General Medical Abbreviations

This list collects 432 general medical abbreviations — everyday terms used across all areas of medicine, in charts, discharge summaries and referrals. Every entry shows the full form and a plain-English meaning. One abbreviation can appear in several specialty lists when it is genuinely used in more than one area, and abbreviations with more than one common meaning get a row for each meaning. Terms flagged ⚠ Error-prone are on recognised error-prone lists: write them out in full wherever possible.

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Abbreviation	Full form	What it means	Used in
A&O x4	alert and oriented times four (person place time situation)	Full orientation documentation	Neurology Nursing General Medical
a.m.	ante meridiem (morning)	Charting shorthand for morning	General Medical Nursing
A/P	assessment and plan	Clinician's conclusions and plan for each problem	General Medical
AC	anterior chamber (eye)	Fluid space at the front of the eye	General Medical Surgery
ACG	angle-closure glaucoma	Raised eye pressure from a blocked drainage angle	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
ACIOL	anterior chamber intraocular lens	Lens implant placed in the front chamber	General Medical Surgery
ACR	American College of Radiology (appropriateness context)	Radiology body issuing imaging guidance	Radiology & Imaging General Medical
acuity	patient acuity (severity level)	Measure of how much care a patient needs	Nursing General Medical
AD ⚠ Error-prone	right ear	The right ear, from Latin auris dextra	General Medical
ADL	activities of daily living	Basic self-care tasks such as eating, bathing and dressing	General Medical Nursing
admit to	admit to (order phrase)	Order assigning the patient to a service or unit	Nursing General Medical
ADR	adverse drug reaction	Harmful or unwanted effect of a medicine	General Medical Prescription & Medication Orders
advance directive	advance directive (document)	Legal document stating future care wishes	Nursing General Medical
AE	adverse event	Unfavourable medical occurrence during treatment	General Medical Prescription & Medication Orders
AGEP	acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis	Sudden widespread pustular drug rash	General Medical
AION	anterior ischemic optic neuropathy	Optic nerve head stroke	General Medical Neurology
AK	actinic keratosis	Rough sun-damaged skin patch that can progress	General Medical
ALK	anterior lamellar keratoplasty	Partial front-layer cornea transplant	General Medical Surgery
ALOS	average length of stay	Mean hospital stay across patients	General Medical
ALT	argon laser trabeculoplasty	Older laser treatment for glaucoma	General Medical Surgery
AMA	against medical advice	Leaving or refusing care contrary to medical recommendation	General Medical
AMA discharge	against medical advice discharge	Patient leaving despite medical recommendation	Nursing Emergency & Critical Care General Medical
AMD	age-related macular degeneration	Eye disease damaging central vision in older people	General Medical
AMR	antimicrobial resistance (transplant/infection)	Resistance of microbes to treatment drugs	Infectious Disease General Medical
anti-VEGF	anti-vascular endothelial growth factor	Injected eye drug class blocking abnormal blood vessels	Prescription & Medication Orders General Medical
ANUG	acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis	Painful destructive gum infection	General Medical Infectious Disease
AOM	acute otitis media	Sudden infection of the middle ear	General Medical Infectious Disease Pediatrics
APD	afferent pupillary defect	Abnormal pupil response from optic nerve damage	General Medical Neurology
AR	allergic rhinitis (nose)	Allergy-driven nasal inflammation — nose	General Medical Respiratory
ARMD	age-related macular degeneration	Eye disease damaging central vision in older people	General Medical
ARS	acute rhinosinusitis	Short-term sinus inflammation	General Medical Infectious Disease
AS ⚠ Error-prone	left ear	The left ear, from Latin auris sinistra	General Medical
ASAP order	as soon as possible (order priority)	Urgent but not immediate order priority	Nursing General Medical
ATA	anterior tibial artery	Front lower-leg artery	General Medical Musculoskeletal
AU ⚠ Error-prone	both ears	Both ears, from Latin auris utraque	General Medical
AUDIT	Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test	Questionnaire screening for harmful alcohol use	Psychiatry General Medical
axillary art	axillary artery	Artery through the armpit	General Medical Musculoskeletal
AXL	axial length	Eye length measured before cataract surgery	General Medical Surgery
BCVA	best-corrected visual acuity	Best vision achievable with glasses or contacts	General Medical
bed meeting	bed management meeting	Coordination of admissions and bed assignments	Nursing General Medical
bleph	blepharitis (shorthand)	Eyelid margin inflammation shorthand	General Medical
BMR	basal metabolic rate	Energy the body uses at complete rest	General Medical Endocrinology
BMT	bilateral myringotomy with tubes	Ear tube placement in both ears	General Medical Pediatrics Surgery
BOP	bleeding on probing	Gum inflammation sign at dental examination	General Medical
BPI	Brief Pain Inventory	Questionnaire measuring pain severity and interference	Vitals & Assessment General Medical
BPPV	benign paroxysmal positional vertigo	Brief spinning dizziness triggered by head position	General Medical Neurology
BPPV vertigo	benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (ear)	Brief spinning triggered by head position — ear	General Medical Neurology
brachial art	brachial artery	Main upper arm artery	General Medical Musculoskeletal
BRAO	branch retinal artery occlusion	Blocked branch artery supplying part of the retina	General Medical
BRVO	branch retinal vein occlusion	Blocked branch vein draining part of the retina	General Medical
BSA	body surface area	Measured surface area of the body, used in calculations	General Medical
BSA psoriasis	body surface area (psoriasis)	Skin involvement percentage in psoriasis	General Medical
bundle care	care bundle (infection prevention)	Grouped prevention practices	Pediatrics Nursing Infectious Disease General Medical
C/D ratio	cup-to-disc ratio	Optic nerve cupping measure in glaucoma	General Medical
C/O	complains of	Patient reports a symptom or problem	General Medical
CAGE	CAGE questionnaire	Four-question alcohol screening tool, from its questions' initials	Psychiatry General Medical
CAL	clinical attachment loss	Gum attachment loss in periodontal disease	General Medical
call-out	call-out (absence)	Staff calling in unable to work	Nursing General Medical
CC	chief complaint	Main reason a patient seeks care, in their own words	General Medical
CCT	central corneal thickness	Cornea thickness affecting pressure readings	General Medical
CDC	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	United States public health agency	General Medical Infectious Disease
census	patient census (count)	Number of patients on a unit	Nursing General Medical
CF	counting fingers	Vision level where only counting fingers is possible	General Medical Vitals & Assessment
CFA	common femoral artery	Main groin artery to the leg	General Medical Cardiology Radiology & Imaging
CFS	Clinical Frailty Scale	Score grading fitness and frailty in older people	General Medical Vitals & Assessment
CHL	conductive hearing loss	Hearing loss from sound blocked in outer or middle ear	General Medical
CI	confidence interval	Range likely containing the true value of a result	General Medical
CLIA	chemiluminescent immunoassay	Light-based automated antibody test method	Laboratory General Medical
cm	centimeter	Unit of length, one hundredth of a meter	General Medical
CMO	comfort measures only	Care focused entirely on comfort at end of life	Nursing Emergency & Critical Care General Medical
CNV	copy number variant	Gain or loss of a DNA segment	Laboratory General Medical
CO	carbon monoxide (safety)	Odorless toxic gas monitored in homes and units	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
CO detector	carbon monoxide detector (home safety)	Alarm for the odorless gas in homes	Pediatrics Nursing General Medical
conj	conjunctivitis (shorthand)	Inflammation of the eye surface membrane shorthand	General Medical Infectious Disease
core measures	core measures (quality)	Standardized quality metrics for common conditions	Nursing General Medical
CP	chest pain	Pain or discomfort felt in the chest	Cardiology General Medical
CPOE	computerized provider order entry	Electronic entry of clinical orders	Nursing General Medical
CPS report	child protective services report (process)	Mandatory report of suspected abuse	Pediatrics Nursing General Medical
CPSC	Consumer Product Safety Commission (recalls)	Product safety recall authority referenced in guidance	Pediatrics General Medical
CPT	Current Procedural Terminology	Coding system for medical procedures	General Medical
CQC	Care Quality Commission	Regulator of health and social care in England	General Medical
CRAO	central retinal artery occlusion	Blocked main artery supplying the retina	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
CRP	C-reactive protein	Blood protein that rises with inflammation	Laboratory General Medical
CRS	chronic rhinosinusitis	Long-lasting sinus inflammation	General Medical Infectious Disease
CRVO	central retinal vein occlusion	Blocked main vein draining the retina	General Medical
cryosurgery	cryosurgery (lesion freezing)	Destroying a lesion with extreme cold	Surgery General Medical
CSOM	chronic suppurative otitis media	Long-term middle ear infection with discharge	General Medical Infectious Disease
CSR	central serous retinopathy	Fluid collecting under the centre of the retina	General Medical
cVEMP	cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential	Balance organ test using neck muscle response	General Medical Neurology
CXL	cross-linking (corneal collagen)	Cornea-strengthening treatment for keratoconus	General Medical Surgery
D/C	discharge	Release of a patient from hospital care	General Medical Nursing
D/C	discontinue	To stop a treatment, medicine or order	General Medical Prescription & Medication Orders
D/C summary	discharge summary	Document summarising a hospital stay and follow-up	General Medical
DALY	disability-adjusted life year	Measure of overall disease burden	General Medical
DAS	Difficult Airway Society (guideline body)	Airway guideline organization	Emergency & Critical Care Surgery General Medical
DCR	dacryocystorhinostomy	Surgery creating a new tear drainage path	General Medical Surgery
DDx	differential diagnosis	List of possible conditions explaining the findings	General Medical
debrief	debrief (post-event review)	Team review after a critical event	Nursing General Medical
dental home	dental home (care model)	Ongoing dental care base by age one	Pediatrics General Medical
DFA	deep femoral artery (profunda)	Deep thigh artery	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
diaphragm anatomy	diaphragm (muscle anatomy)	Main breathing muscle — anatomy	Respiratory General Medical
disc edema	optic disc edema	Swelling of the optic nerve head	General Medical Neurology
dispo	disposition (shorthand)	Plan for where the patient goes next shorthand	Nursing Emergency & Critical Care General Medical
DLQI	Dermatology Life Quality Index	Skin disease quality-of-life questionnaire	General Medical
DMD	dental charting: decayed missing filled (DMF index)	Index counting decayed, missing and filled teeth	General Medical Pediatrics
DME	diabetic macular edema	Swelling of the central retina from diabetes	General Medical Endocrinology
DME	durable medical equipment	Reusable medical equipment for home use	General Medical Nursing
DMEK	Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty	Thinnest-layer cornea transplant	General Medical Surgery
DMFT	decayed missing filled teeth index	Standard dental disease score for permanent teeth	General Medical
DNA	deoxyribonucleic acid	Molecule carrying genetic instructions	Laboratory General Medical
DNR	do not resuscitate	Order not to attempt revival if the heart stops	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
DO	distal-occlusal (dental)	Two-surface tooth filling shorthand	General Medical
DO	Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine	Doctor trained in osteopathic medicine	General Medical
DOB	date of birth	Day, month and year a person was born	General Medical
DPA	durable power of attorney	Legal authority document for another person	General Medical Nursing
DPOA-HC	durable power of attorney for health care	Legal appointment of a medical decision maker	Nursing General Medical
DR	diabetic retinopathy	Eye damage from diabetes affecting the retina	General Medical Endocrinology
DRG	diagnosis-related group	Payment grouping based on diagnosis and care	General Medical
DSEK	Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty	Partial-thickness cornea transplant	General Medical Surgery
DVD	dissociated vertical deviation	Upward drift of an eye when covered	General Medical Pediatrics
Dx	diagnosis	Identification of a disease or condition	General Medical
ECA	external carotid artery	Neck artery to the face and scalp	Neurology General Medical
ECCE	extracapsular cataract extraction	Older cataract removal technique	General Medical Surgery
EENT	eye, ear, nose and throat	Combined examination of these areas	General Medical
EHR	electronic health record	Digital version of a patient's medical chart	General Medical
EIA	enzyme immunoassay	Common antibody/antigen lab method	Laboratory General Medical
EIA	external iliac artery	Artery continuing into the leg	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
EMR	electronic medical record	Digital version of a patient's medical chart	General Medical
endo	endodontics (shorthand)	Root canal specialty shorthand	General Medical
ENT	ear, nose and throat	Medical specialty and examination of these areas	General Medical
EOB	explanation of benefits	Statement explaining what a health plan paid	General Medical
EOG	electrooculogram	Electrical test of retinal pigment function	General Medical Laboratory
EOM	extraocular movements	Movements of the eyes in all directions	General Medical Vitals & Assessment Neurology
EOM pain	pain on eye movement	Symptom suggesting optic nerve or orbital inflammation	General Medical Neurology
EPSDT	Early and Periodic Screening Diagnostic and Treatment	Medicaid child screening benefit	Pediatrics General Medical
ERD	exudative retinal detachment	Retina detached by fluid without a tear	General Medical
ERG	electroretinogram	Electrical test of retinal function	General Medical Laboratory Neurology
ERM	epiretinal membrane	Wrinkle-causing membrane on the retinal surface	General Medical
ESS	endoscopic sinus surgery	Sinus surgery through the nose with a scope	General Medical Surgery
ET	esotropia	Inward turning of an eye	General Medical Pediatrics
ETD	eustachian tube dysfunction	Blocked ear pressure-equalizing tube	General Medical
ETOH	ethanol	Alcohol, recorded in relation to drinking or blood level	General Medical Laboratory
excision lesion	excisional biopsy (procedure)	Removing a whole lesion for examination	Surgery General Medical
FAF	fundus autofluorescence	Retinal imaging from natural pigment glow	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
FB	foreign body	Object lodged in a body part where it does not belong	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
FDA	Food and Drug Administration	United States agency regulating medicines and food	General Medical Prescription & Medication Orders
FDI	FDI World Dental Federation notation	International two-digit tooth numbering	General Medical
FESS	functional endoscopic sinus surgery	Keyhole sinus operation using a camera	General Medical Surgery
FFA	fundus fluorescein angiography	Dye imaging of retinal circulation	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
FH	family history	Health conditions in a patient's close relatives	General Medical
fire escape	home fire escape plan (guidance)	Practiced two-exit escape planning	Pediatrics Nursing General Medical
FLACS	femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery	Laser-assisted cataract procedure	General Medical Surgery
float	float (staffing)	Working temporarily on another unit	Nursing General Medical
floor	the floor (general ward)	Non-monitored general care area	Nursing General Medical
FPIES	food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome	Delayed food allergy causing vomiting in infants	Pediatrics General Medical
FRAIL	FRAIL scale	Simple frailty screening scale	General Medical Vitals & Assessment Nursing
FUO	fever of unknown origin	Persistent fever without a found cause	General Medical Infectious Disease
GAT	Goldmann applanation tonometry	Standard contact method of measuring eye pressure	General Medical
GCA eye	giant cell arteritis (ocular involvement)	Artery inflammation threatening vision	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care Musculoskeletal
GO	Graves orbitopathy	Eye involvement of Graves disease	General Medical Endocrinology
GOC	goals of care	Discussion and documentation of treatment aims	Nursing Emergency & Critical Care General Medical
GP	general practitioner	Doctor providing primary and continuing care	General Medical
GU	genitourinary	Relating to the urinary and reproductive organs	Renal & Nephrology General Medical
GVF	Goldmann visual field	Manual visual field test	General Medical
H&P	history and physical	Written record of history and physical examination	General Medical
HA	headache	Pain in the head	General Medical Neurology
HAI	healthcare-associated infection	Infection acquired during medical care	General Medical Infectious Disease Nursing
handoff	handoff (shift report)	Transfer of care information between clinicians	Nursing General Medical
HCAHPS	Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems	National patient experience survey	Nursing General Medical
HCP	health care proxy	Person appointed to make medical decisions	Nursing General Medical
HEENT	head, eyes, ears, nose and throat	Combined examination of these areas	General Medical
hesitancy	vaccine hesitancy (term)	Delay or refusal despite vaccine availability	Pediatrics Infectious Disease General Medical
HIPAA	Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act	United States law protecting health information privacy	General Medical
HL	hearing loss	Reduced ability to hear sounds	General Medical
HM	hand motion	Vision level detecting only hand movement	General Medical Vitals & Assessment
HMO	health maintenance organization	Health plan requiring use of network providers	General Medical
HPI	history of present illness	Story of the current problem from start to visit	General Medical
HR	hazard ratio	Measure comparing event rates over time between groups	General Medical
HT	hypertropia	Upward turning of an eye	General Medical Pediatrics
HVF	Humphrey visual field	Standard automated visual field test	General Medical
Hx	history	Past medical information about a patient	General Medical
I-PASS	I-PASS handoff bundle	Standardized handoff mnemonic and bundle	Nursing General Medical Pediatrics
IADL	instrumental activities of daily living	Complex daily tasks such as shopping and managing money	General Medical Nursing
ICA anatomy	internal carotid artery (anatomy)	Neck artery to the brain — anatomy	Neurology General Medical
ICCE	intracapsular cataract extraction	Historical whole-lens cataract removal	General Medical Surgery
ICD	International Classification of Diseases	Global system coding diagnoses	General Medical
ICD-10	International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision	Diagnosis coding system, tenth revision	General Medical
ICGA	indocyanine green angiography	Dye imaging of choroidal circulation	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
ICL	implantable collamer lens	Implanted lens for vision correction	General Medical Surgery
ICT	immunochromatographic test	Rapid strip test using colored particles	Laboratory General Medical
IDDSI	International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative	Global framework for food and drink texture levels	Nursing Neurology General Medical
IFA	indirect fluorescent antibody	Microscopy antibody test method	Laboratory General Medical
IIH eye	idiopathic intracranial hypertension (eye findings)	Raised brain pressure threatening vision	Neurology General Medical
ILAE	International League Against Epilepsy	Body classifying seizures and epilepsies	Neurology General Medical
iliac art	common iliac artery	Main pelvic artery	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
incident report	incident report (occurrence report)	Safety event documentation	Nursing General Medical
incisional biopsy	incisional biopsy (procedure)	Sampling part of a lesion	Surgery General Medical
independent advocate	independent living donor advocate (role)	Donor-protecting team member role	Renal & Nephrology Surgery General Medical
inguinal lig	inguinal ligament (anatomy)	Groin crease ligament	Surgery General Medical
innominate	brachiocephalic artery (innominate)	First large branch off the aortic arch	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
inpatient status	inpatient status (admission type)	Full admission status	Nursing General Medical
interdisciplinary rounds	interdisciplinary rounds (IDR)	Multi-team daily patient review	Nursing General Medical
IOL	intraocular lens	Artificial lens implanted at cataract surgery	General Medical Surgery
IOOA	inferior oblique overaction	Eye muscle overaction pattern in strabismus	General Medical Pediatrics
IOP	intraocular pressure	Pressure inside the eye	General Medical Vitals & Assessment
ISMP	Institute for Safe Medication Practices	Organization publishing medication safety lists	Prescription & Medication Orders Nursing General Medical
ITR	inferior turbinate reduction	Procedure shrinking the lower nasal turbinate	General Medical Surgery
ITT	intention-to-treat	Analysing study participants in their assigned groups	General Medical
IVC anatomy	inferior vena cava (anatomy)	Great vein returning lower body blood — anatomy	General Medical Cardiology
IVI	intravitreal injection	Injection of medicine into the eye	General Medical Prescription & Medication Orders
jaw claudication	jaw claudication (symptom)	Jaw pain when chewing from artery inflammation	Neurology General Medical
K readings	keratometry readings	Corneal curvature measurements for lens calculations	General Medical Surgery
KCN	keratoconus (shorthand)	Cone-shaped cornea causing distorted vision	General Medical
KDOQI	Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (access guidelines)	Dialysis practice guideline body	Renal & Nephrology General Medical
kg	kilogram	Unit of weight equal to one thousand grams	Prescription & Medication Orders General Medical
L	liter	Unit of volume equal to one thousand millilitres	General Medical Laboratory
LASIK	laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis	Flap-based laser vision correction	General Medical Surgery
LCCA	left common carotid artery	Neck artery to the left brain	Neurology General Medical
LFA	lateral flow assay	Strip test format, as in rapid antigen tests	Laboratory General Medical
loading dose	loading dose (concept)	Larger first dose reaching effective levels quickly	Prescription & Medication Orders General Medical
LOC level	level of care (placement)	Intensity of care setting required	Nursing General Medical
LOS	length of stay	Number of days a patient spends in hospital	General Medical
LP	light perception	Vision level detecting only light	General Medical Vitals & Assessment
LPI	laser peripheral iridotomy	Laser hole in the iris treating angle closure	General Medical Surgery Emergency & Critical Care
LW	living will	Document stating end-of-life treatment wishes	Nursing General Medical
M&M	morbidity and mortality conference	Case review meeting for complications and deaths	Nursing Surgery General Medical
MA	meta-analysis	Study combining results of multiple studies	General Medical
mAb	monoclonal antibody	Lab-made antibody used as targeted therapy	Prescription & Medication Orders Hematology & Oncology General Medical
MD	maintenance dose (concept)	Regular dose keeping drug levels steady	Prescription & Medication Orders General Medical
MD	medical doctor	Doctor of medicine qualification	General Medical
ME/CFS	myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome	Long-term illness with profound fatigue worsened by exertion	Musculoskeletal General Medical
medical home	medical home (care model)	Coordinated family-centered primary care model	Pediatrics General Medical Nursing
MH	macular hole	Full-thickness defect at the central retina	General Medical
MHL	mixed hearing loss	Combined conductive and sensorineural loss	General Medical
mm	millimeter	Unit of length, one thousandth of a meter	General Medical
MMA surgery	maxillomandibular advancement	Jaw surgery advancing both jaws for sleep apnea	General Medical Surgery Respiratory
MN	midnight (charting shorthand)	Charting abbreviation for midnight	Nursing General Medical
MO	mesial-occlusal (dental)	Two-surface tooth filling shorthand	General Medical
MOD	mesial-occlusal-distal (dental)	Cavity or filling spanning three tooth surfaces	General Medical
MOE	malignant otitis externa	Invasive skull-base ear infection in diabetes	General Medical Infectious Disease Endocrinology Emergency & Critical Care
MOLST	Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment	New York version of the portable treatment order form	Nursing General Medical
MPC	macular photocoagulation	Laser treatment at the macula	General Medical Surgery
MPQ	McGill Pain Questionnaire	Detailed pain quality questionnaire	Vitals & Assessment General Medical
mRNA	messenger ribonucleic acid	RNA copy carrying instructions to make a protein	Laboratory General Medical
MSICS	manual small incision cataract surgery	Low-cost manual cataract technique	General Medical Surgery
myopia	myopia (nearsightedness)	Distance blur	Pediatrics General Medical
N/V	nausea and vomiting	Feeling sick and throwing up	General Medical Gastroenterology
NAD	no acute distress	Patient appears comfortable and not severely unwell	General Medical
NAION	non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy	Optic nerve damage from reduced blood flow	General Medical Neurology
NAR	nonallergic rhinitis	Nasal inflammation not driven by allergy	General Medical
NB-UVB	narrowband ultraviolet B	Focused light treatment for skin conditions	General Medical
NCT	non-contact tonometry	Air-puff eye pressure measurement	General Medical
Nd:YAG	neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser	Laser type used in eye procedures	General Medical Surgery
near miss	near miss (safety)	Error caught before reaching the patient	Nursing General Medical
NIAAA guide	NIAAA single alcohol screening question	Recommended one-question alcohol screen	Psychiatry General Medical
NICE	National Institute for Health and Care Excellence	United Kingdom body issuing clinical guidance	General Medical
NKA	no known allergies	No allergies recorded for the patient	General Medical Nursing
NKDA	no known drug allergies	No medicine allergies recorded for the patient	General Medical Nursing Prescription & Medication Orders
NKFA	no known food allergies	No food allergies recorded for the patient	General Medical Nursing
NLP	no light perception	Complete absence of light vision	General Medical
NNH	number needed to harm	Patients treated for one extra person to be harmed	General Medical
NNT	number needed to treat	Patients to treat for one extra person to benefit	General Medical
NOS	not otherwise specified (psych diagnosis suffix)	Diagnosis category suffix for atypical presentations	Psychiatry General Medical
NP	nurse practitioner	Advanced practice nurse who assesses and treats patients	Nursing General Medical
NPDR	non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy	Earlier stage of diabetic retina damage	General Medical Endocrinology
NPDR	nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy	Earlier stage of diabetic retinal disease	General Medical Endocrinology
NTG	normal-tension glaucoma	Glaucoma damage despite normal pressure	General Medical
OBS	observation	Watching a patient over time for changes	General Medical Nursing
OCT	optical coherence tomography	Light-based scan imaging the layers of the retina	Radiology & Imaging General Medical
OCTA	optical coherence tomography angiography	Retinal blood flow imaging without dye	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
OD ⚠ Error-prone	right eye	The right eye, from Latin oculus dexter	General Medical
OE	otitis externa	Infection or inflammation of the outer ear canal	General Medical Infectious Disease
OIT	oral immunotherapy	Gradual food dosing to reduce allergic reactions	General Medical
OM	otitis media	Infection or inflammation of the middle ear	General Medical Infectious Disease Pediatrics
OME	otitis media with effusion	Fluid in the middle ear without acute infection	General Medical Pediatrics
on-call	on-call (availability)	Available to be called in for work	Nursing General Medical Surgery
ONH	optic nerve head	Front of the optic nerve seen in the eye	General Medical Neurology
OR	odds ratio	Measure comparing odds between two groups	General Medical Laboratory
ortho dental	orthodontics (shorthand)	Teeth-straightening specialty shorthand	General Medical
OS ⚠ Error-prone	left eye	The left eye, from Latin oculus sinister	General Medical
OSAHS	obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome	Full name for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome	Respiratory General Medical
OT	occupational therapist	Clinician helping people manage daily activities	General Medical
OT	occupational therapy	Therapy helping people manage daily activities	General Medical
OU ⚠ Error-prone	both eyes	Both eyes, from Latin oculus uterque	General Medical
oVEMP	ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential	Balance organ test using eye muscle response	General Medical Neurology
oz	ounce	Unit of weight or fluid volume	Prescription & Medication Orders General Medical
p.m.	post meridiem (afternoon/evening)	Charting shorthand for afternoon or evening	General Medical Nursing
PA	physician assistant	Clinician practising medicine with physician collaboration	General Medical
PACG	primary angle-closure glaucoma	Raised eye pressure from a closed drainage angle	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
PASI	Psoriasis Area and Severity Index	Psoriasis severity score	General Medical Musculoskeletal
PC	posterior chamber (eye)	Space behind the iris of the eye	General Medical
PCIOL	posterior chamber intraocular lens	Standard implanted lens position	General Medical Surgery
PCP	primary care provider	Main clinician coordinating a patient's everyday care	General Medical
PD dental	probing depth (dental)	Depth of the gum pocket around a tooth	General Medical
PDG	pigmentary dispersion glaucoma	Pigment-related glaucoma of younger adults	General Medical
PDR	proliferative diabetic retinopathy	Advanced diabetic retina damage with new vessels	General Medical Endocrinology
PE	physical examination	Hands-on assessment of the body by a clinician	General Medical
PE tube	pressure equalization tube	Small ear ventilation tube, also called a grommet	General Medical Pediatrics Surgery
PEARL	pupils equal and reactive to light	Basic pupil examination finding	Neurology General Medical Vitals & Assessment
pec major	pectoralis major (muscle)	Large chest muscle	Musculoskeletal General Medical
peer review	peer review (clinical)	Colleague evaluation of care quality	Nursing General Medical
PEG scale	pain enjoyment general activity scale	Three-item chronic pain impact scale	Vitals & Assessment General Medical
perio	periodontics (shorthand)	Gum specialty shorthand	General Medical
PH	pinhole (vision testing)	Vision checked through a pinhole to test for refractive error	General Medical
pH	potential of hydrogen	Measure of acidity or alkalinity	Laboratory General Medical
phaco	phacoemulsification (shorthand)	Ultrasound cataract removal technique shorthand	General Medical Surgery
PharmD	Doctor of Pharmacy	Pharmacy doctorate qualification	General Medical Prescription & Medication Orders
PI	performance improvement (abbreviation)	Hospital quality program	Nursing General Medical
PKP	penetrating keratoplasty	Full-thickness cornea transplant	General Medical Surgery
PLUS disease	plus disease (ROP)	Severe vessel dilation marking active ROP	General Medical Pediatrics
PMH	past medical history	Previous illnesses, operations and conditions	General Medical
POAG	primary open-angle glaucoma	Raised eye pressure damaging the optic nerve, open-angle type	General Medical
POCT	point-of-care testing	Testing done at the bedside rather than a central lab	Laboratory Nursing General Medical
Poison Control	Poison Control (hotline resource)	National poison help line resource	Pediatrics Emergency & Critical Care General Medical
POLST	Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment	Portable medical order form for serious illness	Nursing Emergency & Critical Care General Medical
popliteal art	popliteal artery	Artery behind the knee	General Medical Musculoskeletal
POST	Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment	Indiana version of the portable treatment order	Nursing General Medical
PP	per protocol	Analysing only participants who followed the study plan	General Medical
PPE	personal protective equipment	Gloves, masks and gowns protecting against infection	Infectious Disease Nursing General Medical
PPO	preferred provider organization	Health plan with preferred provider network	General Medical
PRK	photorefractive keratectomy	Surface laser vision correction	General Medical Surgery
prosth	prosthodontics (shorthand)	Crowns and dentures specialty shorthand	General Medical
PRP	panretinal photocoagulation	Laser treatment for proliferative diabetic eye disease	General Medical Surgery Endocrinology
PSH	past surgical history	Previous operations a patient has had	General Medical Surgery
PT	patient	A person receiving medical care	General Medical
PT	physical therapist	Clinician restoring movement and function	Musculoskeletal General Medical
PT	physical therapy	Treatment using exercise and movement to restore function	Musculoskeletal General Medical
PTA audiol	pure tone average (audiology)	Mean hearing threshold across speech frequencies	Neurology General Medical
PTA leg	posterior tibial artery (leg)	Back lower-leg artery	General Medical Musculoskeletal
PTA2	pure tone audiometry	Standard hearing test by tones	General Medical Laboratory
punch biopsy	punch biopsy (procedure)	Small round blade skin sample	Surgery General Medical
PUVA	psoralen and ultraviolet A	Light treatment for skin conditions using a sensitiser	General Medical
PVD	posterior vitreous detachment	Gel inside the eye separating from the retina	General Medical
PVD2	posterior vitreous detachment	Age-related separation of the gel from the retina	General Medical
PXF	pseudoexfoliation	Flaky material causing a secondary glaucoma and cataract risk	General Medical
QA	quality assurance (program)	Systematic care quality monitoring	Nursing General Medical
QALY	quality-adjusted life year	Measure combining length and quality of life	General Medical
QI	quality improvement (project)	Structured effort improving care processes	Nursing General Medical
radial art	radial artery	Forearm artery at the thumb-side wrist	General Medical Cardiology
RAPD	relative afferent pupillary defect	Unequal pupil response suggesting optic nerve damage	General Medical Neurology
RCA	root cause analysis (abbreviation)	Investigation method after serious events	Nursing General Medical
RCCA	right common carotid artery	Neck artery to the right brain	Neurology General Medical
RCT	randomized controlled trial	Study randomly assigning participants to interventions	General Medical
RCT	root canal treatment (dental)	Nerve treatment of a tooth — dental	General Medical Surgery
RD	registered dietitian	Nutrition professional qualification	General Medical Gastroenterology
RD	retinal detachment	Retina separating from the back of the eye	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
reconcile	medication reconciliation	Comparing medication lists at transitions of care	Prescription & Medication Orders Nursing General Medical
recurrent laryngeal	recurrent laryngeal nerve (anatomy)	Voice box nerve looping under the aorta	General Medical Surgery Endocrinology
Rinne	Rinne test (tuning fork)	Air versus bone conduction comparison	Neurology General Medical
RK	radial keratotomy	Historical refractive corneal surgery	General Medical Surgery
RLE	refractive lens exchange	Lens replacement for vision correction	General Medical Surgery
RN	registered nurse	Licensed nurse qualification	General Medical Nursing
RNA	ribonucleic acid	Molecule helping carry out genetic instructions	Laboratory General Medical
RNFL	retinal nerve fiber layer	Layer thinned in glaucoma, measured by OCT	General Medical
root cause	root cause analysis (RCA)	Structured investigation of a safety event	Nursing General Medical
ROS	review of systems	System-by-system checklist of symptoms	General Medical
rounding	rounding (ward rounds)	Team visits to each patient to plan care	Nursing General Medical
routine order	routine (order priority)	Standard priority order	Nursing General Medical
RRD	rhegmatogenous retinal detachment	Retina detached through a tear	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
SAE	serious adverse event	Unfavourable occurrence that is life-threatening, disabling or fatal	General Medical Prescription & Medication Orders
safe storage meds	safe medication storage (up and away)	Locked out-of-reach medicine storage guidance	Pediatrics Nursing General Medical
SBAR	situation, background, assessment, recommendation	Structured format for clinical handover communication	Nursing General Medical
SBIRT	screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment	Approach identifying and addressing substance use	Psychiatry General Medical
scalp tenderness	scalp tenderness (symptom)	Sore scalp in artery inflammation	Neurology General Medical
SCIT	subcutaneous immunotherapy	Allergy injections building tolerance over time	General Medical
SCM muscle	sternocleidomastoid (muscle)	Neck turning muscle — muscle	General Medical Musculoskeletal
sentinel event	sentinel event (safety)	Serious unexpected safety event requiring review	Nursing General Medical
SFA	superficial femoral artery	Main thigh artery	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
SH	social history	Record of lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol and occupation	General Medical
shave biopsy	shave biopsy (procedure)	Thin surface skin sample	Surgery General Medical
sitter	constant observer (sitter)	Staff member watching a patient continuously	Nursing General Medical
SK	seborrheic keratosis	Common harmless warty skin growth	General Medical
SLIT	sublingual immunotherapy	Allergy drops or tablets under the tongue building tolerance	General Medical
SLP	speech-language pathologist	Clinician treating speech, language and swallowing	General Medical Neurology
SLP	speech-language pathology	Assessment and therapy for speech, language and swallowing	Pediatrics General Medical
SLT	selective laser trabeculoplasty	Laser treatment lowering eye pressure in glaucoma	General Medical Surgery
SMILE	small incision lenticule extraction	Keyhole laser vision correction	General Medical Surgery
smoke alarms	smoke alarms (home safety)	Working alarm placement guidance	Pediatrics Nursing General Medical
SMR	submucous resection	Nasal septum straightening technique	General Medical Surgery
SNAP benefits	Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (benefits)	Food assistance program referenced in care plans	General Medical Pediatrics
SNHL	sensorineural hearing loss	Hearing loss from inner ear or nerve damage	General Medical
SOAP	subjective, objective, assessment, plan	Structured format for clinical notes, from its section initials	General Medical Nursing
SPF	sunscreen SPF (guidance)	Sun protection factor guidance	Pediatrics Nursing General Medical
SRK	Sanders Retzlaff Kraff formula	Lens power calculation formula family	General Medical Surgery
SRP	scaling and root planing	Deep gum cleaning procedure	General Medical
SSNHL	sudden sensorineural hearing loss	Rapid hearing loss in the inner ear	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
staffing ratio	nurse-to-patient ratio	Number of patients assigned per nurse	Nursing General Medical
standing order	standing order (protocol)	Pre-authorized order nurses may apply	Nursing General Medical
STAT	immediately (statim)	Do it now — urgent order priority	Nursing Emergency & Critical Care General Medical
STAT	statim	Immediately, at once	General Medical Prescription & Medication Orders
STD	sexually transmitted disease	Disease passed mainly through sexual contact	Infectious Disease Obstetrics & Gynecology General Medical
subclavian art	subclavian artery	Artery passing under the collarbone	General Medical
surrogate	surrogate decision maker	Person deciding for a patient who cannot decide	Nursing General Medical
SVC anatomy	superior vena cava (anatomy)	Great vein returning upper body blood — anatomy	General Medical Cardiology
SW	social worker	Professional supporting patients' social and discharge needs	General Medical
Sx	symptoms	Problems a patient feels or reports	General Medical
taper	dose taper (concept)	Gradual dose reduction schedule	Prescription & Medication Orders General Medical
TED	thyroid eye disease	Eye inflammation and bulging in Graves disease	General Medical Endocrinology
telephone order	telephone order (TO)	Order given by phone and documented	Nursing General Medical
time out	time out (surgical safety pause)	Final verification pause before incision	Nursing Surgery General Medical
titrate	titrate (dose adjustment)	Adjusting dose to response	Prescription & Medication Orders General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
TM	tympanic membrane	The eardrum	General Medical
TM perf	tympanic membrane perforation	Hole in the eardrum	General Medical
TMD	temporomandibular disorder	Jaw joint and muscle pain condition	Musculoskeletal General Medical
TORB	telephone order read back	Safety read-back of a phoned order	Nursing General Medical
TRD	tractional retinal detachment	Retina pulled off by scar tissue	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
Tx	treatment	Care given for a condition	General Medical
tymp	tympanometry (shorthand)	Middle ear pressure and mobility test shorthand	General Medical Pediatrics
tympanometry	tympanometry (test)	Eardrum movement test — test	Neurology General Medical Pediatrics
UCVA	uncorrected visual acuity	Vision measured without glasses or contacts	General Medical
ulnar art	ulnar artery	Forearm artery at the pinky-side wrist	General Medical Musculoskeletal
UPPP	uvulopalatopharyngoplasty	Throat operation widening the airway for sleep apnoea	General Medical Surgery Respiratory
VA	visual acuity	Sharpness of vision measured on a chart	General Medical Vitals & Assessment
VAERS	Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System	Vaccine safety reporting system	Pediatrics Infectious Disease General Medical
verbal order	verbal order (VO)	Order given by voice and read back	Nursing General Medical
VF	visual field	Total area seen while looking straight ahead	General Medical Vitals & Assessment
VH	vitreous hemorrhage	Bleeding into the eye gel	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
VMT	vitreomacular traction	Vitreous pulling on the central retina	General Medical
VN	vestibular neuritis	Sudden prolonged vertigo after viral inner-ear inflammation	General Medical Neurology Emergency & Critical Care
VORB	verbal order read back	Safety read-back of a spoken order	Nursing General Medical
waitlist	waitlist (transplant)	Organ waiting list — transplant	Renal & Nephrology Surgery General Medical
Weber	Weber test (tuning fork)	Lateralization test for hearing loss	Neurology General Medical
well-child	well-child visit (preventive)	Scheduled preventive health visit	Pediatrics Nursing General Medical
Western blot	immunoblot (Western blot)	Protein antibody confirmation technique	Laboratory General Medical
WHO	World Health Organization	United Nations agency for global health	General Medical
WHO checklist	WHO Surgical Safety Checklist	Global standard surgical safety checklist	Nursing Surgery General Medical
WHODAS	WHO Disability Assessment Schedule	Disability and functioning measure	Psychiatry General Medical
WIC	Women, Infants, and Children	US nutrition program for pregnant women, new mothers and young children	Pediatrics Obstetrics & Gynecology General Medical
WNL	within normal limits	Result falls in the expected healthy range	General Medical
XT	exotropia	Outward turning of an eye	General Medical Pediatrics
YAG	yttrium aluminum garnet laser	Laser used for capsule and iris procedures	General Medical Surgery Radiology & Imaging
YO	years old	Age of a patient in years	General Medical Pediatrics

Educational reference only. This guide is for learning and quick reference. Abbreviations vary between hospitals, countries and specialties, and some are discouraged because they can be misread. Always write and interpret orders using your own institution’s approved abbreviation list, and check anything unclear with the prescriber or your local policy.

General Medical Abbreviations — MedicalVideos.com

A&O x4 — alert and oriented times four (person place time situation)

a.m. — ante meridiem (morning)

A/P — assessment and plan

AC — anterior chamber (eye)

ACG — angle-closure glaucoma

ACIOL — anterior chamber intraocular lens

ACR — American College of Radiology (appropriateness context)

acuity — patient acuity (severity level)

AD — right ear ⚠

ADL — activities of daily living

admit to — admit to (order phrase)

ADR — adverse drug reaction

advance directive — advance directive (document)

AE — adverse event

AGEP — acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis

AION — anterior ischemic optic neuropathy

AK — actinic keratosis

ALK — anterior lamellar keratoplasty

ALOS — average length of stay

ALT — argon laser trabeculoplasty

AMA — against medical advice

AMA discharge — against medical advice discharge

AMD — age-related macular degeneration

AMR — antimicrobial resistance (transplant/infection)

anti-VEGF — anti-vascular endothelial growth factor

ANUG — acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis

AOM — acute otitis media

APD — afferent pupillary defect

AR — allergic rhinitis (nose)

ARMD — age-related macular degeneration

ARS — acute rhinosinusitis

AS — left ear ⚠

ASAP order — as soon as possible (order priority)

ATA — anterior tibial artery

AU — both ears ⚠

AUDIT — Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test

axillary art — axillary artery

AXL — axial length

BCVA — best-corrected visual acuity

bed meeting — bed management meeting

bleph — blepharitis (shorthand)

BMR — basal metabolic rate

BMT — bilateral myringotomy with tubes

BOP — bleeding on probing

BPI — Brief Pain Inventory

BPPV — benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

BPPV vertigo — benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (ear)

brachial art — brachial artery

BRAO — branch retinal artery occlusion

BRVO — branch retinal vein occlusion

BSA — body surface area

BSA psoriasis — body surface area (psoriasis)

bundle care — care bundle (infection prevention)

C/D ratio — cup-to-disc ratio

C/O — complains of

CAGE — CAGE questionnaire

CAL — clinical attachment loss

call-out — call-out (absence)

CC — chief complaint

CCT — central corneal thickness

CDC — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

census — patient census (count)

CF — counting fingers

CFA — common femoral artery

CFS — Clinical Frailty Scale

CHL — conductive hearing loss

CI — confidence interval

CLIA — chemiluminescent immunoassay

cm — centimeter

CMO — comfort measures only

CNV — copy number variant

CO — carbon monoxide (safety)

CO detector — carbon monoxide detector (home safety)

conj — conjunctivitis (shorthand)

core measures — core measures (quality)

CP — chest pain

CPOE — computerized provider order entry

CPS report — child protective services report (process)

CPSC — Consumer Product Safety Commission (recalls)

CPT — Current Procedural Terminology

CQC — Care Quality Commission

CRAO — central retinal artery occlusion

CRP — C-reactive protein

CRS — chronic rhinosinusitis

CRVO — central retinal vein occlusion

cryosurgery — cryosurgery (lesion freezing)

CSOM — chronic suppurative otitis media

CSR — central serous retinopathy

cVEMP — cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential

CXL — cross-linking (corneal collagen)

D/C — discharge

D/C — discontinue

D/C summary — discharge summary

DALY — disability-adjusted life year

DAS — Difficult Airway Society (guideline body)

DCR — dacryocystorhinostomy

DDx — differential diagnosis

debrief — debrief (post-event review)

dental home — dental home (care model)

DFA — deep femoral artery (profunda)

diaphragm anatomy — diaphragm (muscle anatomy)

disc edema — optic disc edema

dispo — disposition (shorthand)

DLQI — Dermatology Life Quality Index

DMD — dental charting: decayed missing filled (DMF index)

DME — diabetic macular edema

DME — durable medical equipment

DMEK — Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty

DMFT — decayed missing filled teeth index

DNA — deoxyribonucleic acid

DNR — do not resuscitate

DO — distal-occlusal (dental)

DO — Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

DOB — date of birth

DPA — durable power of attorney

DPOA-HC — durable power of attorney for health care

DR — diabetic retinopathy

DRG — diagnosis-related group

DSEK — Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty

DVD — dissociated vertical deviation

Dx — diagnosis

ECA — external carotid artery

ECCE — extracapsular cataract extraction

EENT — eye, ear, nose and throat

EHR — electronic health record

EIA — enzyme immunoassay

EIA — external iliac artery

EMR — electronic medical record

endo — endodontics (shorthand)

ENT — ear, nose and throat

EOB — explanation of benefits

EOG — electrooculogram

EOM — extraocular movements

EOM pain — pain on eye movement

EPSDT — Early and Periodic Screening Diagnostic and Treatment

ERD — exudative retinal detachment

ERG — electroretinogram

ERM — epiretinal membrane

ESS — endoscopic sinus surgery

ET — esotropia

ETD — eustachian tube dysfunction

ETOH — ethanol

excision lesion — excisional biopsy (procedure)

FAF — fundus autofluorescence

FB — foreign body

FDA — Food and Drug Administration

FDI — FDI World Dental Federation notation

FESS — functional endoscopic sinus surgery

FFA — fundus fluorescein angiography

FH — family history

fire escape — home fire escape plan (guidance)

FLACS — femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery

float — float (staffing)

floor — the floor (general ward)

FPIES — food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome

FRAIL — FRAIL scale

FUO — fever of unknown origin

GAT — Goldmann applanation tonometry

GCA eye — giant cell arteritis (ocular involvement)

GO — Graves orbitopathy

GOC — goals of care

GP — general practitioner

GU — genitourinary

GVF — Goldmann visual field

H&P — history and physical

HA — headache

HAI — healthcare-associated infection

handoff — handoff (shift report)

HCAHPS — Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems

HCP — health care proxy

HEENT — head, eyes, ears, nose and throat

hesitancy — vaccine hesitancy (term)

HIPAA — Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

HL — hearing loss

HM — hand motion

HMO — health maintenance organization

HPI — history of present illness

HR — hazard ratio

HT — hypertropia

HVF — Humphrey visual field

Hx — history

I-PASS — I-PASS handoff bundle

IADL — instrumental activities of daily living

ICA anatomy — internal carotid artery (anatomy)

ICCE — intracapsular cataract extraction

ICD — International Classification of Diseases

ICD-10 — International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision

ICGA — indocyanine green angiography

ICL — implantable collamer lens

ICT — immunochromatographic test

IDDSI — International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative

IFA — indirect fluorescent antibody

IIH eye — idiopathic intracranial hypertension (eye findings)

ILAE — International League Against Epilepsy

iliac art — common iliac artery

incident report — incident report (occurrence report)

incisional biopsy — incisional biopsy (procedure)

independent advocate — independent living donor advocate (role)

inguinal lig — inguinal ligament (anatomy)

innominate — brachiocephalic artery (innominate)

inpatient status — inpatient status (admission type)

interdisciplinary rounds — interdisciplinary rounds (IDR)

IOL — intraocular lens

IOOA — inferior oblique overaction

IOP — intraocular pressure

ISMP — Institute for Safe Medication Practices

ITR — inferior turbinate reduction

ITT — intention-to-treat

IVC anatomy — inferior vena cava (anatomy)

IVI — intravitreal injection

jaw claudication — jaw claudication (symptom)

K readings — keratometry readings

KCN — keratoconus (shorthand)

KDOQI — Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (access guidelines)

kg — kilogram

L — liter

LASIK — laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis

LCCA — left common carotid artery

LFA — lateral flow assay

loading dose — loading dose (concept)

LOC level — level of care (placement)

LOS — length of stay

LP — light perception

LPI — laser peripheral iridotomy

LW — living will

M&M — morbidity and mortality conference

MA — meta-analysis

mAb — monoclonal antibody

MD — maintenance dose (concept)

MD — medical doctor

ME/CFS — myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome

medical home — medical home (care model)

MH — macular hole

MHL — mixed hearing loss

mm — millimeter

MMA surgery — maxillomandibular advancement

MN — midnight (charting shorthand)

MO — mesial-occlusal (dental)

MOD — mesial-occlusal-distal (dental)

MOE — malignant otitis externa

MOLST — Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment

MPC — macular photocoagulation

MPQ — McGill Pain Questionnaire

mRNA — messenger ribonucleic acid

MSICS — manual small incision cataract surgery

myopia — myopia (nearsightedness)

N/V — nausea and vomiting

NAD — no acute distress

NAION — non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy

NAR — nonallergic rhinitis

NB-UVB — narrowband ultraviolet B

NCT — non-contact tonometry

Nd:YAG — neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser

near miss — near miss (safety)

NIAAA guide — NIAAA single alcohol screening question

NICE — National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

NKA — no known allergies

NKDA — no known drug allergies

NKFA — no known food allergies

NLP — no light perception

NNH — number needed to harm

NNT — number needed to treat

NOS — not otherwise specified (psych diagnosis suffix)

NP — nurse practitioner

NPDR — non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy

NPDR — nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy

NTG — normal-tension glaucoma

OBS — observation

OCT — optical coherence tomography

OCTA — optical coherence tomography angiography

OD — right eye ⚠

OE — otitis externa

OIT — oral immunotherapy

OM — otitis media

OME — otitis media with effusion

on-call — on-call (availability)

ONH — optic nerve head

OR — odds ratio

ortho dental — orthodontics (shorthand)

OS — left eye ⚠

OSAHS — obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

OT — occupational therapist

OT — occupational therapy

OU — both eyes ⚠

oVEMP — ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential

oz — ounce

p.m. — post meridiem (afternoon/evening)

PA — physician assistant

PACG — primary angle-closure glaucoma

PASI — Psoriasis Area and Severity Index

PC — posterior chamber (eye)

PCIOL — posterior chamber intraocular lens

PCP — primary care provider

PD dental — probing depth (dental)

PDG — pigmentary dispersion glaucoma

PDR — proliferative diabetic retinopathy

PE — physical examination

PE tube — pressure equalization tube

PEARL — pupils equal and reactive to light

pec major — pectoralis major (muscle)

peer review — peer review (clinical)

PEG scale — pain enjoyment general activity scale

perio — periodontics (shorthand)

PH — pinhole (vision testing)

pH — potential of hydrogen

phaco — phacoemulsification (shorthand)

PharmD — Doctor of Pharmacy

PI — performance improvement (abbreviation)

PKP — penetrating keratoplasty

PLUS disease — plus disease (ROP)

PMH — past medical history

POAG — primary open-angle glaucoma

POCT — point-of-care testing

Poison Control — Poison Control (hotline resource)

POLST — Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment

popliteal art — popliteal artery

POST — Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment

PP — per protocol

PPE — personal protective equipment

PPO — preferred provider organization

PRK — photorefractive keratectomy

prosth — prosthodontics (shorthand)

PRP — panretinal photocoagulation

PSH — past surgical history

PT — patient

PT — physical therapist

PT — physical therapy

PTA audiol — pure tone average (audiology)

PTA leg — posterior tibial artery (leg)

PTA2 — pure tone audiometry

punch biopsy — punch biopsy (procedure)

PUVA — psoralen and ultraviolet A

PVD — posterior vitreous detachment

PVD2 — posterior vitreous detachment

PXF — pseudoexfoliation

QA — quality assurance (program)

QALY — quality-adjusted life year

QI — quality improvement (project)

radial art — radial artery

RAPD — relative afferent pupillary defect

RCA — root cause analysis (abbreviation)

RCCA — right common carotid artery

RCT — randomized controlled trial

RCT — root canal treatment (dental)

RD — registered dietitian

RD — retinal detachment

reconcile — medication reconciliation

recurrent laryngeal — recurrent laryngeal nerve (anatomy)

Rinne — Rinne test (tuning fork)

RK — radial keratotomy

RLE — refractive lens exchange

RN — registered nurse

RNA — ribonucleic acid

RNFL — retinal nerve fiber layer

root cause — root cause analysis (RCA)

ROS — review of systems

rounding — rounding (ward rounds)

routine order — routine (order priority)

RRD — rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

SAE — serious adverse event

safe storage meds — safe medication storage (up and away)

SBAR — situation, background, assessment, recommendation

SBIRT — screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment

scalp tenderness — scalp tenderness (symptom)

SCIT — subcutaneous immunotherapy

SCM muscle — sternocleidomastoid (muscle)

sentinel event — sentinel event (safety)

SFA — superficial femoral artery

SH — social history

shave biopsy — shave biopsy (procedure)

sitter — constant observer (sitter)

SK — seborrheic keratosis

SLIT — sublingual immunotherapy

SLP — speech-language pathologist

SLP — speech-language pathology

SLT — selective laser trabeculoplasty

SMILE — small incision lenticule extraction

smoke alarms — smoke alarms (home safety)

SMR — submucous resection

SNAP benefits — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (benefits)

SNHL — sensorineural hearing loss

SOAP — subjective, objective, assessment, plan

SPF — sunscreen SPF (guidance)

SRK — Sanders Retzlaff Kraff formula

SRP — scaling and root planing

SSNHL — sudden sensorineural hearing loss

staffing ratio — nurse-to-patient ratio

standing order — standing order (protocol)

STAT — immediately (statim)

STAT — statim

STD — sexually transmitted disease

subclavian art — subclavian artery

surrogate — surrogate decision maker

SVC anatomy — superior vena cava (anatomy)

SW — social worker

Sx — symptoms

taper — dose taper (concept)

TED — thyroid eye disease

telephone order — telephone order (TO)

time out — time out (surgical safety pause)

titrate — titrate (dose adjustment)

TM — tympanic membrane

TM perf — tympanic membrane perforation

TMD — temporomandibular disorder

TORB — telephone order read back

TRD — tractional retinal detachment

Tx — treatment

tymp — tympanometry (shorthand)

tympanometry — tympanometry (test)

UCVA — uncorrected visual acuity

ulnar art — ulnar artery

UPPP — uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

VA — visual acuity

VAERS — Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System

verbal order — verbal order (VO)

VF — visual field

VH — vitreous hemorrhage

VMT — vitreomacular traction

VN — vestibular neuritis

VORB — verbal order read back

waitlist — waitlist (transplant)

Weber — Weber test (tuning fork)

well-child — well-child visit (preventive)

Western blot — immunoblot (Western blot)

WHO — World Health Organization

WHO checklist — WHO Surgical Safety Checklist

WHODAS — WHO Disability Assessment Schedule

WIC — Women, Infants, and Children

WNL — within normal limits

XT — exotropia

YAG — yttrium aluminum garnet laser

YO — years old

Printed from https://www.medicalvideos.com/medical-abbreviations/general/ · Full searchable guide: https://www.medicalvideos.com/medical-abbreviations/ · Educational reference only — verify against your institution's approved list.

General Medical Abbreviations

General Medical Abbreviations — MedicalVideos.com

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