Table 1: Common Medical Abbreviations

Table 1: Common Medical Abbreviations
Note: This is not a complete list of medical abbreviations or error-prone

abbreviations. Always speak with your healthcare provider for any questions
related to medical abbreviations or terms.
Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Notes About Confusion

Meaning
½ NS one-half normal saline Normal saline (NS) is 0.9%, so one-

(0.45%) half normal saline is 0.45%
5-ASA 5-aminosalicylic acid Can be misinterpreted as five

tablets of aspirin (per FDA).
Spell out full drug name.
a before
A.M. morning
aa of each
AAA abdominal aortic aneurysm Can be misinterpreted as 'apply to

(called a "triple-A") affected area'
AAA apply to affected area Can be misinterpreted as

'abdominal aortic aneurysm'
ac before meals
achs before meals and at bedtime
AD right ear
ad lib freely; as much as desired
ad sat. to saturation
ad. to; up to Caution not to confuse with AD

(meaning right ear)
Meaning
ALT alanine aminotransferase
alt. alternate
alt. h. every other hour
am, A.M. in the morning; before noon
amp ampule
amt. amount
ant. anterior
ante before
ap before dinner
APAP acetaminophen Spell out drug name

"acetaminophen"
aPTT activated partial

thromboplastin
AQ, aq water
a.s., AS left ear
ASA aspirin Spell out drug name "aspirin"
AST aspartate aminotransferase
ATC around the clock
AU each ear; both ears
AZT zidovudine Can be misinterpreted as

azathioprine (per FDA).
Spell out drug name.
Ba barium
Meaning
BCP birth control pills
Bi bismuth
bid, BID twice a day
BM bowel movement
BMI body mass index
bol bolus
BP blood pressure
BPH benign prostatic hypertrophy
BS blood sugar
BSA body surface area
BT bedtime In U.S., 'hs' or 'HS' is more

commonly used for bedtime.
c with
C.C. chief complaint
c/o complaints of
C&S culture and sensitivity
CABG coronary artery bypass graft
CaCO3 calcium carbonate
CAD coronary artery disease
CAP cancer of the prostate Do not confuse with "capsule"
cap. capsule Do not confuse with "cancer of the

prostate"
CBC complete blood count

Meaning
cc cubic centimeters May be mistaken as u (units) per

ISMP.
Use mL instead of cc.
CD controlled delivery
CF cystic fibrosis
cm centimeter
CNS central nervous system
conc concentrated
CPZ Compazine Can be misinterpreted as

chlorpromazine (per FDA).
Spell out drug name.
CR controlled-release
cr, crm cream
CV cardiovascular
CXR chest x-ray
D/C, dc, disc. discontinue OR discharge Multiple possible meanings; spell

out instead of using "D/C"
D5/0.9 NaCl 5% dextrose and normal

saline solution (0.9% NaCl)
D5 1/2/NS 5% dextrose and half normal

saline solution (0.45% NaCl)
D5NS dextrose 5% in normal saline

(0.9%)
D5W 5% dextrose in water

Meaning
DAW dispense as written
DBP diastolic blood pressure
dil. diluted
disp dispense
div divide
DKA diabetic ketoacidosis
dL deciliter
DM diabetes mellitus
DO Doctor of Osteopathic
Medicine
DOB date of birth
DPT diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus Better to spell out vaccine name;

can be misinterpreted as Demerol-
Phenergan-Thorazine per FDA
DR delayed-release
DVT deep vein thrombosis
DW dextrose in water, diabetes Multiple possible meanings; spell

mellitus or distilled water out instead of using "DW"
EC enteric-coated
EENT Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat
elix. elixir
emuls. emulsion
ER extended-release Can also mean "emergency room"

Meaning
ER emergency room Can also mean "extended-release"
ETOH ethyl alcohol
F Fahrenheit
f or F female
FBS fasting blood sugar
FDA Food and Drug

Administration
Fe Iron
FFP fresh frozen plasma
fl or fld fluid
ft foot
G, or g, or gm gram "g" is preferred symbol
garg gargle
GERD gastroesophageal reflux

disease
GI gastrointestinal
gr. grain Apothecary measurement

(obsolete and may be
misinterpreted as gram; do not
use)
GTT glucose tolerance test Can be confused with gtt for drops
gtt, gtts drop, drops Can be confused with GTT for

glucose tolerance test
GU genitourinary
Meaning
guttat. drop by drop
h, or hr. hour
h/o history of
H&H hematocrit and hemoglobin
H2 histamine 2
H20 water
HAART highly active antiretroviral

therapy
HCT, or Hct hematocrit
HCT hydrocortisone Better to spell out drug name; can

be misinterpreted as
hydrochlorothiazide per FDA
HCTZ hydrochlorothiazide Better to spell out drug name; can

be misinterpreted as
hydrocortisone per FDA
HR heart rate
HS half-strength better to spell out; do not mistake

for "bedtime"
hs or HS at bedtime, hours of sleep Do not misinterpret as 'half-

strength'
HTN hypertension
hx history
IBW ideal body weight
ID intradermal OR infectious Multiple possible meanings; spell

disease out word instead of using "ID"
Meaning
IJ injection better to spell out 'injection'
IM intramuscular
IN intranasal
inf infusion
inj. injection
instill. instillation
IP intraperitoneal
IR immediate-release
IU international unit(s) Mistaken as IV (intravenous) or the

number 10 (ten); Instead use
"International Unit(s)" (per Joint
Commission's "Do Not Use" List of
Abbreviations)
IUD intrauterine device
IV intravenous
IVP intravenous push Could be confused with

'intravenous pyelogram'
IVPB intravenous piggyback
J joule
K potassium
KOH potassium hydroxide
L or l liter Lowercase letter l may be mistaken

as the number 1 (per ISMP). Instead
use L (uppercase) for liter.
LA long-acting
Meaning
Lab laboratory
lb. pound
LDL low-density lipoprotein
LFT liver function tests
Li lithium
liq. liquid
LMP last menstrual period
Lot lotion
LPN licensed practical nurse
LR lactated ringer (solution)
Mane in the morning
mcg or µg microgram Can be misinterpreted to mean

"mg" or milligram, better to spell
out 'microgram'
MD medical doctor
MDI metered-dose inhaler
mEq milliequivalent
mEq/L milliequivalent per liter
Mg magnesium
Mg milligram
MgSO4 magnesium sulfate May be confused with "MSO4"

(morphine sulfate), spell out
"magnesium sulfate" - Joint
Commission's "Do Not Use" List of
Meaning
Abbreviations
mL milliliter Do not use ml as lowercase l may

be mistaken for the number 1. Use
mL (lowercase m, uppercase L) for
milliliter (per ISMP).
Mm millimeter
MM or M million May be mistaken as thousand. Use

million.
M or K thousand May be mistaken as million. Use

thousand.
mm of Hg millimeters of mercury
mMol millimole
MMR measle-mumps-rubella
(vaccine)
mol wt molecular weight
MR modified-release
MS morphine sulfate or Can mean either morphine sulfate

magnesium sulfate or magnesium sulfate, spell out full
drug name - Joint Commission's
"Do Not Use" List of Abbreviations
MSO4 morphine sulfate May be confused with "MgSO4";

instead spell out "morphine
sulfate" - Joint Commission's "Do
Not Use" List of Abbreviations
n or noct. in the night
N/A not applicable
N/V, N&V nausea and vomiting

Meaning
Na sodium
NAS intranasal
NDC National Drug Code
Ng or ng nanogram May be mistaken as mg or

nasogastric. Use nanogram.
NGT nasogastric tube
NH3 ammonia
NKA no known allergies
NKDA no known drug allergies
noct. maneq. night and morning
NP nurse practitioner
NPO, n.p.o. nothing by mouth Preferred by AMA to spell out

"nothing by mouth"
NS normal saline
NSAID nonsteroidal anti-

inflammatory drug
NTE not to exceed
O2 oxygen
OC oral contraceptive
o.d., OD right eye Can also mean "overdose" or "once

daily"; better to spell out "right
eye"
o.d. once per day Preferred in the UK; Can also mean
"overdose" or "right eye"; better to
spell out "once per day"
Meaning
OJ orange juice
o.s., OS left eye
OTC over-the-counter
PA Physician Assistant
Pc after meals
PRN as needed
PM evening
PO orally or by mouth May be better to spell out "by

mouth" or "orally" (per AMA)
Q every
q4h every 4 hours
q6h every 6 hours
q8h every 8 hours
q12h every 12 hours
Qam every morning
qd, QD, q.d., every day Can be mistaken as q.i.d. Instead

Q.D. write "daily" (per The Joint
Commission "Do Not Use List") or
"use daily" per ISMP list
Qhs each night at bedtime Can be confused with "qh" (every

hour); better to spell out "each
night at bedtime"
q.i.d. , QID four times a day
qod, QOD, every other day May be mistaken as qid or QID

q.o.d., or
Meaning
Q.O.D. (four times daily).
Write "every other day" (per ISMP

and The Joint Commission).
RA rheumatoid arthritis
Rx prescription
SA sustained action
SL, s.l. sublingual (under the tongue)
SC, SQ sq, or subcutaneous or Use SUBQ (all uppercase) or spell

sub q subcutaneously out subcutaneous or
subcutaneously
SR sustained release
STD sexually transmitted disease
Sup suppository
Susp suspension
Syr syrup
T temperature
tbsp or Tbsp tablespoon Mistaken as teaspoon(s). Use the

metric system (e.g., mL).
TID, t.i.d. three times a day
top. topical
TR timed-release
Tsp teaspoon Mistaken as tablespoon(s). Use the

metric system (e.g., mL).
U or u unit Mistaken as the number "0" (zero),

Meaning
the number "4" (four) or as "cc".

Write "unit" instead (per The Joint
Commission "Do Not Use" List).
ud, ut, dict, as directed

UD
Ung ointment
UTI urinary tract infection
WBC white blood cell
XR extended-release
mcg, µg microgram µg mcg can be misinterpreted as

"mg". Better to spell out
"microgram"

Table 1: Common Medical Abbreviations

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Table 1: Common Medical Abbreviations

Note: This is not a complete list of medical abbreviations or error-prone

Abbreviation Meaning / Intended Notes About Confusion

½ NS one-half normal saline Normal saline (NS) is 0.9%, so one-

5-ASA 5-aminosalicylic acid Can be misinterpreted as five

Spell out full drug name.

AAA abdominal aortic aneurysm Can be misinterpreted as 'apply to

AAA apply to affected area Can be misinterpreted as

achs before meals and at bedtime

ad lib freely; as much as desired

ad. to; up to Caution not to confuse with AD

ALT alanine aminotransferase

alt. h. every other hour

am, A.M. in the morning; before noon

APAP acetaminophen Spell out drug name

aPTT activated partial

a.s., AS left ear

ASA aspirin Spell out drug name "aspirin"

AST aspartate aminotransferase

ATC around the clock

AU each ear; both ears

AZT zidovudine Can be misinterpreted as

Spell out drug name.

BCP birth control pills

bid, BID twice a day

BMI body mass index

BPH benign prostatic hypertrophy

BSA body surface area

BT bedtime In U.S., 'hs' or 'HS' is more

C.C. chief complaint

C&S culture and sensitivity

CABG coronary artery bypass graft

CaCO3 calcium carbonate

CAD coronary artery disease

CAP cancer of the prostate Do not confuse with "capsule"

cap. capsule Do not confuse with "cancer of the

CBC complete blood count

cc cubic centimeters May be mistaken as u (units) per

Use mL instead of cc.

CNS central nervous system

CPZ Compazine Can be misinterpreted as

Spell out drug name.

cr, crm cream

CXR chest x-ray

D/C, dc, disc. discontinue OR discharge Multiple possible meanings; spell

D5/0.9 NaCl 5% dextrose and normal

D5 1/2/NS 5% dextrose and half normal

D5NS dextrose 5% in normal saline

D5W 5% dextrose in water

DAW dispense as written

DBP diastolic blood pressure

DKA diabetic ketoacidosis

DOB date of birth

DPT diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus Better to spell out vaccine name;

DVT deep vein thrombosis

DW dextrose in water, diabetes Multiple possible meanings; spell

EENT Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat

ER extended-release Can also mean "emergency room"

ER emergency room Can also mean "extended-release"

ETOH ethyl alcohol

FBS fasting blood sugar

FDA Food and Drug