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Dictionary

Abbreviations

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

ng/mLNanograms per milliliter: a unit for very small amounts of a substance in blood or another fluid.
NICUNeonatal intensive care unit: a hospital unit that cares for newborns who are sick or born early.
NKDANo known drug allergies: a charting note that the client reports no allergic reactions to any medicine.
NLNNational League for Nursing: a US organization devoted to nursing education and nursing faculty.
NPHNeutral protamine Hagedorn, the intermediate-acting insulin; in neurology notes, normal pressure hydrocephalus.
NPONothing by mouth: an order that a client must not eat or drink anything.
NSAn abbreviation used most often for normal saline, a solution of 0.9% sodium chloride in water.
NSTEMINon-ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a heart attack that does not raise the ST segment on the ECG.
OB/GYNObstetrics and gynecology: the medical specialty for pregnancy, birth and the female reproductive system, or a doctor in it.
Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationThe US federal agency, part of the Department of Labor, that sets and enforces rules to keep workplaces safe.
ODAn abbreviation that has been used for right eye, for once daily and for overdose.
OJAn abbreviation for orange juice that ISMP advises against in medication orders.
OROperating room, the hospital room where surgery is done; in research articles OR can also mean odds ratio.
ORIFOpen reduction internal fixation: surgery that opens the skin to line up a broken bone and hold it with plates, screws or rods.
OSAn abbreviation for left eye, from the Latin oculus sinister.
OUAn old abbreviation for "both eyes" that should not be used; write "each eye" or "both eyes" instead.
OXYAn abbreviation for oxytocin; ISMP advises writing the full drug name.
PACAn abbreviation with more than one meaning, most often premature atrial contraction or pulmonary artery catheter.
PaCO2The partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood, measured in a blood gas test.
PACUPost-anesthesia care unit: the area where clients are watched closely as they wake up after surgery.
PADAn abbreviation that most often means peripheral artery disease, a narrowing of the arteries outside the heart and brain.
PaO2The partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood: a measure of how much oxygen is dissolved in the blood, from an arterial blood gas.
PAPRPowered air-purifying respirator: a respirator with a battery fan that pushes filtered air into a hood or mask.
PCPAn abbreviation with several meanings: most often primary care provider, but also a type of pneumonia or the street drug phencyclidine.
PCRPolymerase chain reaction: a lab method that copies tiny amounts of genetic material so a germ or a gene can be detected.
PDAn abbreviation with more than one meaning, most often Parkinson disease or peritoneal dialysis.
PEAn abbreviation that most often means pulmonary embolism; it can also mean physical examination or pleural effusion.
PEGAn abbreviation that can mean a feeding tube placed through the belly into the stomach, or the laxative polyethylene glycol.
per osLatin for "by mouth"; a way of writing the oral route that should not be used.
PERRLAPupils equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation: charting shorthand for a normal pupil exam.
pg/mLPicograms per milliliter: a unit for very small amounts of a substance in a fluid.
PhDDoctor of Philosophy: the highest research degree; in nursing, a doctorate focused on research.
PICCPeripherally inserted central catheter: a long, thin IV tube put into an arm vein with its tip in a large vein near the heart.
PITAn abbreviation for Pitocin (oxytocin); ISMP advises writing the full drug name.
PMHAn abbreviation for past medical history; in mental health, it can mean psychiatric-mental health.
PMIPoint of maximal impulse: the spot on the chest wall where the heartbeat can be felt most strongly.
PNAn abbreviation with two common meanings: parenteral nutrition, or practical nurse.
PNVAn abbreviation for prenatal vitamins; ISMP advises writing the full name.
POLSTA medical order form, signed by a provider and the client, that states the client's wishes about life-sustaining treatment.
PPROMPreterm premature rupture of membranes: the amniotic sac breaks before 37 weeks of pregnancy and before labor starts.
PRAn abbreviation most often meaning per rectum (by way of the rectum); on an ECG it names the PR interval.
PRNAs needed: an order for a drug or treatment to be given only when the client needs it, within set limits.
PROMAn abbreviation with two common meanings: prelabor (premature) rupture of membranes, or passive range of motion.
PTAn abbreviation with two common meanings: physical therapy (or therapist), or prothrombin time, a blood clotting test.
PTUA short form of propylthiouracil, an antithyroid drug; ISMP advises writing the full drug name.
PVAn abbreviation with several meanings, such as polycythemia vera, portal vein, or per vagina (through the vagina).
QDAn old abbreviation for "every day" that is banned because it is easily misread; write "daily" instead.
qhsEvery night at bedtime, from the Latin quaque hora somni.
qnAn abbreviation for "nightly" that ISMP advises against; write "nightly" or "at bedtime."
QODAn abbreviation for "every other day" that must not be used; write "every other day" in full.