Medical Abbreviations
Medical Abbreviations
- they represent shortened forms of words
- they are an ^^efficient way of communicating quickly and concisely with other healthcare workers^^
- healthcare workers use abbreviations to ^^convey information about their patients^^
- they help ^^save time and space on medical documents^^
Examples of medical Abbreviations
- C/o: Complains of
- Symptoms: Patient complains in the patient’s words and expressions.
- usually, the patient is complaining of pain, fever, bleeding, swelling, difficulty to do usual acts, abnormal features…
- usually said in non-medical terms
- Signs: what doctors see and find and usually written in medical terms
- Temp: Temperature
- Normal Temperature around 37°C
- A %%high temperature%% is called a fever
- P: Pulse
- Pulse is counting the heart rate (HR) and looking for its regularity
- Normal around 72/min, regular
- %%Increased HR%% is called Tachycardia
- %%Slow HR%% is called Bradycardia
- BP: Blood Pressure
- Normal - around 120/80
- %%Increased BP%% (120/110) is called Hypertension HTN
- %%Decreased BP%% (70/50) is called Hypotension
- %%Severe hypotension%% (50/30) is called Shock
Abbreviations of Disease Names
- AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
- CHF: Congestive Heart Failure
- DVT: Deep Venous Thrombosis
- DM: Diabetes Mellitus
- RF: Renal Failure
- TB: Tuberculosis
Abbreviations of Pathogens
- HAV: Hepatitis A Virus
- HBV: Hepatitis B Virus
- HCV: Hepatitis C Virus
- HDV: Hepatitis D Virus
- HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Abbreviations for Laboratory Investigations
- CBC: Complete Blood Count (CBP)
- Hb: Hemoglobin
- WBC: White Blood cell
- RBC: Red Blood Corpuscles
- ESR: Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate
- BT: Bleeding Time
- CT: Clotting Time
- PT: Prothrombin Time
- C&S: Culture and Sensitivity
- GTT: Glucose Tolerance Test (Curve)
Abbreviations for Medical Imaging
- CT: Computed Tomography
- MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- ECG: Electrocardiogram
- EEG: Electroencephalogram
- EMG: Electromyogram
- CXR: Chest X-Ray
Abbreviations for Drug usage
- q.i.d. : 4 times a day
- t.i.d. : 3 times a day
- b.i.d. : twice a day
- IM: Intramuscular
- IV: Intravenous, Intravenously
Abbreviations for Hospital Rooms
- ER: Emergency Room
- ICU: Intensive Care Unit
- NICU: Neonates Intensive Care Unit
- IDU: Intensive Diseases Unit
- OR: Operation Room (Theater)
Abbreviations for Medical Process
- ALS: Advanced Life Supporter
- CPR: Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
- Post-op: Postoperative (after surgery)
- Pre-op: Preoperative (before surgery)
Other common abbreviations
- Wt: Weight
- ~ : approximately
- % : percent
- # : pound or number
- ✓ : check or checked
- ↑ : increase or increasing
- ↓ : decrease or decreasing
- → : to the right
- ← : to the left
- △ : change or changed
- ° : degree
- ♂ : male
- ♀ : female
- cc: cubic centimeter (same as ml)