common medical abbreviations POM-S̄

PROM

Passive Range of Motion.

exercising the resident’s joint because he/she is unable to do it for themselves

Px

Physical Examination.

a routine test the doctor performs to check overall health

q

Every.

derived from latin, “quaque.”

q.d

Every day.

derived from latin, “quaque die".” can also mean once a day

q.h

Every hour.

two abbreviations together: q = every, h = hour

q.4.h

Every four hour.

any number written between q and h determines how often.

q.i.d

Four times a day.

traditionally used in prescriptions to specify the frequency with which medicines should be taken.

“take one tablet q.i.d”

R

Rectal (rectum).

when recording the rectal temperature write (R) next to the number: 99.6 (R)

Rt

Right.

used to describe location on the resident.

“the resident had a Rt knee replacement.”

SBA

Stand by assist.

typically used in physical therapy. during stand-by assist, the physical therapist does not touch the resident or provide any assistance, but he'/she may need to be close by for safety in case the resident loses their balance or needs help to maintain safety during the task being performed.

Sx

Symptoms.

statements made by the resident that you cannot see, hear, or touch.

“I have a headache.”

S̄

Without (w/o).

s with a bar over it as shorthand for the latin “sine” meaning without. can also be written as w/o