Medical Abbreviations
Abbreviation
A&P
Ad lib
Meaning
Anatomy and
Physiology
freely, at will
ac
before meals
adm
Admission
AED
amb
Automatic External
Defibrillator
ambulate
ASAP
As Soon As Possible
ax
Axillary
AMA
bid
Against Medical
Advice
Activities of Daily
Living
Twice a day
BM
Bowel Movement
BMI
Body Mass Index
BMR
Basal Metabolic Rate
BP
Blood Pressure
c
with
CBC
Complete Blood Count
CBR
Complete BedRest
CC
Chief Complaint
CHF
Congestive Heart
Failure
Bathroom Privileges
ADL
BRP
Practice
s
without
p
after
STAT
immediately
q
Every
IV
IntraVenous
D/C
DisContinue
prn
As necessary
VS
Vital Signs
pc
after meals
po
by mouth
NPO
Not by mouth
tid
Three times a day
qid
Four times a day
CHO
Carbohydrate
cl liq
Clear liquids
c/o
Complains Of
CPR
CardioPulmonary
Resuscitation
Computerized
Tomography
Prescription, take,
treatment
Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease
Cerebral Vascular
Accident
CT
Rx
COPD
CVA
DNR
Do Not Resuscitate
dx
diagnosis
EEG
ElectroEncephaloGram
EKG, ECG
ElectroCardioGram
FBAO
FBS
Foreign Body Airway
Obstruction
Fasting Blood Sugar
FF
Force Fluids
FUO
GB
Fever of Unknown
Origin
GallBladder
fx
fracture
gtts
drops
Hgb
Hemoglobin
Hct
Hematocrit
HOB
Head Of Bed
hs
Hour of Sleep
ht
HeighT
hx
History
HOH
Hard Of Hearing
HA
HeadAche
I&O
Intake and Output
IM
IntraMuscular
R
L
LOC
LPN, LVN
LTC
MRI
Right
Left
Level Of
Consciousness
Licensed Practical
(Vocational) Nurse
Long Term Care
mg
Magnetic Resonance
Imaging
MilliGram
mL
MilliLiter
MI
Myocardial Infarction
N/A
Not Applicable
neg
Negative
NG
NasoGastric
noct
night
NKA
No Known Allergies
NS
Normal Saline
O2
Oxygen
OOB
Out Of Bed
OR
Operating Room
OTC
Over The Counter
pt
PatienT
PPE
Personal Protective
Equipment
Every 2 Hours
q2h
qhs
Every night at bedtime
qs
Quantity Sufficient
R
Respirations
RBC
Red Blood Cells
RN
Registered Nurse
R/O
Rule/Out
ROM
Range Of Motion
ss
One half
STD
SOB
Sexually Transmitted
Diseases
Short Of Breath
T
Temperature
tab
Tablet
TPR
UA
Temperature, Pulse,
Respiration
UrinAlysis
WBC
White Blood Cells
w/c
WheelChair
wt
Weight
WNL
Within Normal Limits