ensure patient safety, follow these precautions: 1. Always verify meaning. Always verify the meaning of any unfami...
The Joint Commission’s Official “Do Not Use” List aims to enhance patient safety by eliminating the use of dangerous abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, and dose designations that could lead to misinterpretation and medication errors. It applies to handwritten orders and free-text computer entries but not to preprogrammed health IT systems, though or...
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These terminologies can vary between different agencies and hospitals. This list serves only as a general reference for nurses. Always consult your hospital manual or institutional guidelines for the most accurate and specific information.
Use this list of common medical abbreviations and terminology used by doctors, medical specialists, RNs, PAs, and other health-care professionals to help you read and decipher the information on your prescriptions and doctors' medical notes.
CBC = complete blood count. Chem 7 (or Chem 8, 14, 20) = chemistry panels of 7,8,14,or 20 chemistry tests. BMP = basic Metabolic Panel. CMP = complete Metabolic Panel. LFTs = liver function tests. ABG = arterial blood gas. UA = urine analysis. HbA1C= diabetes blood test. Medical Terms by Body System.
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Clinical Resources Website. St John Ambulance Western Australia Ltd (ABN 55 028 468 715) (St John WA) operates ambulance and other pre-hospital clinical services.
Most medical terms contain at least one root, and they may also contain one or more prefixes or suffixes. This handout will describe how word parts create meaning to provide a strategy for decoding medical terminology and unfamiliar words in the English language.
