ULP Workshop Summary Report: Improving Patient Safety In Rural Hospitals: Commonly Misinterpreted Abbreviations

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Improving Patient Safety In Rural Hospitals

Commonly Misinterpreted Abbreviations

Abbreviation	Intended Meaning	Common Error
U	Units	Mistaken as zero or a four resulting in overdose. Also mistaken for "cc" (cubic centimeters) when poorly written.
mg	Micrograms	Mistaken for "mg" (milligrams) resulting in a ten-fold overdose
*Q.D.	Latin abbreviation for every day	The period after the "Q" has sometimes been mistaken for an " I, " and the drug has been given "QID" (four times daily) rather than daily.
*Q.O.D.	Latin abbreviation for every other day	Misinterpreted as "QD" (daily) or "QID" (four times daily). If the "O" is poorly written, it looks like a period or "I." SC or SQ
Subcutaneous		Mistaken as "SL" (sublingual) when poorly written.
TIW	Three times a week	Misinterpreted as "three times a day" or "twice a week"
D/C	Discharge; also discontinue. Patient's medications have been prematurely discontinued when D/C, (intended to mean "discharge")	Misinterpreted as "discontinue," because it was followed by a list of drugs.
HS	Half strength	Misinterpreted as the Latin abbreviation "HS" (hour of sleep).
Trailing Zero	______.0	Missing decimal point
cc	Cubic centimeters	Mistaken as "U" (units when poorly written.)
AU,AS,AD	Latin abbreviation for both ears; left ear; right ear	Misinterpreted as the Latin abbreviation "OU" (both eyes); "OS" (left eye); "OD" (right eye)

*High Percentage of Errors

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Current as of October 2001

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Internet Citation:

Improving Patient Safety In Rural Hospitals: A Workshop With Wisconsin Health Care Leaders. Workshop Summary Report. October 2001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/leapfrog/leapfrog1.htm