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Main Acronyms and Abbreviations Found in Medical Prescriptions
This article Main Acronyms and Abbreviations found in Medical Prescriptions was originally published on 06/2016 and updated on 08/2020.
When you go to a doctor's appointment and return home with a prescription for the medication that your doctor deemed necessary, there is often an acronym or abbreviation in your prescription. These acronyms and abbreviations are used in prescriptions to indicate the name of the drug, dose, pharmaceutical form, route or frequency of administration.
We have separated a list of the main acronyms and abbreviations found in medical prescriptions.
Main Acronyms and Abbreviations found in Medical Prescriptions
A very important question about the Main Acronyms and Abbreviations used in Medical Prescriptions
Acronyms and abbreviations are often used in medical prescriptions and it is very important to learn what they mean because, despite simplifying the writing of prescriptions, they can generate doubts and misinterpretations.
Misinterpretations compromise communication between professionals who provide patient care and can cause serious medication errors. We can also mention other aggravating factors that increase the possibility of errors:
- poorly readable writing;
- existence of similar abbreviations with different meanings;
- different meanings for a single abbreviation.
The fact that the patient does not know the meanings of the acronyms should also be considered. This is because often the prescriber did not explain to the patient at the time he made the prescription or the patient was afraid to ask the doctor for more details about his prescription.
