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Dictionary

Abbreviations

Abbreviations nurses read and write, with the ones never to use.

ABCDEA memory aid with two common uses: the warning signs of melanoma in a mole, and the order of the first check of a seriously ill or injured client.
ABCsAirway, breathing and circulation: a way of ranking a client's needs in that order.
ACEAn abbreviation with several meanings, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme or adverse childhood experiences; the setting shows which.
ACLSAdvanced Cardiovascular Life Support: the American Heart Association's guidelines and course for treating cardiac arrest and other heart emergencies.
ACOGAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: the US professional organization of doctors who care for pregnancy and women's health.
ACPAdvance care planning: talking about and writing down the care a person would want if they could no longer speak for themselves.
ACRAn abbreviation for the American College of Radiology or the American College of Rheumatology; in lab reports, albumin-to-creatinine ratio.
acronymA word formed from the first letters of a group of words, such as HIPAA or SBAR.
ADAn abbreviation that has been used for right ear, and also for Alzheimer disease and advance directive.
ad libAs much or as often as the client wants; written in orders, from the Latin ad libitum.
ADAAn abbreviation with several meanings, most often the Americans with Disabilities Act or the American Diabetes Association.
ADNAssociate Degree in Nursing: a two- to three-year college degree that prepares graduates to take the NCLEX-RN.
ADOPIEAssessment, Diagnosis, Outcomes identification, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation: a memory aid for the steps of the nursing process.
ADPAdenosine diphosphate: the molecule left when ATP gives up one phosphate to release energy in a cell.
AIDETAcknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank you: a memory aid for how to greet and inform a client.
AIDSAcquired immunodeficiency syndrome: the most advanced stage of HIV infection, when the immune system is badly damaged.
AMSAn abbreviation with more than one meaning, most often altered mental status or acute mountain sickness; the setting shows which.
APAn abbreviation with several meanings, such as apical pulse, anteroposterior or assistive personnel.
APAPAn abbreviation for acetaminophen; ISMP advises writing the full drug name.
ARAn abbreviation with more than one meaning, most often aortic regurgitation or allergic rhinitis; the setting shows which.
ARFAn abbreviation with more than one meaning, such as acute renal failure, acute respiratory failure or acute rheumatic fever.
ASA short form for the left ear, from the Latin auris sinistra.
ASDAn abbreviation with several meanings, most often autism spectrum disorder or atrial septal defect.
ATPAdenosine triphosphate: the molecule that stores and delivers energy for nearly every process in a cell.
ATPaseAdenosine triphosphatase: an enzyme that breaks down ATP to release energy the cell uses.
AUEach ear (both ears): an old Latin dosing abbreviation, auris utraque, that should not be used.
AVPUA quick scale for level of consciousness: Alert, responds to Voice, responds to Pain, or Unresponsive.
AZTAn old abbreviation for zidovudine, an HIV drug; it should not be used because it can be misread as other drugs.
BAAn abbreviation with several meanings; most often Bachelor of Arts, and in clinical notes terms such as basilar artery.
BCGBacille Calmette-Guérin: a live, weakened bacterium used as a tuberculosis vaccine and as a bladder cancer treatment.
BDTwice a day: a dosing abbreviation from the Latin bis die, used mainly outside the United States.
before mealA timing direction for a medicine or test: give it before eating, often about 30 minutes before a meal.
BiPAPBilevel positive airway pressure: breathing support through a mask that gives one pressure on breathing in and a lower one on breathing out.
BIWAn abbreviation for "twice a week" that ISMP advises against; write "2 times weekly."
BMIBody mass index: a number worked out from a person's weight and height that sorts weight into categories.
BMTBone marrow transplant: replacing damaged or destroyed bone marrow with healthy blood-forming stem cells.
BSNBachelor of Science in Nursing: a four-year college degree that prepares a person to become a registered nurse.
CABCompressions, airway, breathing: the order of steps the American Heart Association teaches for CPR.
ccAn abbreviation for cubic centimeter, a unit of volume equal to 1 milliliter.
CCPCyclic citrullinated peptide: a protein whose antibodies (anti-CCP) are measured in a blood test for rheumatoid arthritis.
CCRNA certification for critical care nurses, awarded by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
CCUCoronary care unit (also cardiac or critical care unit): a hospital unit for clients with serious heart problems who need close monitoring.
CD4A protein on the surface of helper T cells; a CD4 count measures how many of these immune cells are in the blood.
CD8A marker on the surface of cytotoxic (killer) T cells, the white blood cells that destroy infected and cancer cells; also those cells themselves.
CHDCoronary heart disease, or congenital heart disease, depending on the note.
CIWAClinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol: a scoring tool nurses use to rate how severe a client's alcohol withdrawal is.
CLLChronic lymphocytic leukemia: a slow-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow in which too many mature-looking lymphocytes build up.
CMSAn abbreviation for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the US agency that runs Medicare, or for a circulation, motor and sensation check.
CNECertified Nurse Educator: a credential for nursing faculty, awarded by the National League for Nursing.
CNMCertified nurse-midwife: an advanced practice registered nurse trained to care for people through pregnancy, birth and beyond.