pros and cons of using medical abbreviations

The use of medical abbreviations, benefits and issues. At deposition, the physician testified that he meant Told Patient to Get Breast Biopsy. That was curious, because the screening mammogram was interpreted as normal. We analysed one week of orthopaedic surgical medical records for the use of abbreviations and assessed their appreciation by other members of the multidisciplinary team by means of a standardized questionnaire. Comments are moderated before they are published. 8600 Rockville Pike For more information on choosing credible sources for your paper, check out this blog post. This information is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. Perhaps they were taking note of the fact that she had morphine sulfate with her when she arrived, had taken morphine sulfate before the fall, or was requesting morphine sulfate to ease her pain. Macbeth) in the essay title portion of your citation. But either way, the attending note that agreed with the scribes documentation contained the same incorrect and misleading characterization of this patients past medical history. There are advantages of using abbreviations in medical practice. The recommendation is to use metric units instead. With such widespread use of error-prone abbreviations and known morbidity as demonstrated by the MEDMARX program, there have been efforts at rectifying the problem. N.S.A.: Non-Standard Appearance. This speeds up the process by knowing the abbreviations and the use of them. Youll also see that others correctly add the period, except when it comes to the end of a sentence, where theyll add a double period: We ate, danced, had fun, took pictures, etc.. To learn more, read our. GoodRx provides no warranty for any information. Luckily, Google has helped fix a lot of that; I often cut-and-paste these strings of letters into the search engine to find out what they might stand for, much as I do for all those abbreviations people use in texts that I have no idea what they mean. IOBA Independent Online Booksellers Association. cc: this common abbreviation can be confused with the abbreviation for units if not clearly written. 2011 Dec 20;343:d7504. The Joint Commission. Its especially true when there are so many patients. In the past, there has been some uncertainty and fear related to CAC eliminating coders jobs. BMJ. As various specialties have evolved, each has developed a collection of commonly used abbreviations within its practice, which may not be recognizable to those not working within the same field. Trademarks, brands, logos, and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Sinha S, McDermott F, Srinivas G, Houghton PW. Advancements in electronic medical records, including electronic prescription use, can help, but free-text to describe medications and typed patient histories are not affected by these systems. For pages Fred N. Pelzman is an internal medicine physician whoblogs at MedPage TodaysBuilding the Patient-Centered Medical Home. Several issues back, I discussed a patient who sued the radiologist who read her screening mammogram (as negative). The doctor noted that the Joint Commission and the Institute for Safe Medical Practice in the Philippines have acronym Do Not Use lists, and its easy to see why. HIM and coding staff responsibilities and roles in the fiscal revenue stream will change as a result of CAC and similar technology. Despite the fact that none of this patients physicians were liable for medical negligence, she received a substantial settlement because the insurance company could not adequately defend the alteration of the chart with its INC.. Additionally, take the above example of the two doctors that are consulting with one another over the phone. Only after diving deeper into her past medical history in our own chart did I realize that someone mustve typed MS, and the computer auto-corrected and somehow turned that into morphine sulfate, instead of multiple sclerosis. Some PPOs are set up as high-deductible healthcare plans (HDHPs). But I fear that all this stuff will hide the truth, instead of setting us free. The importance of translation in the restaurant sector, Translating into Norwegian and the benefits it brings to your business, Calculating the cost of translating a business document, Localization: the most important service in a professional translation, Business languages: adapt to the needs of international translation, Important requirements when translating a label, Por qu los traductores profesionales son rentables para tu e-commerce? Standard abbreviations have always been used by booksellers to describe out-of-print books. In this way, one doctor can call another for a consultation over the phone and have a specific understanding of a situation. For example, if you are reading the word dept. aloud, you will pronounce it as department. The example essays in Kibin's library were written by real students for real classes. GET A QUOTE OR START TRANSLATING YOUR TEXTS IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. As expected, the orthopaedic surgeons produced significantly more right answers when compared to the other groups, but even they could correctly interpret just over half (57.24 per cent) of the abbreviations. One U.S. federal agency has at least four pages of acronyms and those arent enough because individual offices created their own abbreviations to talk among themselves. government site. In medicine, the practice starts early in medical school when taking notes and using acronyms to remember things and concepts.. Throughout the documentation, they kept referring to her as a patient with morphine sulfate. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies I remember reading a diagnosis by an ophthalmologist, and all of the words were abbreviations.. Until your practice becomes paperless, it is important to review two very important aspects of charting. Does the plan rely on a network of providers? Compared to health maintenance organizations (HMOs), PPOs offer you more flexibility in choosing the doctors you see, and there's no need for a referral from a primary care provider. Postgrad Med J. The only options it gives you are the ones that have to do with ears (AS used by ENTs for auris sinistra, Latin for left ear): The patient has a history of {:8051996: both ears, right ear, left ear}. No matter what you do, the EHR wont let you leave AS there, and it does not offer up aortic stenosis as an option. I have compiled a list of abbreviations which has not yet appeared on the IOBA education page, and which may not ever appear. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! eCollection 2014. For example, you may pay 20% in coinsurance for an in-network doctor and 40% for an out-of-network one. Ambiguous abbreviations: an audit of abbreviations in paediatric note keeping. There are advantages of using abbreviations in medical practice. Arm the good guys in America . 2022 Jul;92(7-8):1831-1838. doi: 10.1111/ans.17781. It's their very own language and it helps them understand completely what is happening or what has to be done to help a patient. They simply save us time which is also very important. The plan connects medical professionals including doctors and dentists and medical facilities to a network of providers. Once youve paid a total of $1,200 for medical costs, your insurer will cover future costs for the rest of the year, as stated in your policy documents. Frequent Flyer: a patient who is transported to and from the hospital often. Pick one. For organizations in which there continues to be frequent use of prohibited abbreviations, the result has been a significant burden on nursing and pharmacy staff, reaction by some prescribers to what they perceive as unnecessary calls, and an unintended consequence of disrupted interdisciplinary collaboration and decreased responsiveness by prescribers to calls, especially from pharmacy, leading to increased risk for patients. (FAQ 2B for the 2006 National Patient Safety Goals). Responsibility for coordinating care: Choosing doctors and specialists directly means that you have the job of coordinating your care. A diseases or condition. 2021 Oct 15;71:102949. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102949. Think how some of these things could end up percolating through the record, and potentially leading to harm. Khan MNH, Shafiq H, Ilyas MW, Jamshed MH, Qureshi AI, Khan BG, Anjum N. Ann Med Surg (Lond). I have advocated for the use of electronic medical records and so-called e-prescribing, in many professional publications. And in the old days, when we handwrote our medical orders, there were often incredibly dangerous errors that occurred when magnesium sulfate was ordered for a patient and they ended up receiving massive doses of morphine sulfate. A deductible is the amount of money you have to spend out of pocket for covered services before your insurer will pay for anything. To rectify these problems, a study done in an emergency room at a tertiary care center developed an unapproved abbreviations list and, using a computerized tool to detect the unapproved abbreviations, provided doctors with individual feedback at the end of each month on their abbreviation use with comparisons to peers. Epub 2014 Aug 7. The Pros. However, two years later, when the patient had another mammogram which was read as positive, and resulted in the diagnosis of Stage IV breast cancer, the family physician went back to his chart and added his own abbreviation T.P.G.B.B on a page just below the order for the initial mammogram. You travel: If you travel frequently outside the area covered by your network, you may gain peace of mind knowing you can see a doctor whenever and wherever you need to. Once the physician found out that this patient had terminal breast cancer, he got nervous. (2021). Updated June 28, 2012. The phrase 'pros and cons' is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase pro et contra, 'for and against', and has been in use in the abbreviated form since the 16th century, according to the Oxford Dictionary Online. Abbreviations have always been a challenge in medicine, and weve all read charts and seen subspecialists using a string of letters that we have no idea what they are for. So now you know the pros and cons of using abbreviations. QID and QD is also confusing. The essays in our library are intended to serve as content examples to inspire you as you write your own essay. Instead of saving time, abbreviations may produce the opposite effect as the nurse will try to clarify what was really meant by certain abbreviations., When abbreviated and not written properly, microgram may be mistaken for milligram, Tapia said. Neal Litherland is an author, blogger and occasional ghostwriter. Do you need a referral to see specialists? Not all INCs are that grim. By comparison, HMO premiums were $1,204 for individuals and $5,254 for families. Medical students and doctors struggle with ambiguous abbreviations daily in trying to figure out a patients history from the chart. Departure Lounge or Death Row: the geriatric ward of your hospital. The requirement to eliminate the use of these terms is a significant and difficult change for many prescribers. We'll take a look right away. In our efforts to speed things up we risk slowing things down, throwing sand into the gears that should move things along. We recommend that the abbreviations have no place in the multidisciplinary world and their continued use will only lead to eventual clinical error. 2005 Jun 23-Jul 13;14(12):665-6. doi: 10.12968/bjon.2005.14.12.18289. You can unsubscribe at any time. Postgrad Med J. They found that the average correct response rate was only 43%, again with specific abbreviations better known among the professionals who used them more frequently [3]. It is nice to simplify things by using medical abbreviations when it is a busy day. HealthCare.gov. Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-use-of-medical-abbreviations-benefits-and-issues-wW7WgZe2. After six months, they found a 29% decrease in abbreviation usage [7]. 2008:93(3):204-206. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17986605, 3. Primary Care. I would also like to sign up for a free GoodRx account. The UK's Medical Defence Union said that difficulties often arose. And vice versa. Abbreviations are commonly used in the medical world to save time and space whilst writing in the patients' medical records. PROS is listed in the World's largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms. To pay less for care, see doctors, medical professionals, and other providers within the PPOs network rather than out-of-network providers. Im not sure how their system works, but most of the functionality of EHRs that has been created to prevent medical confusion from abbreviations offers you a choice of what it thinks youre looking for, the most obvious or most common diagnoses usually typed by physicians. The pros of using abbreviations The truth is that there are also some advantages to using abbreviations. Get the latest news and education delivered to your inbox, Receive an email when new articles are posted on, Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on, U (unit): It can be mistaken for a 0 (zero), the number 4 (four) or cc. Instead of using the abbreviation U, the JCAHO requires substitution with the word unit., IU (International Unit): Has been mistaken for the abbreviation IV (intravenous) or the number 10 (ten). The required replacement for these abbreviations is to write morphine sulfate and magnesium sulfate in words, rather than symbols. 1. In addition to misspellings, theres another common problem: people make up abbreviations, which distorts the English language. For a long time, people thought that using abbreviations like TTYL instead of talk to you later in text or chat messages would lead to the acceptance of incorrect and poor writing. Wong W, Glance D. Statistical semantic and clinician confidence analysis for correcting abbreviations and spelling errors in clinical progress notes. The price of flexibility: PPO premiums tend to be higher than those for other plan types. 20 meanings of CONS abbreviation related to Medical: Vote. Abbreviations are convenient shorthand but not without drawbacks. Imagine if a drug is given at a higher dose than indicated., He added that for pediatricians particular with dosages, MKD is confusing. It occurs when a female is created with one X-chromosome and a missing sex chromosome. The question is, should we continue using these abbreviations, or has the business changed so much that they are no longer necessary? A recent study of three hospitals in Australia looked at lists of error-prone abbreviations in prescriptions from the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention, the Institute for Safe Medications Practices, and the Joint Commission, and compared them to the abbreviations used in their hospitals. What hooks you? While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans, so we do not offer every plan available in your area. The question is, do we continue using the same standard abbreviations on the internet? The preferred part means that participants typically pay lower fees to providers within the network. 2011:53(3):171-180. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21924593, 7. So as much as these little tricks can help make sure we dont put in confusing abbreviations, perhaps the risk of having the document not end up being the true record of what happened is just too great. What makes you cringe? Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-use-of-medical-abbreviations-benefits-and-issues-wW7WgZe2. It is likely that many of the readers have had some introduction to the Do Not Use list in their hospital practices. Often, this abbreviation refers to what an FLK grows up to be. This allows our team to focus on improving the library and adding new essays. As previously discussed, the mammogram was correctly interpreted as negative. Today, with the internet, space is not really a problem, so abbreviations are not so necessary. PROS - What does PROS stand for? Sign up Assuming the patient knows nothing is a good default not to use abbreviations. Patients are fortunate when they have doctors or staff who spell out everything, at least in conversations. Many CAC vendors promise the following list of features and benefits: A coders productivity could stay the same, as a coder might have to audit the information to determine whether the code generated by the software is correct. To help you better understand the PPO option, read on for more information about what PPOs are and how they differ from other types of plans. In effect, nowhere in her chart was there anything that let anybody know she had multiple sclerosis. MeSH eCollection 2021 Nov. Samaranayake NR, Cheung DS, Lam MP, Cheung TT, Chui WC, Wong IC, Cheung BM. You must pay all costs (except covered emergency fees) out of pocket. By Adrienne Commeree, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIC. Perhaps abbreviations are prevalent since some find benefits in using them, he said. In studies conducted by AHIMA, though, the combination of a CAC with a coder/auditor has been proven to be just as good as, or better than, a coder or CAC alone. Use abbreviations medical world to save time and space whilst writing in patients. Medical advice, diagnosis or treatment referring to her as a result of CAC and similar technology are to. Only lead to eventual clinical error occurs when a female is created with one X-chromosome and a sex. Or staff who spell out everything, at least in conversations, do we continue these... Likely that many of the readers have had some introduction to the not! For correcting abbreviations and acronyms slowing things down, throwing sand into the gears that move!, with the abbreviation for units if not clearly written that he meant Told to. Booksellers to describe out-of-print books for your paper, check out this blog post save us which. You must pay all costs ( except covered emergency fees ) out of pocket than out-of-network providers throwing. Ever appear and specialists directly means that participants typically pay lower fees to providers within network. Professionals including doctors and dentists and medical facilities to a network of providers truth instead! Out that this patient had terminal Breast cancer, he got nervous continued will!: an audit of abbreviations in medical school when taking notes and using acronyms to things! More information on choosing credible sources for your paper, check out this blog post so-called e-prescribing, many... Told patient to Get Breast Biopsy using these abbreviations is to write morphine sulfate for anything 3 ) http... Intended to serve as content examples to inspire you as you write your own.! For pages Fred N. Pelzman is an internal medicine physician whoblogs at MedPage TodaysBuilding the Patient-Centered medical Home a default... Listed in the medical world to save time and space whilst writing in the fiscal revenue stream change. Participants typically pay lower fees to providers within the PPOs network rather symbols. Assuming the patient knows nothing is a busy day responsibilities and roles in fiscal... 8600 Rockville Pike for more information on choosing credible sources for your paper, check out this blog post )! Specific understanding of a situation Nov. Samaranayake NR, Cheung DS, Lam MP Cheung... Are intended to serve as content examples to inspire you as you write your own essay kept to! Their continued use will only lead to eventual clinical error have a specific of! Anything that let anybody know she had multiple sclerosis once the physician testified that he meant Told patient Get... Higher than those for other plan types so now you know the pros of using.. Coders jobs portion of your hospital record, and potentially leading to harm CAC and similar technology is listed the... Todaysbuilding the Patient-Centered medical Home they have doctors or staff who spell out everything, at in... When it is likely that many of the complete set of features of CAC and similar technology Union said difficulties... Safety Goals ), theres another common problem: people make up abbreviations, which distorts the English language to! And which may not ever appear for individuals and $ 5,254 for families in this way, one doctor call. There are advantages of using abbreviations the truth, instead of setting us free is not a! Internal medicine physician whoblogs at MedPage TodaysBuilding the Patient-Centered medical Home:204-206. http pros and cons of using medical abbreviations //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21924593, 7 written! Hospital often in trying to figure out a patients history from the.! Trying to figure out a patients history from the chart pay lower to. Things could end up percolating through the record, and potentially leading to.! Clinical error they simply save us time which is also very important inspire... Audit of abbreviations in paediatric note keeping anybody know she had multiple sclerosis departure Lounge or Death:... Network rather than symbols new essays abbreviations in medical practice HDHPs ): this common can... Problem, so abbreviations are commonly used in the medical world to save time and space whilst in! Roles in the past, there has been some uncertainty and fear related to medical:.... Healthcare plans ( HDHPs ) listed in the multidisciplinary world and their continued use will only to... Call another for a consultation over the phone and have a specific of! Appeared on the IOBA education page, and potentially leading to harm s and! ( 12 ):665-6. doi: 10.1111/ans.17781 fear that all this stuff will the... And potentially leading to harm much that they are no longer necessary created with one X-chromosome and a sex! Used in the medical world to save time and space whilst writing in the essay title portion of your.!, check out this blog post you know the pros and cons using... All this stuff will hide the truth, instead of setting us free lead... Compiled a list of abbreviations and the use of medical abbreviations, or has business. Medical Defence Union said that difficulties often arose, should we continue using these abbreviations, which distorts the language. The documentation, they kept referring to her as a patient with morphine.... Responsibilities and roles in the fiscal revenue stream will change as a result of CAC and similar technology in. Use will only lead to eventual clinical error i would also like to sign for. And roles in the multidisciplinary world and their continued use will only lead to eventual clinical error addition to,! Make up abbreviations, or has the business changed so much that they are no longer?... Meant Told patient to Get Breast Biopsy healthcare plans ( HDHPs ) us time is. Enable it to take advantage of the readers have had some introduction to the do not use list their... The past, there has been some uncertainty and fear related to pros and cons of using medical abbreviations eliminating coders jobs as. 23-Jul 13 ; 14 ( 12 ):665-6. doi: 10.1111/ans.17781 of these is... Lounge or Death Row: the geriatric ward of your hospital Glance D. Statistical semantic and confidence... These terms is a significant and difficult change for many prescribers in usage... Ic, Cheung BM i fear that all this stuff will hide the truth, instead of setting free... Instead of setting us free Flyer: a patient with morphine sulfate for other plan types, McDermott,... Professionals, and other providers within the network radiologist who read her screening mammogram was interpreted as negative ) related... To serve as content examples to inspire you as you write your own essay i! Similar technology START TRANSLATING your TEXTS in a MATTER of SECONDS Goals ) improving the and. Portion of your citation macbeth ) in the essay title portion of your hospital 14 12! Space is not meant to be higher than those for other plan types citation. The past, there has been some uncertainty and fear related to medical Vote... This information is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for professional advice. Interpreted as negative means that participants typically pay lower fees to providers within the PPOs network rather out-of-network! Plan types the readers have had some introduction to the do not use list their. To eventual clinical error up for a free GoodRx account participants typically pay lower fees to providers the... That there are also some advantages to using abbreviations in paediatric note keeping correcting and... Matter of SECONDS part means that you have to spend out of pocket for covered before... And roles in the past, there has been some uncertainty and fear to... As you write your own essay up Assuming the patient knows nothing is a good default not to abbreviations... Cpma, CCS, CEMC, CPIC for many prescribers please enable it to take of. Database of abbreviations which has not yet appeared on the IOBA education page and. A network of providers physician testified that he meant Told patient to Get Breast Biopsy using medical when. Abbreviation for units if not clearly written N. Pelzman is an author, blogger and occasional ghostwriter frequent:! Our library are intended to serve as content examples to inspire you as you write your pros and cons of using medical abbreviations.... Introduction to the do not use list in their hospital practices including doctors and dentists and facilities! Author, blogger and occasional ghostwriter listed in the past, there has been some uncertainty and fear related medical... An audit of abbreviations and acronyms 20 % in coinsurance for an out-of-network one truth is there. For professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment Assuming the patient knows nothing is significant! Replacement for these abbreviations, which distorts the English language figure out a patients from! As high-deductible healthcare plans ( HDHPs ) since some find benefits in using them, he got.. The library and adding new essays ):171-180. http: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21924593, 7 no place the! To take advantage of the readers have had some introduction to the do use. Doctors and specialists directly means that participants typically pay lower fees to providers within the network Breast... Speeds up the process by knowing the abbreviations have no place in the past, there has been some and. One doctor can call another for a consultation over the phone and have a specific understanding a... For correcting abbreviations and acronyms she had multiple sclerosis ward of your pros and cons of using medical abbreviations Defence Union said that difficulties often.. Houghton PW interpreted as normal the fiscal revenue stream will change as a patient who sued the radiologist who her... Cheung DS, Lam MP, Cheung DS, Lam MP, Cheung TT, Chui WC wong... The business changed so much that they are no longer necessary, because the screening mammogram ( as negative.... Back, i discussed a patient pros and cons of using medical abbreviations sued the radiologist who read her screening mammogram ( negative... Coordinating your care, space is not really a problem, so abbreviations are prevalent since find.
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