Dictionary

Abbreviations

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

COPDChronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to move air out of the lungs.

COVIDCOVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019: an infectious illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

COWSClinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale: an 11-item score nurses use to rate how severe opioid withdrawal is.

CPAn abbreviation with more than one meaning, most often cerebral palsy or chest pain.

CPAPContinuous positive airway pressure: a steady flow of pressurized air through a mask that keeps the airway open.

CPOEComputerized provider order entry: a system in which prescribers enter orders directly into the electronic health record.

CPZAn abbreviation for Compazine (prochlorperazine); ISMP advises writing the full drug name.

CRHCorticotropin-releasing hormone: a hormone from the hypothalamus that signals the pituitary gland to release ACTH.

CSTCertified Surgical Technologist, a credential for surgical technologists; in maternity care, contraction stress test.

CTAComputed tomography angiography: a CT scan with IV contrast dye that shows blood vessels in detail.

D/CAn abbreviation that can mean either discharge or discontinue; it should not be used because the two are easily confused.

DNADeoxyribonucleic acid: the molecule in cells that carries the genetic instructions for growth and function.

DNIDo not intubate: an order that a breathing tube must not be placed, even if breathing fails.

DNPDoctor of Nursing Practice: the highest practice-focused degree in nursing.

DSMDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: the American Psychiatric Association's book of criteria for mental health diagnoses.

DTaPThe childhood vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough), for children under 7.

EDAn abbreviation that most often means emergency department; it can also mean erectile dysfunction.

EDDEstimated date of delivery: the expected due date of a pregnancy.

EGDEsophagogastroduodenoscopy: a test using a flexible scope through the mouth to look at the esophagus, stomach and start of the small intestine.

ELISAEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: a lab method that finds and measures antibodies or antigens using a color change.

EMTALAEmergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act: a 1986 US law requiring emergency departments to screen and stabilize anyone who comes in.

EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency: the US agency that registers disinfectants; also eicosapentaenoic acid, an omega-3 fat.

ERAn abbreviation with more than one meaning: emergency room, or extended-release when written after a drug name.

every hourA timing direction meaning once in each 60 minutes, abbreviated "qh" from the Latin quaque hora.

FADH₂The reduced form of flavin adenine dinucleotide, a molecule that carries electrons inside cells during energy production.

FASTA memory aid for spotting a stroke: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call for help.

FDAThe US Food and Drug Administration: the federal agency that regulates drugs, medical devices, vaccines and food safety.

FiO2Fraction of inspired oxygen: the percentage of oxygen in the air a person breathes in.

FSHFollicle-stimulating hormone: a pituitary hormone that helps control the ovaries and testes.

g/dLGrams per deciliter: a unit for the amount of a substance in one-tenth of a liter of blood.

GAAn abbreviation with two common meanings: general anesthesia, or gestational age.

GABAGamma-aminobutyric acid: the brain's main calming (inhibitory) neurotransmitter.

GLP-1Glucagon-like peptide-1, a gut hormone released after eating; also short for the drugs that copy it.

gttAn abbreviation for drop or drops, from the Latin gutta and guttae.

HAVHepatitis A virus: a virus that infects the liver and spreads when traces of stool get into the mouth, as through food or water.

HCT (hydrocortisone)HCT written for the drug hydrocortisone: an abbreviation ISMP lists as error-prone. It is not the lab value Hct (hematocrit).

HCTZAn abbreviation for hydrochlorothiazide, a thiazide diuretic; it should not be used because it can be misread.

HEENTHead, eyes, ears, nose and throat: a section of a physical exam or health history.

HHSHyperosmolar hyperglycemic state: very high blood glucose with severe dehydration and little or no ketone buildup.

HIPAAThe Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a US law that protects the privacy of health information.

HITHeparin-induced thrombocytopenia: an immune reaction to heparin that lowers the platelet count.

HIVHuman immunodeficiency virus: a virus that infects and destroys immune cells called CD4 T cells.

HIV/AIDSHuman immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, its most advanced stage, written together.

HLAn abbreviation that most often means Hodgkin lymphoma, and sometimes hearing loss; the setting shows which.

HMG-CoA3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A: a substance the liver uses on its way to making cholesterol.

HSAn abbreviation that has been used for "at bedtime" (from Latin hora somni) and for "half-strength".

HSV-1Herpes simplex virus type 1, the virus that most often causes cold sores and can also cause genital herpes.

HSV-2Herpes simplex virus type 2, the virus that most often causes genital herpes.

HxA charting abbreviation for history, such as a client's medical history.

I&DIncision and drainage: cutting open an abscess or collection so pus or fluid can drain out.