On my first day at my new work, I was told that in our own speechie department notes, we are not allowed to use any abbreviations. None.
If you want to use an abbreviation, you need to write the word out in full, with the abbreviation in brackets next to it the first time you write it. So this generally makes me want to mention the word more than once just so that I can use my abbreviation.
But if you go over a page, you need to do that all over again for each new page. WHAT?!?!
I see about 30% less patients because I now spend so much more time NOT abbreviating anything.
To allieviate the pain, I've written a list of abbreviations that I miss.
Sorry if you're not in the health workforce - this will probably bore you :)
- r/v
- adm
- b/g
- pt
- IAx
- obs
- cont.
- meds
- SLT (yep. We have to write out our full profession each time)
- PMHx
- o/e
- OMA
- CNAx
- Rec
- O/I
- sats
- temp
- RR
- PT/OT/SW
- L) and R)
- NGT/PEG
- CVA
- MCA
- COPD
- HTN (how many patients have HTN?)
- DMII / NIDDM
- CRF / ARF
- MI / AMI
- CABG
- TURP
- Ca...
Not a wonder the health system is in such a mess here.
Oh good grief!! After so many years I've started to forget what some of the abbreviations even stand for...what a challenge! How you manage to see more than 2 patients a day is beyond me - with 30% of your time spent writing everything in full, and another 30% of your time spent with dead & intubated patients!
ReplyDeleteAt least you know what the long terms are Linds, here in the US we are allowed to use abbreviations (though I got pinged for using URTNs once) but nobody knows what they stand for! I regularly have to ask the doctor what they mean, cause although staff use them with abandon.... They can't define them!
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