July 12, 2012

Common Medical Abbreviations

COMMON MEDICAL ABBREVIATIONS
 
aa of each ac before meals
ad right ear ad lib as desired
al left ear AM morning; before noon
amt amount ANDA Abbreviated New Drug Application
ante before APAP acetaminophen
aq water; aqueous as left ear
ASA aspirin au both ears
AUC area under the curve bid twice a day
biw twice weekly BMR basal metabolism rate
bp boiling point BP blood pressure
C Centigrade c with
Ca calcium cap(s) capsule(s)
cath catheter CBC complete blood count
cc cubic centimeter chol cholesterol
Cl chloride cm centimeter
Cmax maximum effective plasma concentration Cmin minimum effective plasma concentration
c/o complains of comp compounded of
CV cardiovascular diag diagnosis
dil dilute disch discharge
disp dispense dr dram
drp(s) drop(s) Dx diagnosis
EENT Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat etc and so on
EtOH alcohol exp expired
ext extract, external F Fahrenheit
FBS fasting blood sugar Fe iron
fl fluid fl dr fluidram
fl oz fluid ounce ft let there be made
FUO fever of unknown origin g, gm gram
gr grain gt a drop
gtt drops H2O water
HDL-C high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol HR heart rate
H, h, hr hour hs at bedtime, hour of sleep
Hx history IM intramuscular
INDA Investigational New Drug Application inh inhalation
INH isoniazid inj injection
IPPB intermittent positive pressure breathing IU international units
IV intravenous kg kilogram
KMnO4 sol potassium permanganate solution L liter, left, put left first
lb pound LDL-C low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol
liq liquid MAOI monoamine oxidase inhibitor
mcg microgram MDI metered dose inhaler
mEq milliequivalent mg, mgm milligram
Mg magnesium MgSO4 magnesium sulfate
ml milliliter mm millimeter
MOM milk of magnesia MSO4 morphine sulfate
Na sodium NaCl sodium chloride
NDA New Drug Application neg negative
NKA no known allergies No. number
noct in the night NPO nothing by mouth
NR no refill NSAID nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
od right eye oint ointment
ol left eye os left eye
ou each eye oz ounce
P pulse, pint PB phenobarbital
pc after meals per by
PI Package Insert PM evening; after noon
po by mouth; orally PPI Patient Package Insert
prn as needed; whenever necessary pt patient, pint
pulv powder pwdr powder
q every q4h every 4 hours
q6h every 6 hours qd every day
qh, qhr every hour qid four times per day
qiw four times per week ql as much as desired
qod every other day qs a sufficient quantity
qt quart qw once per week
R/O rule out Rx prescription only
sat saturated SC, SQ subcutaneously
sig label; let it be printed sob shortness of breath
sol solution solv dissolve
sos if necessary or required ss one half
stat immediately supp suppository
susp suspension syr syrup
t½ half life tab(s) tablets
tbsp tablespoonful temp temperature
tid three times per day tiw three times per week
Tmax time to maximum concentration top topically
TPN total parenteral nutrition tr, tinc tincture
tsp teaspoonful ud as directed
UD unit-dose package ung ointment
URI upper respiratory infection USP United States Pharmacopoeia
UTI urinary tract infection vag vaginal
VO verbal order vol volume
VS vital signs wa while awake
wt weight x times
(Rev. 6/2012)

Related Resources

close

Next Article in Clinical Charts