What Does CMO Mean in Medical Terms?

CMO stands for comfort measures only. Care focused entirely on comfort at end of life.

Where you will see CMO

You will most often see CMO in nursing notes, care plans and handovers, emergency department and intensive care records, medical charts and clinical notes.

Example

A chart note might use “CMO” as shorthand for comfort measures only when documenting a patient's care.

Related abbreviations

• 1:1 — one-to-one observation
• 2g Na diet — two-gram sodium diet
• 3% saline — three percent saline (hypertonic)
• 3D-CAM — 3-minute Diagnostic Confusion Assessment Method
• 4-point restraints — four-point restraints
• 4F-PCC — four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate
• 5150 — 5150 hold (California)
• 5150 hold eval — 72-hour hold evaluation

Browse the full Medical Abbreviations guide — 5,715 entries, searchable A–Z and by specialty.