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Top 150 Prescription Abbreviations and their Medical Meanings

Medically reviewed by Leigh Ann Anderson, PharmD. Last updated on Nov 22, 2024.

 Time and frequency abbreviations

Dosage form and route abbreviations

Common medication abbreviations

Measurement and quantity abbreviations

Common medical conditions

Medical and lab tests, procedures

Miscellaneous abbreviations

Note: This is not a complete or endorsed list of medical or prescription abbreviations or error-prone abbreviations. The Joint Commission does not publish a list of approved abbreviations. Items below marked with ** are found on the Joint Commission's "Do Not Use" List of Abbreviations (2018). Always speak with your healthcare provider for any questions related to medical abbreviations or terms. Hospitals or other healthcare facilities should always follow their internal guidelines.

Overview of abbreviations: How are they used?

You may wonder why healthcare providers use medical abbreviations like "1 tab po bid" for your prescription. Abbreviations, originally derived from latin words, are used to denote prescription directions or quantities, medical conditions or other health information in your medical records.

The prescription abbreviation "1 tab po bid" is interpreted like this:

When written out in plain language, these abbreviations mean "Take one tablet by mouth twice a day."

Luckily you don’t have to worry about interpreting these prescription directions yourself. It’s the pharmacist’s job to put the correct directions on your prescription label. But unclear or poorly written prescription abbreviations is one of the most common and preventable causes of medication errors.

Are medical abbreviations safe to use?

Historically, poor penmanship and lack of standardization was the root cause of many written paper prescription errors. Today, most prescriptions are submitted via electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), electronic medical records (EMRs), and computerized physician order entry (CPOE), which has helped to lower the rates of these medical errors.

Even with advances in technology, errors or misunderstanding in electronic prescriptions can occur. Computer-generated abbreviations, prescription symbols, and dose designations can still be confusing and lead to mistakes in drug dosing or timing. In addition, when these abbreviations are unclear, extra time must be spent by pharmacists or other healthcare providers trying to clarify their meanings, which can delay medical treatments.

If you receive a prescription label with unclear and confusing directions, always call your doctor or pharmacist right away to double check the information. 

What are the most common abbreviation errors?

1. Drug names

Drug names may be frequently abbreviated in medicine. For example, cancer treatment protocols or combination HIV regimens may be written with shortened drug name abbreviations. Examples of possible errors include:

2. Confusing numbers

Numbers can lead to confusion and drug dosing errors, too.

3. Trailing zeros on medication orders

Numbers can also be misinterpreted with regards to decimal points. As noted in the Joint Commission's Do Not Use List, a trailing zero (for example, "5.0" mg, where the zero follows a decimal point) can be misinterpreted as “50” mg leading to a 10-fold overdose. Instead the prescriber should write “5 mg” with no trailing zero or decimal point after the number. Also, the lack of a leading zero, (for example, .9 mg) can be misread as “9” mg; instead the prescriber should use “0.9 mg” to clarify the strength.

The Joint Commission notes an exception to the Trailing Zero warning. They state that a “trailing zero may be used only when required to demonstrate the level of precision of the value being reported, such as for laboratory results, imaging studies that report the size of lesions, or catheter/tube sizes. It may not be used in medication orders or other medication-related documentation."

4. Modified-release dose forms

Common abbreviations are often used for modified-release types of technology for prescription drugs, although no true standard exists for this terminology.

How to prevent medication errors?

Healthcare providers can:

In general, to avoid errors in the administration of medications and infusions, spell out the word instead of using an abbreviation. For example, use “international unit” instead of I.U.; “every day” instead of q.d.; “every other day” instead of q.o.d.; and “unit” instead of U.

Practitioners, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, should be very familiar with the abbreviations used in medical practice and in prescription writing. All drug names, dosage units, and directions for use should be written clearly to avoid misinterpretation.

Pharmacists should be included in teams that develop or evaluate EMRs and e-prescribing tools. According to the Joint Commission, health care organizations can develop their own internal standards for medical abbreviations, use a published reference source with consistent terms, and should ensure that multiple abbreviations for the same word are avoided. Internal enforcement, regular review and consistency are always the key.

Joint Commission provides a list of mandatory "Do Not Use" abbreviations that must be applied to all orders, preprinted forms, and medication-related documentation. Medication-related documentation can be either handwritten or electronic. Organizations are required by Joint Commission to follow this list of prohibited abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, and dose designations. However, the Joint Commission does not publish a list of approved abbreviations. 

Bottom Line

What steps can you take as a patient to help prevent errors?

  1. Ask your doctor how you are supposed to take your medication before you leave the office, and write it down for future reference.
  2. Take your medicine bottles with you to the doctor's office so you can have all the information you need: drug name, dose, directions and any refills.
  3. Consider taking a trusted family member or friend to your medical appointments to help you write down any important instructions.
  4. Read the supplied plain language patient drug information that accompanies your prescription. If you do not have it, ask your doctor or pharmacist for a copy. Your healthcare professional can answer any questions about this information
  5. If you receive a prescription with unusual, unexpected or confusing directions, be sure to double check with your doctor and pharmacist. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call to ask. That's what they are there for.

FDA encourages all healthcare providers, patients and consumers to report medication errors to the FDA Medwatch Program. This program alerts the FDA to potential problems and allows them to take action to minimize further errors. Timely prevention of medical errors can save a patient’s life.

See also

Sources

Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

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