Here you can find out what some of the most common medical abbreviations mean. This may be useful if you want to understand your health records. An abbreviation is a short way of writing a longer word or phrase.
Important
Healthcare staff sometimes use the same abbreviations to mean different things.
If you do not know what something in your health records means, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
List of abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| # | broken bone (fracture) |
| A&E | accident and emergency |
| a.c. | before meals |
| a.m., am, AM | morning |
| AF | atrial fibrillation |
| AMHP | approved mental health professional |
| APTT | activated partial thromboplastin time (a measure of how long it takes your blood to clot) |
| ASQ | Ages and Stages Questionnaire (a set of questions about children's development) |
| b.d.s, bds, BDS | 2 times a day |
| b.i.d., bid, bd | twice a day / twice daily / 2 times daily |
| BMI | body mass index |
| BNO | bowels not open |
| BO | bowels open |
| BP | blood pressure |
| c/c | chief complaint |
| CMHN | community mental health nurse |
| CPN | community psychiatric nurse |
| CSF | cerebrospinal fluid |
| CSU | catheter stream urine sample |
| CT scan | computerised tomography scan |
| CVP | central venous pressure |
| CXR | chest X-ray |
| DNACPR | do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation |
| DNAR | do not attempt resuscitation |
| DNR | do not resuscitate |
| Dr | doctor |
| DVT | deep vein thrombosis |
| Dx | diagnosis |
| ECG | electrocardiogram |
| ED | emergency department |
| EEG | electroencephalogram |
| EMU | early morning urine sample |
| ESR | erythrocyte sedimentation rate (a type of blood test used to help diagnose conditions associated with inflammation) |
| EUA | examination under anaesthetic |
| FBC | full blood count (a type of blood test) |
| FOBT | faecal occult blood test (a test to check for blood traces in your poo) |
| FIT | faecal immunochemical test (a test to check for blood traces in your poo) |
| FY1 FY2 | foundation doctor |
| GA | general anaesthetic |
| gtt., gtt | drop(s) |
| h., h | hour |
| h/o | history of |
| Hb | haemoglobin (a substance in red blood cells that moves oxygen around the body) |
| HCA | healthcare assistant |
| HCSW | healthcare support worker |
| HDL | high-density lipoprotein (a type of cholesterol) |
| HRT | hormone replacement therapy |
| Ht | height |
| Hx | history |
| i | 1 tablet |
| ii | 2 tablets |
| iii | 3 tablets |
| i.m., IM | injection into a muscle |
| i.v., IV | injection directly to a vein |
| INR | international normalised ratio (a measure of how long blood takes to clot) |
| IVI | intravenous infusion |
| IVP | intravenous pyelogram (an X-ray of your urinary tract) |
| Ix | investigations |
| LA | local anaesthetic |
| LDL | low-density lipoprotein (a type of cholesterol) |
| LFT | liver function test (a type of blood test measuring enzymes and proteins in your liver) |
| LMP | last menstrual period |
| M/R | modified release |
| MRI | magnetic resonance imaging |
| MRSA | methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus |
| MSU | mid-stream urine sample |
| n.p.o., npo, NPO | nothing by mouth / not by oral administration |
| NAD | nothing abnormal discovered |
| NAI | non-accidental injury |
| NBM | nil by mouth |
| NG | nasogastric (running between your nose and stomach) |
| nocte | every night |
| NoF | neck of femur |
| NSAID | non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug |
| o.d., od, OD | once a day |
| o/e | on examination |
| OT | occupational therapist |
| p.c. | after food |
| p.m., pm, PM | afternoon or evening |
| p.o., po, PO | orally / by mouth / oral administration |
| POD | podiatrist |
| p.r., pr, PR | rectally |
| p.r.n., prn, PRN | as needed |
| p/c | presenting complaint |
| PT | physiotherapist |
| POP | plaster of paris |
| PTT | partial thromboplastin time (a measure of how quickly your blood clots) |
| PU | passed urine |
| q. | every |
| q.1.d., q1d | every day |
| q.1.h., q1h | every hour |
| q.2.h., q2h | every 2 hours |
| q.4.h., q4h | every 4 hours |
| q.6.h., q6h | every 6 hours |
| q.8.h., q8h | every 8 hours |
| q.d., qd | every day / daily |
| q.d.s, qds, QDS | 4 times a day |
| q.h., qh | every hour, hourly |
| q.i.d, qid | 4 times a day |
| q.o.d., qod | every other day / alternate days |
| q.s., qs | a sufficient quantity (enough) |
| RN | registered nurse |
| RNLD | learning disability nurse |
| ROSC | return of spontaneous circulation |
| RTA | road traffic accident |
| Rx | treatment |
| s.c., SC | injection under the skin |
| S/R | sustained release |
| SLT | speech and language therapist |
| SpR | specialist registrar |
| stat. | immediately, with no delay, now |
| STEMI | ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction |
| t.d.s, tds, TDS | 3 times a day |
| t.i.d., tid | 3 times a day |
| TCI | to come in |
| TFT | thyroid function test |
| TPN | total parenteral nutrition |
| TPR | temperature, pulse and respiration |
| TTA | to take away |
| TTO | to take out |
| U&E | urea and electrolytes |
| u.d., ud | as directed |
| UCC | urgent care centre |
| UTI | urinary tract infection |
| VLDL | very-low density lipoprotein (a type of cholesterol) |
| VTE | venous thromboembolism (a blood clot that forms in a vein) |
| Wt | weight |
If you cannot find the abbreviation you are looking for
Speak to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for help with understanding your health records.