Common Medical Abbreviations

Hello all!

This was a suggestion from a reader to list out some common abbreviations used in medical charting. By no means is it comprehensive, but a good place to start. If you are undergoing scribe training they should have a packet of abbreviations for you to learn; many of which will be similar. If you are in a medical professional school you will also be exposed to these terms. Hope this helps and good luck studying!

Common Charting:

• CC: chief complaint
• C/o: complains of
• DDX: differential diagnosis
• Dx: diagnosis
• D/c: discharge or discontinue
• HPI: history of present illness
• h/o: history of
• H&P: history and physical
• ICU: intensive care unit
• obs: observation unit
• PMHx: past medical history
• PSHx: past surgical history
• All: allergies (not always used)
• FHx: family history
• ROS: review of systems
• PE: physical exam/pulmonary embolism
• MDM: medical decision making
• NPO: nothing by mouth
• PO: by mouth
• PRN: as needed
• qd: each day
• q2h: every 2 hours
• q3h: every 3 hours
• qAM: every morning
• qhs: every bedtime
• qPM: every evening
• BID: twice a day
• TID: three times a day
• QID: four times a day
• qod: every other day
• r/o: rule out
• s/p: status post
• nl: normal
• WNL: within normal limits
• Sx: symptoms
• SubQ or SQ: subcutaneous
• pt: patient

Common Symptoms/Complaints

• F/C: fevers, chills
• HL: hearing loss
• PND: post-nasal drip/paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
• CP: chest pain
• SOB: shortness of breath
• O2: oxygen
• abd: abdominal
• N/V: nausea/vomiting
• N/V/D: nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
• MSK: musculoskeletal
• HA: headache
• LOC: loss of consciousness
• BM: bowel movement
• MVA: motor vehicle accident

Physical Exam:

• VSS: vital signs stable
• RR: respiratory rate
• HR: heart rate
• SpO2: pulse ox
• T or Temp: temperature
• BP: back pain or blood pressure
• HEENT: head, eyes, ears, nose, throat
• AT/NC: atraumatic, normocephalic
• PERRL: pupils equal, round, reactive to light
• EOMI: extra-ocular movements intact
• TM: tympanic membrane
• EAC: external auditory canal
• IAC: internal auditory canal
• A&Ox3: alert and oriented x3
• RRR: regular rate and rhythm
• m/r/g: murmurs/rubs/gallops
• tachy: tachycardic
• brady: bradycardic
• AKA: above the knee amputation
• BKA: below the knee amputation
• Ant: anterior
• post: posterior
• bil: bilateral
• LUE: left upper extremity
• RUE: right upper extremity
• BUE: bilateral upper extremities
• LLE: left lower extremity
• RLE: right lower extremity
• BLE: bilateral lower extremities
• RUQ: right upper quadrant
• LUQ: left upper quadrant
• RLQ: right lower quadrant
• LLQ: left lower quadrant
• BPM: beats per minute
• PAC: premature atrial contraction
• PVC: premature ventricle contraction
• CTAB: clear to auscultation bilaterally
• s/nd/nt: soft, non distended, non-tender
• c-spine: cervical spine
• t-spine: thoracic spine
• l-spine: lumbar spine
• Fx: fracture
• FB: foreign body
• FHT: fetal heart tones
• GI: gastrointestinal
• GU: genitourinary
• ICP: intracranial pressure
• IM: intramuscular
• IUD: intrauterine device
• LMP: last menstrual period
• NKA or NKDA: no known allergies or no known drug allergies

Labs and Imaging:

• NSR: normal sinus rhythm
• EKG: electrocardiogram
• CXR: chest xray
• CT: computed tomography
• MRI: magnetic resonance imaging
• Cx: culture
• Bx: biopsy
• FNA: fine needle aspiration
• CBC: complete blood count
• BMP: basic metabolic panel
• CMP: comprehensive metabolic panel
• LFT’s: liver function tests
• ABG: arterial blood gas
• LP: lumbar puncture
• CSF: cerebral spinal fluid
• ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate
• EtOH: alcohol
• H&H: hemoglobin and hematocrit
• HCG: human chorionic gonadotropin
• hct: hematocrit
• Hgb or Hb: hemoglobin
• KUB: kidneys, ureter, bladder (this is an X-ray)
• LDH: lactate dehydrogenase
• PT: prothrombin time
• PTT: partial prothromboplastin time
• UA: urinalysis
• US: ultrasound
• BUN: blood urea nitrogen
• GFR: glomerular filtration rate

Common Diagnoses:

• MI: myocardial infarction
• CVA: cerebrovascular accident
• DM: diabetes mellitus
• NIDDM: non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
• IDDM: insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
• CAD: coronary artery disease
• ACS: acute coronary syndrome
• PID: pelvic inflammatory disease
• SVT: supraventricular tachycardia
• A fib: atrial fibrillation
• UTI: urinary tract disease
• URI: upper respiratory infection
• SIDS: sudden infant death syndrome
• SBO: small bowel obstruction
• CA: cancer
• ARDS: acute respiratory distress syndrome
• AOM: acute otitis media
• DT’s: delerim tremens
• CHF: congestive heart failure
• PNA: pneumonia
• PTX: pneumothorax

Hope that was helpful!