Common Medical Abbreviations

1. Common Medical Abbreviations • The medical reports you are required to analyze on the job will contain a variety of written abbreviations. In this section, we will introduce some of the medical abbreviations you are likely to encounter. • While most medical abbreviations have their basis in Latin, you don’t need to be a Latin scholar to understand them. That’s because many words in the English language are derived from Latin, so it’s easy to make logical connections between the Latin abbreviations and their meanings. A few abbreviations commonly used today come directly from the English language. Slide 1 of 20

2. s - without Abbreviations • This abbreviation is based on the Latin word sine, which also means without. Slide 2 of 20

3. Pick a Box • You’re reviewing a medical report that notes, • “the patient left the hospital s prescribed medication”. • This patient left the hospital before medication was prescribed. with the medication that was prescribed. without the medication that was prescribed. Slide 3 of 20

4. Abbreviations c - with • Another common abbreviation is the letter c. • This abbreviation represents the Latin word cum, which means with. In English, the spelling has been changed to com, and is used in a number of words that use the concept of with, such as composure or compassion. Slide 4 of 20

5. Pick a Box • An excerpt from a medical report says, “this medication must be taken c water.” • This patient must take the medication without drinking any water. with water. before drinking water. Slide 5 of 20

6. Abbreviations ss - half • This abbreviations comes from the Latin word semis, which means half. Note the s in the beginning and end of semis, and you’ll see the origin of this abbreviation. Semis is similar to semi, the English word that means half. Think of words such as semiannual and semicircle, each signifying a half of something. Slide 6 of 20

7. Pick a Box • A medical report states, “patient should receive ss of a dosage of prescribed medication.” This patient should receive a half dosage of the prescribed medication a full dosage of the prescribed medication none of the prescribed medication Slide 7 of 20

8. Abbreviations i.d. – daily, in a day’s time • Abbreviations are sometimes used in conjunction with instructions for how often something is to be done. For example, a patient might be instructed to take a medication three times a day, or someone might be required to have a certain procedure performed everyday during a hospital stay. • This abbreviation is based on the Latin phrase in die. Note how similar in die is to the English derivative, in a day. Slide 8 of 20

9. Abbreviations Abbreviationsb + i.d. = b.i.d. t + i.d. = t.i.d. q+ i.d. = q.i.d. • Another letter is then added at the beginning of the abbreviation i.d. to complete the instruction. The most commonly used are: Slide 9 of 20

10. Pick a Box • 1. What does i.d stand for? Daily Twice a day Three times a day Four times a day 2. The abbreviation q.i.d. means quater in die. The term quarter is very close to the English words quarter and quadruple . Daily Twice a day Three times a day Four times a day 3. The abbreviation t.i.d. stands for ter in die. One English word that uses the Latin word ter is tertiary, which means third. Other English words use it’s derivative tri, such as tricycle or triangle. Daily Twice a day Three times a day Four times a day 4. The b in b.i.d. comes from the Latin word bis, from which the English language derives the prefix bi, as in biennial or bilateral. Daily Twice a day Three times a day Four times a day Slide 10 of 20

11. Abbreviations Abbreviationsq.d. – every dayq.o.d. – every other day • You know that q.i.d. means four times a day. There are two other abbreviations that are very close in construction, but different in meaning. • With these abbreviations, the q stands for quaque, which means every. There isn’t a similar-sounding English word to help you remember what the q means in this case, so you’ll have to rely on memorization. When q is used alone it always means every. Slide 11 of 20

12. Abbreviations • Use these hints to help you remember the difference between q.d. and q.o.d.: • The d in q.d. refers to the Latin word die, or day, so q.d. means every day. • For q.o.d., associate the letter o with the word other, then translate q.o.d. to every other day. • The letter q is sometimes used in other ways to designate every. For example, the letter h stands for hour or hours, so an order to give medication every two hours might be abbreviated as q2h. Slide 12 of 20

13. Abbreviations Abbreviationsh.s. – at bedtime • This abbreviation is based on the Latin phrase hora somni, which translates literally as hour of sleep. You can connect somni with the English word somnolent Slide 13 of 20

14. Abbreviations Abbreviationsp.o. – by mouth • Some medications are available in a variety of forms, such as suppositories, capsules, pills, or liquids. The abbreviation used to indicate that medicine should be taken by mouth is: Slide 14 of 20

15. Pick a Box • 1. If a medical report notes that a patient has been prescribed medication to be taken h.s., this means that the medicine must be taken with food. with water. every other day. at bedtime. 2. When a patient is instructed to take medication p.o., this means that the medicine should be taken every day. at bedtime. by mouth. every four hours. Slide 15 of 20

16. Abbreviations Abbreviationsn.p.o. – nothing by mouth • Before surgery and certain types of tests, patients are not allowed to have anything to eat or drink; that is: Slide 16 of 20

17. Abbreviations Abbreviationse.m.p. – as directed • This abbreviation represents the first three initials of the Latin phrase ex modo prescripto, which means in the mode prescribed. • Orders for medication and treatment may be referred to in the following way: Slide 17 of 20

18. Abbreviations • Medication is sometimes prescribed by drops. The medical abbreviation is gtt. • The Latin term for drops is guttae. An English word derived from the Latin word gutters, the troughs that drop down from the eaves of roofs to carry away rainwater. While this may seem to be far removed from the concept of medicine, the spelling of the word gutter can help you remember guttae and the abbreviation gtt. Abbreviationsgtt. - drops Slide 18 of 20

19. Abbreviations AbbreviationsBP – Blood Pressure CC – chief complaint dos – dosage I.M. – intramuscular I.V. - intravenous • The next two groups of abbreviations are all based on English words. They are either shortened versions of the actual word or made up of one or two key letters. Slide 19 of 20

20. Abbreviations Abbreviationsq.s. – quantity sufficient r – respirations Tab – tablet v.s.s. – vital signs stable • Here are some ore English-based medical abbreviations. Slide 20 of 20