Here you can find out what some of the most common medical abbreviations mean. This may be useful if you want to understand your health records. An abbreviation is a short way of writing a longer word or phrase.
Important
Healthcare staff sometimes use the same abbreviations to mean different things.
If you do not know what something in your health records means, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
List of abbreviations
List of abbreviations Abbreviation Meaning # broken bone (fracture) A&E accident and emergency a.c. before meals a.m., am, AM morning AF atrial fibrillation AMHP approved mental health professional APTT activated partial thromboplastin time (a measure of how long it takes your blood to clot) ASQ Ages and Stages Questionnaire (a set of questions about children's development) b.d.s, bds, BDS 2 times a day b.i.d., bid, bd twice a day / twice daily / 2 times daily BMI body mass index BNO bowels not open BO bowels open BP blood pressure c/c chief complaint CMHN community mental health nurse CPN community psychiatric nurse CSF cerebrospinal fluid CSU catheter stream urine sample CT scan computerised tomography scan CVP central venous pressure CXR chest X-ray DNACPR do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation DNAR do not attempt resuscitation DNR do not resuscitate Dr doctor DVT deep vein thrombosis Dx diagnosis ECG electrocardiogram ED emergency department EEG electroencephalogram EMU early morning urine sample ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate (a type of blood test used to help diagnose conditions associated with inflammation) EUA examination under anaesthetic FBC full blood count (a type of blood test) FOBT faecal occult blood test (a test to check for blood traces in your poo) FIT faecal immunochemical test (a test to check for blood traces in your poo) FY1 FY2 foundation doctor GA general anaesthetic gtt., gtt drop(s) h., h hour h/o history of Hb haemoglobin (a substance in red blood cells that moves oxygen around the body) HCA healthcare assistant HCSW healthcare support worker HDL high-density lipoprotein (a type of cholesterol) HRT hormone replacement therapy Ht height Hx history i 1 tablet ii 2 tablets iii 3 tablets i.m., IM injection into a muscle i.v., IV injection directly to a vein INR international normalised ratio (a measure of how long blood takes to clot) IVI intravenous infusion IVP intravenous pyelogram (an X-ray of your urinary tract) Ix investigations LA local anaesthetic LDL low-density lipoprotein (a type of cholesterol) LFT liver function test (a type of blood test measuring enzymes and proteins in your liver) LMP last menstrual period M/R modified release MRI magnetic resonance imaging MRSA methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MSU mid-stream urine sample n.p.o., npo, NPO nothing by mouth / not by oral administration NAD nothing abnormal discovered NAI non-accidental injury NBM nil by mouth NG nasogastric (running between your nose and stomach) nocte every night NoF neck of femur NSAID non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug o.d., od, OD once a day o/e on examination OT occupational therapist p.c. after food p.m., pm, PM afternoon or evening p.o., po, PO orally / by mouth / oral administration POD podiatrist p.r., pr, PR rectally p.r.n., prn, PRN as needed p/c presenting complaint PT physiotherapist POP plaster of paris PTT partial thromboplastin time (a measure of how quickly your blood clots) PU passed urine q. every q.1.d., q1d every day q.1.h., q1h every hour q.2.h., q2h every 2 hours q.4.h., q4h every 4 hours q.6.h., q6h every 6 hours q.8.h., q8h every 8 hours q.d., qd every day / daily q.d.s, qds, QDS 4 times a day q.h., qh every hour, hourly q.i.d, qid 4 times a day q.o.d., qod every other day / alternate days q.s., qs a sufficient quantity (enough) RN registered nurse RNLD learning disability nurse ROSC return of spontaneous circulation RTA road traffic accident Rx treatment s.c., SC injection under the skin S/R sustained release SLT speech and language therapist SpR specialist registrar stat. immediately, with no delay, now STEMI ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction t.d.s, tds, TDS 3 times a day t.i.d., tid 3 times a day TCI to come in TFT thyroid function test TPN total parenteral nutrition TPR temperature, pulse and respiration TTA to take away TTO to take out U&E urea and electrolytes u.d., ud as directed UCC urgent care centre UTI urinary tract infection VLDL very-low density lipoprotein (a type of cholesterol) VTE venous thromboembolism (a blood clot that forms in a vein) Wt weightIf you cannot find the abbreviation you are looking for
Speak to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for help with understanding your health records.
