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Medication Abbreviation Frequencies for Administration Times and Orders to Know as a Nurse. AC: before meals. example: AC BK: before breakfast… (it may be specific and list the abbreviation w/ breakfast, lunch, or dinner) PC: after meals.
Before meals. From the Latin phrase “ante cibum” meaning “before meals.”. alt.h. = Every other hour. From the Latin phrase “alternis horis” meaning “every other. hour.”. a.t.c. = Around the clock. This does not refer to continuous use of medication but rather.
Meaning. Latin (or Neo-Latin) origin. a.c. before meals. ante cibum. a.d., ad, AD. right ear. auris dextra. a.m., am, AM.
- Time and Frequency Abbreviations
- Dosage Form and Route Abbreviations
- Common Medication Abbreviations
- Measurement and Quantity Abbreviations
- Common Medical Conditions
- Medical Tests and Procedures
- Miscellaneous Abbreviations
- Overview of Abbreviations: How Are They used?
- Are Medical Abbreviations Safe to use?
- What Are The Most Common abbreviation Errors?
ā: Before (Latin: ante). Indicates that medication should be taken before something, typically a meal. For example, "medication ā breakfast" means the medication should be taken before breakfast.ac: Before meals (Latin: ante cibum). Indicates medication should be taken before a meal to ensure effectiveness or reduce side effects.achs: Before meals and at bedtime (Latin: ante cibum et hora somni). Indicates that medication should be taken before each meal and also at bedtime.bid: Twice a day (Latin: bis in die). Indicates medication should be taken twice daily at evenly spaced intervals, typically every 12 hours, for maximum therapeutic benefit.1/2 tablet: One-half tablet. Best practice: Spell out "half tablet" or use reduced font-size fractions (½ tablet).AD: Right ear. Best practice: Spell out "right ear"; may be mistaken for OD (right eye).AS: Left ear. Best practice: Spell out "left ear"; may be mistaken for OS (left eye).AU: Each ear or both ears (Latin: auris utraque). Best practice: Spell out "each ear"; may be mistaken for OU (each eye).5-ASA: 5-aminosalicylic acid. Best practice: Spell out full drug name; may be misinterpreted as “5 aspirin tablets”.APAP: Acetaminophen. Best practice: Spell out "acetaminophen"; not everyone is familiar with the abbreviation APAP.ASA: Aspirin. Best practice: Spell out "aspirin" to avoid confusion.AZT: Zidovudine. Best practice: Spell out "zidovudine"; can be mistaken for azithromycin, azathioprine, or aztreonam.cc: Cubic centimeter. Cubic centimeter is a metric measurement of volume. A cubic centimeter is also equal to one millimeter. Best practice: Use "mL" instead; "cc" can be mistaken for "u" (units).g: Gram. Gram is a metric measurement of mass.gr: Grain. An older unit for measurement equal to 0.065 grams. Best practice: Can be mistaken for gram; use the metric system.gtt, gtts: Drop, drops. A dose description often used on a prescription for eye or ear medicines. For example, “instill 2 drops into the right ear”. Best practice: Use "drop" or "drops" because “gt...CAD: Coronary artery disease. A narrowing or blockage of the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Also commonly known as heart disease or atherosclerosis.DM: Diabetes mellitus. A long-term medical condition marked by persistently high blood sugar (glucose) levels, little or no insulin production from the pancreas (to help regulate blood sugar), resi...DVT: Deep vein thrombosis. A blood clot that forms in deep veins areas like the legs, thighs, hips, and arms, preventing normal blood flow. May cause pain and swelling and lead to a dangerous blood...GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease. Commonly called heartburn or acid indigestion. Symptoms may include a burning sensation and tightness in the mid-chest and digestive acids that flow backwards...CBC: Complete blood count. A common laboratory test that measures red blood cell (RBC) count (which includes hemoglobin [Hg] and hematocrit [Hct], white blood cell (WBC) count and platelets. RBCs c...CXR: Chest x-ray. A computerized imaging test that provides black and white pictures of your lungs, ribs, heart, and diaphragm.ECG/EKG: Electrocardiogram. A test that measures your heart’s electrical activity like your heart rate and rhythm to show how well it is working. It may be used to help diagnose heart diseases that...LFT: Liver function tests. A common group of blood tests, for example: alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) tha...BP: Blood pressure. Denotes the amount of force your blood uses to get through your arteries to help deliver oxygen to your tissues. High blood pressure (HBP) is a common and serious medical condit...C&S: Culture and sensitivity. A diagnostic laboratory test used to help identify bacteria or other pathogens in a suspected infection and appropriate antibiotics. Specimens collected can come from...BMI: Body mass index. Body mass index (BMI) is a number determined by using a person’s weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using...CNS: Central nervous system. Consists of the brain and spinal cord nervous system tissues. Helps to receive, transmit, process, and respond to information to elicit memory, muscle function, emotion...You may wonder what medical abbreviations like "1 tab po bid" mean on your prescription. Healthcare professionals often use abbreviations derived from latin for writing prescriptions or other health notes in medical records. The prescription abbreviation "1 tab po bid" is interpreted like this: 1. the abbreviation "tab" means tablet and comes from ...
Historically, poor penmanship and lack of standardization was the root cause of many written paper prescription errors. Today, most prescriptions are submitted via electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), electronic medical records (EMRs), and computerized physician order entry (CPOE), which has helped to lower the rates of these medical errors. Eve...
1. Drug names
Drug names may be frequently abbreviated in medicine. For example, cancer treatment protocols or combination HIV regimens may be written with shortened drug name abbreviations. Examples of possible errors include: 1. Acetaminophen (Tylenol), a common over-the-counter pain medicine, is often shortened to "APAP" by healthcare providers, although ISMP states it should be spelled out instead, as not everyone recognizes this abbreviation. 2. As reported by the FDA, a prescription with the abbrevia...
2. Confusing numbers
Numbers can lead to confusion and drug dosing errors, too. 1. As an example, a prescription for “furosemide 40 mg Q.D.” (40 mg daily) was misinterpreted as “QID” (40 mg four times a day), leading to a serious medical error. 2. Another example has to do with drug dosage units: doses in micrograms should always have the unit spelled out, because the abbreviation “µg” (micrograms) can easily be misread as “mg” (milligrams), creating a 1000-fold overdose.
3. Trailing zeros on medication orders
Numbers can also be misinterpreted with regards to decimal points. As noted in the Joint Commission's Do Not UseList, a trailing zero (for example, "5.0" mg, where the zero follows a decimal point) can be misinterpreted as “50” mg leading to a 10-fold overdose. Instead the prescriber should write “5 mg” with no trailing zero or decimal point after the number. Also, the lack of a leading zero, (for example, .9 mg) can be misread as “9” mg; instead the prescriber should use “0.9 mg” to clarify...
Oct 12, 2020 · And on the opposite end of the spectrum, “Take 1 hour before meals or 2 hours after” is another common medication label. Some medications won’t be absorbed properly if there is food in your stomach, and one hour before meals or two hours after is usually the best time.
This is a list of abbreviations used in medical prescriptions, including hospital orders (the patient-directed part of which is referred to as sig codes ). This list does not include abbreviations for pharmaceuticals or drug name suffixes such as CD, CR, ER, XT (See Time release technology § List of abbreviations for those).
Feb 9, 2022 · Many abbreviations on a prescription pertain to how often a person should take a medication, like before a meal, or the route of administration, like inhaled versus by mouth. Common Abbreviations. Abbreviation. Meaning. a.c. or ac. Before meals. b.i.d or bid. Twice daily. h.s. or hs.
