Dictionary

Abbreviations

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

QSENQuality and Safety Education for Nurses: a project that names six skill areas every nurse needs to give safe, high-quality care.

RAAn abbreviation that can mean rheumatoid arthritis, right atrium or room air.

RACEA memory aid for the steps to take in a fire: Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish or Evacuate.

RCTRandomized controlled trial: a study in which people are assigned by chance to a treatment group or a comparison group.

REMSRisk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy: an FDA-required safety program for certain drugs with serious risks.

RICERest, Ice, Compression, Elevation: a memory aid for first care of a sprain, strain or bruise.

right upper quadrantThe upper right quarter of the belly, from the person's own point of view, when it is divided into four parts at the navel.

RN-BCRegistered Nurse–Board Certified: a credential showing a registered nurse has passed a specialty certification exam from the ANCC.

RNARibonucleic acid: a molecule in cells that copies genetic instructions from DNA and helps build proteins.

rRNARibosomal RNA: the RNA that forms much of the ribosome, the part of a cell that builds proteins.

RT-PCRReverse transcription polymerase chain reaction: a lab test that finds the genetic material of a virus or other germ in a sample.

SA nodeSinoatrial node: a small cluster of cells in the right atrium that starts each heartbeat.

SAMHSASubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: the US government agency for mental health and substance use services.

SARSSevere acute respiratory syndrome: a lung infection caused by a coronavirus, first seen in 2002–2003.

SARS-CoVSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus: the virus that caused the SARS outbreak of 2002–2004.

SARS-CoV-2Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2: the virus that causes COVID-19.

SBARA four-part way to report about a client: situation, background, assessment and recommendation.

SBIRTScreening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment: a quick method for finding and addressing risky alcohol and drug use.

SBPAn abbreviation that most often means systolic blood pressure, and sometimes spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

SCAn abbreviation for subcutaneous, meaning into the fatty layer under the skin.

SCIDSevere combined immunodeficiency: a group of rare inherited disorders in which the immune system barely works from birth.

SDSSafety Data Sheet: a document that describes a chemical product's hazards and how to handle it safely.

SHSocial history: the part of a health history about a person's living situation, work, habits and supports.

SIAn abbreviation with several meanings: International System of Units, suicidal ideation, or sacroiliac.

SNSAn abbreviation with several meanings, most often sympathetic nervous system; the setting shows which.

SPECTSingle-photon emission computed tomography: a nuclear medicine scan that makes 3D pictures using a small dose of a radioactive tracer.

SQAn abbreviation for subcutaneous (under the skin) that ISMP lists as error-prone; ISMP advises SUBQ instead.

SRAn abbreviation with more than one meaning, most often sustained-release (after a drug name) or sinus rhythm (on a heart strip).

SSIAn abbreviation that can mean surgical site infection or sliding scale insulin.

statImmediately; at once.

STEMIST-elevation myocardial infarction: a heart attack in which the ECG shows a raised ST segment.

T3Triiodothyronine: the more active of the two main thyroid hormones, or the blood test that measures it.

TACAn abbreviation that can mean triamcinolone, tacrolimus, or a numbing gel of tetracaine, adrenaline and cocaine; ISMP advises full names.

TBSATotal body surface area: the whole skin surface of the body, used to describe how much of it a burn covers.

TCAAn abbreviation for tricyclic antidepressant, an older class of antidepressant drugs; in biology, it can mean the tricarboxylic acid cycle.

TdapA vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) for older children, teens and adults.

TeamSTEPPS®A teamwork and communication training program for health care teams, created by AHRQ and the US Department of Defense.

TENSTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation: mild electric pulses sent through pads on the skin to ease pain.

THCTetrahydrocannabinol: the main chemical in cannabis that produces a high.

TIWAn abbreviation for "three times a week" that ISMP advises against; write "3 times weekly."

TNKAn abbreviation for TNKase (tenecteplase), a clot-dissolving drug; ISMP advises writing the full drug name.

TNMTumor, Node, Metastasis: a system for describing how far a cancer has grown and spread.

TPAAn abbreviation for tissue plasminogen activator (alteplase), a clot-dissolving drug; ISMP advises writing the full drug name.

TRAn abbreviation with several meanings, such as text revision (as in DSM-5-TR), tricuspid regurgitation or timed release.

tRNATransfer RNA: small RNA molecules that carry amino acids to the ribosome while a cell builds a protein.

twice dailyTwo times a day; on orders often written BID, from the Latin bis in die.

TXAAn abbreviation for tranexamic acid, a drug that slows the breakdown of blood clots; ISMP advises writing the full name.

UAn abbreviation for "unit" that must not be used in medication orders; write "unit" in full.

UAPUnlicensed assistive personnel: trained workers without a nursing license, such as nursing assistants, who help with client care.

UCAn abbreviation with two common meanings: ulcerative colitis or uterine contractions; the setting shows which.