Medical and Nursing Terminologies
Nurses and physicians share a specialized vocabulary for precise, efficient communication, and most of it is abbreviations and acronyms. It helps to know the difference.
- Abbreviations are shortened words or phrases. "vol" is short for "volume." They save time and space and fill medical documentation.
- Acronyms are words built from the initial letters of a compound term. "CBC" stands for "complete blood count." They condense complex terms into recognizable forms.
Precautions
Meanings vary by agency, hospital, and region. To prevent miscommunication and protect patients:
- Verify the meaning of any unfamiliar abbreviation with whoever wrote it. The same abbreviation can mean different things at different facilities.
- Reference facility guidelines. Each facility has its own approved list. Know yours and check it.
- Write it out when in doubt. If you are unsure, use the full term.
- Keep documentation clear. Give enough context that the meaning is unambiguous.
- Standardize. Push your team toward standardized abbreviations to cut variability.
Official "Do Not Use" List
The Joint Commission's Official "Do Not Use" List eliminates dangerous abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, and dose designations that get misread and cause medication errors. It applies to handwritten orders and free-text computer entries, not to preprogrammed health IT systems, though organizations are urged to drop these abbreviations during system upgrades. There is an exception for trailing zeros in specific contexts like lab results. The list came out of a 2001 Sentinel Event Alert, was formalized in 2004, and was folded into the Information Management standards in 2010.
The minimum required items include U or u (write "unit"), IU (write "international unit"), Q.D. and Q.O.D. and their variants (write "daily" and "every other day"), a trailing zero after a decimal point (X.0 mg) and a missing leading zero before a decimal (.X mg), and MS, MSO4, and MgSO4, which get confused for one another (write "morphine sulfate" or "magnesium sulfate"). The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) keeps a longer List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations that flags every Joint Commission item plus many more, all reported through its national error-reporting program (ISMP).
List of Common Medical and Nursing Abbreviations
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| @ | At |
| A/G | Albumin/Globulin Ratio |
| AAL | Anterior Axillary Line |
| AA | Of each, equal parts |
| ABG | Arterial Blood Gases |
| ABR | Absolute bed rest |
| Abd. | Abdomen |
| AC | Before eating |
| ACE | Angiotensin Converting Enzyme |
| ACL | Anterior Cruciate Ligament |
| ACLS | Advanced Cardiac Life Support |
| ACTH | Adrenocorticotropic Hormone |
| AD | Admitting diagnosis |
| ADH | Antidiuretic Hormone |
| ADL | Activities of Daily Living |
| Adm. | Admission |
| Ad. Spec. | Admission urine specimen |
| AGA | Appropriate for Gestational Age |
| AID | Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome |
| AI | Aortic Insufficiency |
| A.K.A. | Above Knee Amputation |
| ALD | Alcoholic Liver Disease |
| ALL | Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia |
| ALP | Alkaline Phosphatase |
| ALT | Alanine Transaminase, Alanine Aminotransferase |
| A.M. or a.m., AM or am | Morning |
| Amb. | Ambulation, walking, ambulatory |
| Amt. | Amount |
| AP or A.P. | Appendectomy |
| Approx. | Approximately |
| APR | Abdominoperineal Resection |
| ARF | Acute Renal Failure |
| ASA | Acute Surgical Abdomen |
| ASF | Anterior Decomposition Spinal Fusion |
| ATN | Acute Tubular Necrosis |
| AU | Both Ears |
| AV | Atrioventricular |
| Aqua | Water or H2O |
These terms vary between agencies and hospitals, so this is a general reference only. Always consult your hospital manual or institutional guidelines for the most accurate, facility-specific information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Joint Commission "Do Not Use" list? It is a minimum set of dangerous abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, and dose designations that accredited organizations must not use in handwritten orders or free-text entries because they are misread and cause medication errors (Joint Commission). It was formalized in 2004 and later folded into the Information Management standards.
Which abbreviations are on it? The required items are U or u (use "unit"), IU (use "international unit"), Q.D. and Q.O.D. and their variants (use "daily" and "every other day"), a trailing zero after a decimal (X.0 mg) and a missing leading zero (.X mg), and MS, MSO4, and MgSO4, which are confused for morphine sulfate and magnesium sulfate.
Why is "U" for unit dangerous? Handwritten "U" is easily mistaken for a zero, a four, or "cc," which can turn an order like "4U" into 40 or 44 units. Spelling out "unit" removes the ambiguity. ISMP recommends the same fix in verbal, handwritten, and electronic communication (ISMP).
What is the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym? An abbreviation is a shortened word or phrase, like "vol" for "volume." An acronym is built from the initial letters of a compound term, like "CBC" for "complete blood count." Both speed up documentation, but only when their meaning is unambiguous.
Why do abbreviations cause errors? The same abbreviation can mean different things at different facilities, and sloppy handwriting or missing context makes misreads easy. When in doubt, write the term out in full, verify the meaning with whoever wrote it, and follow your facility's approved list.
Where can I find the full error-prone list? The Institute for Safe Medication Practices publishes the List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations, which marks every Joint Commission "Do Not Use" item and adds many more drawn from reported medication errors (ISMP).