242+ Abbreviations

Medical Abbreviation Reference

Comprehensive database of medical abbreviations used in clinical documentation, prescriptions, and healthcare communication.

Showing 242 abbreviations

Abbreviation	Meaning	Category
BP	Blood Pressure	Vitals
HR	Heart Rate	Vitals
RR	Respiratory Rate	Vitals
T	Temperature	Vitals
SpO2	Oxygen Saturation (Pulse Oximetry)	Vitals
BMI	Body Mass Index	Vitals
Wt	Weight	Vitals
Ht	Height	Vitals
BSA	Body Surface Area	Vitals
HEENT	Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat	Physical Exam
PERRLA	Pupils Equal, Round, Reactive to Light and Accommodation	Physical Exam
EOMI	Extraocular Movements Intact	Physical Exam
RRR	Regular Rate and Rhythm	Physical Exam
S1S2	First and Second Heart Sounds	Physical Exam
CTA	Clear to Auscultation	Physical Exam
CTAB	Clear to Auscultation Bilaterally	Physical Exam
BS	Breath Sounds / Bowel Sounds	Physical Exam
NT/ND	Non-Tender/Non-Distended	Physical Exam
+BS	Positive Bowel Sounds	Physical Exam
CVA	Costovertebral Angle	Physical Exam
DTRs	Deep Tendon Reflexes	Physical Exam
ROM	Range of Motion	Physical Exam
A&O	Alert and Oriented	Physical Exam
AAOx3	Awake, Alert, Oriented to Person, Place, Time	Physical Exam
NAD	No Acute Distress	Physical Exam
WNL	Within Normal Limits	Physical Exam
CN	Cranial Nerves	Physical Exam
HTN	Hypertension	Diagnoses
DM	Diabetes Mellitus	Diagnoses
DM2	Diabetes Mellitus Type 2	Diagnoses
T2DM	Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus	Diagnoses
HLD	Hyperlipidemia	Diagnoses
CAD	Coronary Artery Disease	Diagnoses
CHF	Congestive Heart Failure	Diagnoses
HFrEF	Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction	Diagnoses
HFpEF	Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction	Diagnoses
MI	Myocardial Infarction	Diagnoses
STEMI	ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction	Diagnoses
NSTEMI	Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction	Diagnoses
AFib	Atrial Fibrillation	Diagnoses
AFlutter	Atrial Flutter	Diagnoses
SVT	Supraventricular Tachycardia	Diagnoses
VT	Ventricular Tachycardia	Diagnoses
VFib	Ventricular Fibrillation	Diagnoses
COPD	Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	Diagnoses
PE	Pulmonary Embolism	Diagnoses
DVT	Deep Vein Thrombosis	Diagnoses
CVA	Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke)	Diagnoses
TIA	Transient Ischemic Attack	Diagnoses
GERD	Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease	Diagnoses
IBD	Inflammatory Bowel Disease	Diagnoses
IBS	Irritable Bowel Syndrome	Diagnoses
CKD	Chronic Kidney Disease	Diagnoses
AKI	Acute Kidney Injury	Diagnoses
ESRD	End-Stage Renal Disease	Diagnoses
UTI	Urinary Tract Infection	Diagnoses
BPH	Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia	Diagnoses
RA	Rheumatoid Arthritis	Diagnoses
OA	Osteoarthritis	Diagnoses
SLE	Systemic Lupus Erythematosus	Diagnoses
MS	Multiple Sclerosis	Diagnoses
PD	Parkinson Disease	Diagnoses
AD	Alzheimer Disease	Diagnoses
MDD	Major Depressive Disorder	Diagnoses
GAD	Generalized Anxiety Disorder	Diagnoses
PTSD	Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder	Diagnoses
OSA	Obstructive Sleep Apnea	Diagnoses
PCOS	Polycystic Ovary Syndrome	Diagnoses
CBC	Complete Blood Count	Labs
BMP	Basic Metabolic Panel	Labs
CMP	Comprehensive Metabolic Panel	Labs
LFTs	Liver Function Tests	Labs
RFTs	Renal Function Tests	Labs
TSH	Thyroid Stimulating Hormone	Labs
HbA1c	Hemoglobin A1c (Glycated Hemoglobin)	Labs
FBG	Fasting Blood Glucose	Labs
BUN	Blood Urea Nitrogen	Labs
Cr	Creatinine	Labs
GFR	Glomerular Filtration Rate	Labs
eGFR	Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate	Labs
Na	Sodium	Labs
K	Potassium	Labs
Cl	Chloride	Labs
CO2	Carbon Dioxide / Bicarbonate	Labs
Ca	Calcium	Labs
Mg	Magnesium	Labs
Phos	Phosphorus	Labs
WBC	White Blood Cell Count	Labs
RBC	Red Blood Cell Count	Labs
Hgb	Hemoglobin	Labs
Hct	Hematocrit	Labs
PLT	Platelets	Labs
MCV	Mean Corpuscular Volume	Labs
PT	Prothrombin Time	Labs
PTT	Partial Thromboplastin Time	Labs
INR	International Normalized Ratio	Labs
AST	Aspartate Aminotransferase	Labs
ALT	Alanine Aminotransferase	Labs
ALP	Alkaline Phosphatase	Labs
GGT	Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase	Labs
Tbili	Total Bilirubin	Labs
Alb	Albumin	Labs
TP	Total Protein	Labs
LDL	Low-Density Lipoprotein	Labs
HDL	High-Density Lipoprotein	Labs
TG	Triglycerides	Labs
TC	Total Cholesterol	Labs
BNP	B-type Natriuretic Peptide	Labs
Trop	Troponin	Labs
CK	Creatine Kinase	Labs
CRP	C-Reactive Protein	Labs
ESR	Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate	Labs
UA	Urinalysis	Labs
ABG	Arterial Blood Gas	Labs
VBG	Venous Blood Gas	Labs
PSA	Prostate-Specific Antigen	Labs
PO	Per Os (By Mouth)	Medications
IV	Intravenous	Medications
IM	Intramuscular	Medications
SC/SQ	Subcutaneous	Medications
PR	Per Rectum	Medications
SL	Sublingual	Medications
TOP	Topical	Medications
INH	Inhaled	Medications
QD	Once Daily	Medications
BID	Twice Daily	Medications
TID	Three Times Daily	Medications
QID	Four Times Daily	Medications
QHS	Every Night at Bedtime	Medications
PRN	As Needed	Medications
AC	Before Meals	Medications
PC	After Meals	Medications
QOD	Every Other Day	Medications
Q4H	Every 4 Hours	Medications
Q6H	Every 6 Hours	Medications
Q8H	Every 8 Hours	Medications
Q12H	Every 12 Hours	Medications
STAT	Immediately	Medications
ASA	Aspirin	Medications
APAP	Acetaminophen	Medications
NSAID	Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug	Medications
ACEI	ACE Inhibitor	Medications
ARB	Angiotensin Receptor Blocker	Medications
BB	Beta Blocker	Medications
CCB	Calcium Channel Blocker	Medications
PPI	Proton Pump Inhibitor	Medications
H2B	H2 Blocker	Medications
SSRI	Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor	Medications
SNRI	Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor	Medications
TCA	Tricyclic Antidepressant	Medications
DOAC	Direct Oral Anticoagulant	Medications
LMWH	Low Molecular Weight Heparin	Medications
UFH	Unfractionated Heparin	Medications
NTG	Nitroglycerin	Medications
ICS	Inhaled Corticosteroid	Medications
LABA	Long-Acting Beta Agonist	Medications
SABA	Short-Acting Beta Agonist	Medications
ECG/EKG	Electrocardiogram	Procedures
ECHO	Echocardiogram	Procedures
CXR	Chest X-Ray	Procedures
CT	Computed Tomography	Procedures
MRI	Magnetic Resonance Imaging	Procedures
US	Ultrasound	Procedures
PFTs	Pulmonary Function Tests	Procedures
EGD	Esophagogastroduodenoscopy	Procedures
ERCP	Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography	Procedures
LP	Lumbar Puncture	Procedures
EEG	Electroencephalogram	Procedures
EMG	Electromyography	Procedures
Cath	Catheterization	Procedures
PCI	Percutaneous Coronary Intervention	Procedures
CABG	Coronary Artery Bypass Graft	Procedures
PPM	Permanent Pacemaker	Procedures
ICD	Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator	Procedures
AICD	Automatic Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator	Procedures
Bx	Biopsy	Procedures
I&D	Incision and Drainage	Procedures
CC	Chief Complaint	Documentation
HPI	History of Present Illness	Documentation
PMH	Past Medical History	Documentation
PSH	Past Surgical History	Documentation
FH	Family History	Documentation
SH	Social History	Documentation
ROS	Review of Systems	Documentation
PE	Physical Examination	Documentation
A/P	Assessment and Plan	Documentation
DDx	Differential Diagnosis	Documentation
Dx	Diagnosis	Documentation
Tx	Treatment	Documentation
Rx	Prescription	Documentation
Hx	History	Documentation
Sx	Symptoms	Documentation
Px	Prognosis	Documentation
F/U	Follow-Up	Documentation
NKDA	No Known Drug Allergies	Documentation
NKA	No Known Allergies	Documentation
DNR	Do Not Resuscitate	Documentation
DNI	Do Not Intubate	Documentation
POA	Power of Attorney	Documentation
AMA	Against Medical Advice	Documentation
D/C	Discharge / Discontinue	Documentation
SOAP	Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan	Documentation
H&P	History and Physical	Documentation
MDM	Medical Decision Making	Documentation
E/M	Evaluation and Management	Documentation
y/o	Year Old	General
M	Male	General
F	Female	General
L	Left	General
R	Right	General
B/L	Bilateral	General
c/o	Complains Of	General
s/p	Status Post	General
w/	With	General
w/o	Without	General
h/o	History Of	General
r/o	Rule Out	General
pt	Patient	General
yo	Year Old	General
wk	Week	General
mo	Month	General
yr	Year	General
q	Every	General
x	Times / For	General
Δ	Change	General
↑	Increased / Elevated	General
↓	Decreased / Low	General
+	Positive / Present	General
-	Negative / Absent	General
ED/ER	Emergency Department	General
ICU	Intensive Care Unit	General
OR	Operating Room	General
OPD	Outpatient Department	General
Rx	Prescription / Treatment	General
SOB	Shortness of Breath	General
DOE	Dyspnea on Exertion	General
CP	Chest Pain	General
N/V	Nausea/Vomiting	General
HA	Headache	General
LOC	Loss of Consciousness	General
LMP	Last Menstrual Period	General
G_P_	Gravida (pregnancies) Para (births)	General

Using Medical Abbreviations Safely

Joint Commission "Do Not Use" List

Some abbreviations are prohibited due to safety concerns:

• U (units) - Write "unit"
• IU (international units) - Write "international unit"
• Q.D., QD, q.d., qd - Write "daily"
• Q.O.D., QOD, q.o.d., qod - Write "every other day"
• Trailing zero (X.0 mg) - Write X mg
• Lack of leading zero (.X mg) - Write 0.X mg

Best Practices

• Use only approved abbreviations per your institution
• Write out drug names to avoid confusion
• Avoid abbreviations in patient-facing documents
• When in doubt, spell it out
• Be aware that the same abbreviation can have different meanings
• Review your institution's approved abbreviation list

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