Official "Do Not Use" Abbreviations

Question 1

U, u

Answer 1

Intended Meaning:
unit

Misinterpretation:
mistaken for “0” (zero), the number “4” (four) or “cc”

Correction:
use “unit”

Question 2

IU

Answer 2

Intended meaning:
international unit

Misinterpretation:
mistaken for IV (intravenous) or the number 10 (ten)

Correction:
Use “international unit”

Question 3

Q.D., QD, q.d., qd

Answer 3

Intended meaning:
daily

Misinterpretation:
mistaken for each other

Correction:
use “daily”

Question 4

Q.O.D., QOD, q.o.d., qod

Answer 4

Intended meaning:
every other day

Misinterpretation:
period after the Q mistaken for “I” and the “O” mistaken for “I”

Correction:
use “every other day”

Question 5

trailing zero after decimal point

e.g., “X.0 mg’

Answer 5

Intended meaning:
X mg

Misinterpretation:
decimal point is missed
(“2.0” misinterpreted as “20 mg”)

Correction:
do not include trailing zero for whole numbers

Question 6

lack of leading zero

e.g., “.X mg”

Answer 6

Intended meaning:
0.X mg

Misinterpretation:
decimal point is missed
(“.2 mg” is misinterpreted as “2 mg”)

Correction:
include leading zero for fractions of 1

Question 7

MS, MSO3, and MgSO4

Answer 7

Intended meaning:
morphine sulfate or magnesium sulfate

Misinterpretation:
confused for one another

Correction:
use complete drug name