Medical Encyclopedia
Penn State Hershey Medical Center offers a very easy to use and comprehensive medical encyclopeida. It offers descriptive information about medical conditions and procedures.
Common Medical Abbreviations
Here is a list of common medical abbreviations that you may encounter when reviewing a medical chart.
| AAA |
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm |
| Abd |
abdomen |
| ac |
before meals |
| ACL |
Anterior cruciate ligament |
| ADL |
Activities of Daily Living |
| a/g ratio |
Albumin to globulin ratio |
| AIDS |
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome |
| AKA |
Above the knee amputation |
| ALTE |
apparent life-threatening event |
| AM |
Morning |
| AMA |
Against Medical Advise |
| Amb |
- Ambulate |
| AODM |
Adult Onset Diabetes Mellitus |
| AROM |
Active Range of Motion |
| ASCVD |
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease |
| B and B |
Bowel and Bladder |
| BID/ bid |
twice a day |
| BKA |
Below Knee Amputation |
| BM |
Bowel Movement |
| BMP |
Basic Metabolic Profile |
| BP |
Blood Pressure |
| BS |
Blood Sugar |
| BSO |
Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy |
| Bx |
Biopsy |
| Ca / CA |
Carcinoma or cancer |
| CAD |
Coronary Artery Disease |
| C & S |
Culture and Sensitivity |
| Cath |
catherize |
| CBC |
Complete Blood Count |
| CC |
Chief complaint |
| cc |
measurement in cubic centimeters |
| CCU |
Coronary Care Unit |
| C Dif |
Clostridium difficile |
| CF |
Cystic Fibrosis |
| CHD |
Congenital Heart Defects |
| Chemo |
Chemotherapy |
| Chem panel |
Chemistry panel |
| CHF |
Congestive Heart Failure |
| Chol |
cholesterol |
| CNS |
Central Nervous System |
| C/O |
Complains of |
| COPD |
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
| CP |
Cerebral Palsy |
| CPR |
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation |
| CSF |
cerebro-spinal fluid |
| CT Scan or CT |
Computerized Axial Tomography |
| CTA |
Clear to auscultation (audible) |
| CVA |
Cerebral Vascular Accident |
| D & A |
drug and alcohol |
| D/C, Disch or DC |
Discontinued or Discharge |
| DDX |
Differential Diagnosis |
| DJD |
Degenerative Joint Disease |
| DM |
Diabetes Mellitus |
| DNR |
Do not resuscitate |
| DO |
Doctor of Osteopathy |
| DOA |
Dead on Arrival |
| DOB |
Date of Birth |
| DOE |
Dyspnea of Exertion |
| DRG |
Diagnostic Related Group |
| DT |
Delirium Tremors |
| DTR |
Deep Tendon Reflexes |
| DVT |
Deep Venous Thrombosis |
| Dx |
Diagnosis |
| EEG |
Electroencephalogram |
| EKG or ECG |
Electrocardiogram |
| ENT |
Ear, Nose and Throat |
| ER |
Emergency Room |
| ESRD |
End Stage Renal Disease |
| ETOH |
Alcohol |
| FTT |
Failure to thrive |
| Fx |
Fracture |
| G-Tube |
Gastrostomy Tube |
| GI |
Gastrointestinal |
| GYN |
Gynecology |
| HBP |
High Blood Pressure |
| H and H |
Hemoglobin and Hematocrit |
| H and P |
History and Physical |
| HEENT |
head, ears, eyes, nose and throat |
| HOH |
Hard of Hearing |
| H/O |
History of |
| Hr |
Hour |
| HS or hs |
Bedtime or hour of Sleep |
| Ht |
Height |
| HTN |
Hypertension |
| Hx |
History |
| Hydro |
water |
| I and D |
Incision and Drainage |
| IADL's |
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living |
| ICU |
Intensive Care Unit |
| IDDM |
Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus |
| IM |
Intramuscular injection |
| Inc |
Incontinent |
| Irreg |
Irregular |
| IV |
Intravenous fluids |
| JT |
Joint |
| K |
Potassium |
| L or (L) |
Left |
| LBP |
Lower Back Pain |
| lbs |
Pounds |
| LE |
Late Entry |
| LLE |
Left Lower Extremity |
| LLQ |
Left Lower Quadrant |
| LUQ |
Left Upper Quadrant |
| LOC |
Loss of Consciousness |
| LPN |
Licensed Practical Nurse |
| LUE |
Left Upper Extremity |
| Lytes |
Electrolytes |
| MD |
Muscular Dystrophy |
| meq |
Millieqivalent |
| mg |
Milligram |
| MI |
Myocardial Infarction |
| MID |
Multi Infarct Dementia |
| ML or ml |
Millileter |
| MR |
Mental Retardation |
| MRI |
Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
| MRSA |
Methacillin Resistant Staph Aureus |
| MS |
Multiple Sclerosis |
| MSO4 or MS |
Morphine Sulfate |
| MVI |
Multivitamin |
| MVP |
Mitral Valve Prolapse |
| Na |
Sodium |
| NAD |
No apparent distress |
| NG Tube |
Nasogastric Tube |
| NIDDM |
Non- Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus |
| NKA |
No Known Allergies |
| NPO or npo |
Nothing by mouth |
| Nsg |
Nursing |
| N/V |
Nausea and Vomiting |
| O2 |
Oxygen |
| OB/GYN |
Obstetrics/ Gynecology |
| OD |
Right Eye |
| OI |
Osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease of the bone |
| OS |
Left Eye |
| OCD |
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder |
| OU |
Both Eyes |
| OOB |
Out Of Bed |
| ORIF |
Open reduction and internal fixation, such as a surgical repair of a broken hip |
| OT |
Occupational Therapy |
| OTC |
Over the Counter |
| oz |
ounce |
| p |
after |
| PCP |
Primary Care Physician |
| PEARL |
Pupils equal, and reactive to light |
| Plt |
Platelets, one of the blood clotting elements |
| PMI |
Point of maximum impulse of the heart during examination |
| PO or po |
by mouth |
| PRN or prn |
when necessary, as needed |
| PT |
Physical Therapy |
| PTSD |
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder |
| PVD |
Peripheral Vascular Disease |
| Q or q |
every |
| q 2 hours |
every 2 hours |
| q 4 hours |
every 4 hours |
| q AM |
every morning |
| q HS |
at each bedtime |
| q PM |
every evening |
| QID or qid |
Four times a day |
| QOD |
Every Other Day |
| QD or qd |
Every Day |
| QH or qh |
every hour |
| RA |
Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| RBC |
Red Blood Count |
| R/O |
Rule out |
| Rehab |
Rehabilitation |
| RLE |
Right Lower Extremity |
| RLQ |
Right Lower Quadrant |
| ROM |
Range of Motion |
| ROS |
Review of Symptoms,an overall review of concerns related to organ systems |
| RUE |
Right Upper Extremity |
| RUQ |
Right Upper Quadrant |
| Rx |
Prescription |
| SDAT |
Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type |
| SNAT |
suspected non-accidental trauma |
| SNF |
Skilled Nursing Facility |
| SOB |
Short of Breath |
| S/P or s/p |
Status Post |
| SQ |
Subcutaneous,injection given in the tissue just under the skin |
| STD |
Sexual Transmitted Disease |
| STM |
Short Term Memory |
| Staph |
Staphylococcus |
| T |
Temperature |
| Tab or tab |
Tablet |
| TB |
Tuberculosis |
| Tbsp or TBSP |
Tablespoon |
| Temp. or T |
Temperature |
| THR |
Total Hip Replacement |
| TIA |
Transient Ischemic Attack |
| T.I.D. or tid |
Three times a day |
| Trach |
tracheotomy |
| Tsp or tsp |
Teaspoon |
| TX |
Treatment |
| U or u |
Units a measurement of certain medications |
| UGI |
Upper Gastric Intestinal |
| Ulna |
bone of lower arm, on the pinky finger side |
| URI |
Upper Respiratory Infection |
| UA |
Urinalysis |
| UTI |
Urinary Tract Infection |
| VD |
Venereal Disease |
| via |
by route of |
| VRE |
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci |
| WBC |
White Blood Count |
| WC |
Wheel chair |
| WT or wt |
weight |
