common medical abbreviations

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Medical Terminology – Module 4 - Abbreviations

Common Medical Abbreviations

The medical reports you are required to analyze on the job will contain a variety of written abbreviations. In this

section, we will introduce some of the medical abbreviations you are likely to encounter.

While most medical abbreviations have their basis in Latin, you don’t need to be a Latin scholar to understand

them. That’s because many words in the English language are derived from Latin, so it’s easy to make

logical connections between the Latin abbreviations and their meanings. A few abbreviations commonly used

today come directly from the English language.

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Abbreviations

This abbreviation is based on the Latin

word sine, which also means without.

s - without

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You’re reviewing a medical report that notes,

“the patient left the hospital s prescribed medication”.

This patient left the hospital

before

medication

was

prescribed.

with the

medication

that was

prescribed.

without the

medication

that was

prescribed.

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Another common abbreviation is the letter c.

This abbreviation represents the Latin word cum, which means with. In English, the

spelling has been changed to com, and is used in a number of words that use the concept

of with, such as composure or compassion.

Abbreviationsc - with

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An excerpt from a medical report says, “this medication must be taken c water.”

This patient must take the medication

without

drinking any

water.

with

water.

before drinking

water.

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This abbreviations comes from the Latin word semis, which means half. Note

the s in the beginning and end of semis, and you’ll see the origin of this

abbreviation. Semis is similar to semi, the English word that means half. Think

of words such as semiannual and semicircle, each signifying a half of

something.

Abbreviations ss - half

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A medical report states, “patient should receive ss of a dosage of prescribed

medication.” This patient should receive

a half dosage

of the

prescribed

medication

a full dosage

of the

prescribed

medication

none of the

prescribed

medication

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Abbreviations are sometimes used in conjunction with

instructions for how often something is to be done. For

example, a patient might be instructed to take a medication three times a day, or someone

might be required to have a certain procedure performed

everyday during a hospital stay.

This abbreviation is based on the Latin phrase in die. Note how similar in die is to the English

derivative, in a day.

Abbreviationsi.d. – daily, in a day’s time

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Another letter is then added at the beginning of the abbreviation i.d.

to complete the instruction. The most commonly used are:

AbbreviationsAbbreviations

b + i.d. = b.i.d.

t + i.d. = t.i.d.

q+ i.d. = q.i.d.

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Pick a Box1. What does i.d stand for?

2. The abbreviation q.i.d. means quater in die. The term quarter is very close to the

English words quarter and quadruple .

3. The abbreviation t.i.d. stands for ter in die. One English word that uses the Latin word ter is tertiary,

which means third. Other English words use it’s derivative tri, such as tricycle or triangle.

4. The b in b.i.d. comes from the Latin word bis, from which the English language derives

the prefix bi, as in biennial or bilateral.

Daily Twice a day Three times a day Four times a day




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You know that q.i.d. means four times a day. There are two other abbreviations that are very close in construction, but different in

meaning.

With these abbreviations, the q stands for quaque, which means

every. There isn’t a similar-sounding English word to help you

remember what the q means in this case, so you’ll have to rely on

memorization. When q is used alone it always means every.


q.d. – every day

q.o.d. – every

other day

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Use these hints to help you remember the difference between q.d. and q.o.d.:

The d in q.d. refers to the Latin word die, or day, so q.d. means every day.

For q.o.d., associate the letter o with the word other, then translate q.o.d. to every other day.

The letter q is sometimes used in other ways to designate every. For example, the letter h stands for hour or hours, so an order to

give medication every two hours might be abbreviated as q2h.

Abbreviations

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Abbreviations

This abbreviation is based on the Latin

phrase hora somni, which translates literally as hour of sleep. You can connect somni with

the English word somnolent

Abbreviations

h.s. – at bedtime

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Some medications are available in a variety of

forms, such as suppositories, capsules,

pills, or liquids. The abbreviation used to

indicate that medicine should be taken by

mouth is:

Abbreviations

p.o. – by mouth

Abbreviations

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1. If a medical report notes that a patient has been prescribed medication to be

taken h.s., this means that the medicine must be taken

2. When a patient is instructed to take medication p.o., this means that the

medicine should be taken

with food. with water. every other day. at bedtime.

every day. at bedtime. every four hours.by mouth.

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Before surgery and certain types of tests,

patients are not allowed to have anything to eat

or drink; that is:

Abbreviations

Abbreviations

n.p.o. – nothing by mouth

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This abbreviation represents the first three initials of the Latin phrase

ex modo prescripto, which means in the mode

prescribed.

Orders for medication and treatment may be referred

to in the following way:

Abbreviations

e.m.p. – as directed

Abbreviations

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Medication is sometimes prescribed by drops. The medical

abbreviation is gtt.

The Latin term for drops is guttae. An English word derived from the Latin word gutters, the troughs that drop down from the

eaves of roofs to carry away rainwater. While this may seem

to be far removed from the concept of medicine, the spelling of the word gutter can help you

remember guttae and the abbreviation gtt.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations

gtt. - drops

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The next two groups of abbreviations are all

based on English words. They are either shortened versions of

the actual word or made up of one or two

key letters.


BP – Blood Pressure

CC – chief complaint

dos – dosage

I.M. – intramuscular

I.V. - intravenous

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Here are some ore English-based medical

abbreviations.


q.s. – quantity sufficient

r – respirations

Tab – tablet

v.s.s. – vital signs stable

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common medical abbreviations

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