Medical Abbreviations Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering key medical abbreviations, procedures, and concepts from the lecture notes.

CQI

Continuous Quality Improvement - a procedure to reflect upon practices related to medication errors and patient harm.

Error Outcome Category

A classification system to categorize incidents involving medication errors, such as A, B, C, etc.

ADE

Adverse Drug Event - a significant cause of emergency visits linked to medication use.

Sig Codes

Abbreviations used to annotate medication instructions for patients.

BID

Twice a day; derived from Latin 'bis in die'.

PRN

As needed; from Latin 'pro re nata'.

QD

Daily; an abbreviation that can lead to confusion if not properly used.

U

Unit; can be misread as a zero leading to medication errors.

NCC MERP

National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention - an organization setting guidelines on medication errors.

Leading Zero

A practice of placing a zero before a decimal point for doses less than one to avoid misinterpretation.

Trailing Zero

An unnecessary zero after a decimal point that can lead to overdose errors.

ISMP

Institute for Safe Medication Practices - an organization helping to prevent medication errors.

Anticoagulants

Medications that prevent blood clotting, accounting for a significant number of ADE emergency visits.

Health Literacy

The capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information to make informed decisions.

Route of Administration

The path by which a drug or vaccine is taken into the body, e.g., orally, intravenously.

CI

Congestive Heart Failure; often abbreviated in medical practices.

HEENT

Head, Ears, Eyes, Nose, Throat - a common abbreviation used in physical examinations.

NMT

No More Than; can lead to misinterpretation in medication dosages.

Pharmacy Technician

Healthcare professional who supports pharmacists in the preparation and dispensing of medications.

Unapproved Abbreviations

Abbreviations that should never be used due to their potential to cause misunderstanding or error.

CQI

Continuous Quality Improvement - a procedure to reflect upon practices related to medication errors and patient harm.

Error Outcome Category

A classification system to categorize incidents involving medication errors, such as A, B, C, etc.

ADE

Adverse Drug Event - a significant cause of emergency visits linked to medication use.

Sig Codes

Abbreviations used to annotate medication instructions for patients.

BID

Twice a day; derived from Latin 'bis in die'.

PRN

As needed; from Latin 'pro re nata'.

QD

Daily; an abbreviation that can lead to confusion if not properly used.

U

Unit; can be misread as a zero leading to medication errors.

NCC MERP

National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention - an organization setting guidelines on medication errors.

Leading Zero

A practice of placing a zero before a decimal point for doses less than one to avoid misinterpretation.

Trailing Zero

An unnecessary zero after a decimal point that can lead to overdose errors.

ISMP

Institute for Safe Medication Practices - an organization helping to prevent medication errors.

Anticoagulants

Medications that prevent blood clotting, accounting for a significant number of ADE emergency visits.

Health Literacy

The capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information to make informed decisions.

Route of Administration

The path by which a drug or vaccine is taken into the body, e.g., orally, intravenously.

CI

Congestive Heart Failure; often abbreviated in medical practices.

HEENT

Head, Ears, Eyes, Nose, Throat - a common abbreviation used in physical examinations.

NMT

No More Than; can lead to misinterpretation in medication dosages.

Pharmacy Technician

Healthcare professional who supports pharmacists in the preparation and dispensing of medications.

Unapproved Abbreviations

Abbreviations that should never be used due to their potential to cause misunderstanding or error.

TID

Three times a day; derived from Latin 'ter in die'.

QID

Four times a day; derived from Latin 'quater in die'.

STAT

Immediately; from Latin 'statim'.

NPO

Nothing by mouth; from Latin 'nil per os'.

PO

By mouth; from Latin 'per os'.

AC

Before meals; from Latin 'ante cibum'.

PC

After meals; from Latin 'post cibum'.

OTC

Over-the-counter - medications available without a prescription.

Rx

Prescription - commonly used to denote a medical prescription.