National Test: Abbreviations Flashcards
IV
Intravenous
dil.
Dilute
RBC
Red blood cell
P
Pulse
emuls.
Emulsion
cib
Food
comp.
Compound
VSA
Vital signs absent
MVC, MVA
Motor vehicle crash, motor vehicle accident
DNR
Do not resuscitate
s/p
Status post
cap., caps.
Capsule
ml
Milliliter
VSS
Vital signs stable
mist.
Mix
x
Times
troche
Lozenge (cough drop)
div.
Divide, divorced
a.c.
Before meals
Lbs
Pounds
I&D
Incision and drainage
GSW
Gunshot wound
UTI
Urinary tract infection
CBC
Complete blood count (laboratory test)
amp
Ampule
STAT
Immediately
agit
Stir/shake
H
Hypodermic
susp
Suspension
s.o.s./si op. sit
If there is a need
aa
Equal part of each
mg
Milligrams
per neb
By nebulizer
c.f./c.c. (first letter best written as c̄)
With food/meals (Latin: cum cibus); cc can also indicate cubic centimeter
c/o
Complains of
MI
Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
OTC
Over the counter
HA
Headache
bis
Twice (bid/BID/b.i.b.=bis in die =twice a day)
DVT
Deep vein thrombosis
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
eod
every other day
disp.
Disposition or dispense
bid/BID/b.i.d.
Twice a day (bis in die)
J, jt.
Joint
w
with
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid
A.T.C.
Around the clock
elix.
Elixir
pig./pigm.
Paint
H&P
History and Physical
LLQ
Left lower quadrant
CNS
Central nervous system
BP
Blood pressure (b/p)
HTN
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
wt.
Weight (in kg or lbs)
Kg
Kilogram
mEq
Milliequivalent
n.p.o.
Nothing by mouth
WBC
White blood cell
rep. / rept.
repeats
CA
CA is cancer (Ca is the symbol for the element calcium, also used for carcinoma and cancer)
A.D.L.
activities of daily living
TX
treatment
DM
Diabetes Mellitus
vag
Vagina
per
by or through
ASA
aspirin
oz.
ounce
Ad lib
as needed or when necessary
q.a.m.
every day before noon
yrs.
Years
m.d.u.
to be used as directed
IM
Intramuscular (regarding injections)
N.T.E.
not to exceed
O_2 or O2 or o.u.
both eyes (sometimes written as O2); o.d.=right eye; o.s.=left eye; o.u.=is also both eyes
DTR
deep tendon reflexes (elicited with reflex hammer, ex. patella)
IVP
Intravenous push
PV
via the vagina
fl.,fld.
fluid
g, gm
gram
o.p.d.
once per day
t.i.d./TID
three times per day (ter in die)
QWK
Every week
q.s
quantity sufficient
c̄
symbol for “with” (Latin: cum)
BMP
Basic Metabolic Panel (Laboratory test)
lytes
electrolytes
non rep.
no repeats
D&C
Dilation and curettage
Rx
take, take this (regarding prescription/treatment)
prn/PRN
as needed
T
temperature
RR
respiratory rate
IVPB
intravenous piggyback
BSA
body surface area
URTI, URI
upper respiratory (tract) infection (ex. sinusitis)
q.d.s./q.i.d.
4 times a day (spell out to avoid confusion w/ q.d. or q.1.d.)
ID
intradermal
ung.
ointment
lact.
lactic
DT
delirium tremens
w/a
while awake
NVD
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
Dx
Diagnosis
mm
millimeter
q
every, per
ex aq
in water
tr, tinc., tinct.
tincture (tincture is an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol)
d.o.b.
date of birth
q.p.m.
every day after noon or every evening
STD/STI
sexually transmitted disease/infection
p.c.
after meals
gr.
grains (dosage)
WNL
within normal limits
alt. h.
every other hour
RLQ
right lower quadrant
qqh/q4h
every four hours
tsp
teaspoon
EKG
electrocardiogram (ECG)
dL
deciliter
noct.
at night, nocturnal
Sol.
solution
mcg
microgram (use instead of “ug” which can be confused w/ “mg”)
e.m.p.
as directed
pulv.
powder
h, hr
hour
syr
syrup
dieb.alt./q.a.d.
every other day
y.o.
years old
T.P.N.
total parenteral nutrition (occurring outside the intestine)
p.r/PR
by rectum
liq.
liquid
D5W
dextrose 5% solution
supp
suppository
Hx
history
gt, gtt
drop, drops
q.h./q.th./q.1
every hour/ every 1 hour
tbsp.
Tablespoon
CVA
cerebrovascular accident or stroke
KCl (lower case L, not upper case i)
potassium chloride
QC
quality control
wf
with food/with meals
w/o
without (the symbol “s (with line above its)” also indicates “without”
C&S
culture and sensitivity (identifies infection cause and antibiotic sensitivity)
lig.
ligament
C
Celsius or Centigrade
mg/dl
milligrams per deciliter
sig
write on label
Fx
Fracture
amt
amount
et
and
q.a.d.
q.a.d.= every other day (don’t use q.o.d. which is on JC Do Not Use List; spell out “every other day”)
tab
tablet
top.
topical
