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Medical Abbreviations – Set 1
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| Term/abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ABI | Acquired brain injury |
| ADLs | Activities of daily living (e.g. dressing, showering, eating, cooking, etc.) |
| AOD | Alcohol or other drugs |
| AH | Auditory hallucinations |
| AMA | Acute management area (another term for HDU) |
| ANUM | Associate nurse unit manager |
| Ax | Assessment |
| BD | Twice daily (medication frequency) |
| BIBA | Brought in by Ambulance |
| BIBP/F | Brought in by police/family |
| BPAD | Bipolar affective disorder |
| BPD | Borderline personality disorder |
| C/O | Complained of |
| CAT team/CATT | Crisis Assessment and Treatment team |
| CCU | Community care unit – supported accommodation for people with mental illness, with onsite mental health clinical services |
| CLZ | Clozapine (anti-psychotic medication) |
| COS | Close of shift |
| CRCU | Community Residential Care Unit |
| CTT | Continuing care team (based at a community mental health service) |
| CWM/CWT | Compliant with medication/compliant with treatment |
| D&A | Drugs and alcohol |
| D/C | Discharge (from hospital, compulsory order) |
| Depot | Medication given by injection |
| Dx | Diagnosis |
| Dynamic factors | Factors that can change |
| ECU | Extended care unit |
| ED | Emergency Department |
| EL / UEL | Escorted Leave / Unescorted Leave |
| EPSE | (Extra-pyramidal) side effects |
| ETOH | Alcohol |
| Fa | Father |
| FEP | First episode psychosis |
| Flexicare | Another term for a high dependency or intensive care unit |
| FTD | Formal Thought Disorder |
| Gfa | Grandfather |
| Gmo | Grandmother |
| HDU/HDAU | High dependency unit/ High dependency acute unit (usually a separate area of an acute unit with higher staff/patient ratios and lower stimulus) |
| HTO/TOHTO | Harm to others/thoughts of harm to others |
| HMO | Hospital medical officer (who may be the person’s treating doctor, under supervision of the authorised psychiatrist) |
| H/O | History of |
| Hx | History |
| ICA | Intensive care area (another term for HDU) |
| ID | Intellectual disability |
| IR | Immediate release (medication) |
| IM/IMI | Intra-muscular injection (also known as ‘depot’) |
| IVDU | Intravenous drug use |
| LDU | Low dependency unit |
| Mane | Morning (refers to administration of medication) |
| MDE | Major depressive episode |
| Mo | Mother |
| MSE | Mental state examination (including assessment of appearance, mood, thought content, behaviour, insight and judgement, and overall demeanour) |
| MST | Mobile support team |
| Mx | Medication |
| NAD | No abnormality detected / No acute distress |
| NaVa | Sodium Valproate |
| Nil FTD | No formal thought disorder |
| Nil PD | No perceptual Disturbances |
| Nocte | Nightly (refers to administration of medication) |
| NUM | Nurse Unit Manager |
| OOB | Out of bed |
| PARC | Prevention and recovery centre – residential unit in the community for short-term treatment – often a step-down from hospital |
| PO | Per oral/orally |
| PRN | ‘as needed’ (as distinct from a regular dose of medication) |
| Protective factors | Things which can reduce the likelihood of a negative outcome, e.g. by reducing risk |
| Q1h/Q1w/Q1m | Every hour/every week/every month |
| RIB | Resting in bed |
| RPN | Registered psychiatric nurse |
| Rx | Medical prescription |
| SAD | Schizoaffective disorder |
| Schx / Sz | Schizophrenia |
| SECU | Secure extended care unit – locked mental health inpatient unit which provides rehabilitation and treatment, often long-term |
| SI/SH/HTO/TOSHSI | Suicidal ideation/self-harm/harm to others/thoughts of self-harm and suicide |
| Sn | Seclusion |
| SRS | Supported residential service |
| Sx | Symptoms |
| Static factors | Factors that do not change |
| TDS | Three times daily (medication frequency) |
| THC | Cannabis/marijuana |
| Tx | Treatment |
| UEL / EL | Unescorted leave / escorted leave |
| UDS | Urine drug screen |
| VH | Visual hallucinations |
| XR | Extended release (medications) |
| ++, +++ | Very (e.g. aggression+++) |
| Ψ | Psychiatrist/psychiatric |
| Ψ Reg | Psychiatric registrar |
| 1/52, 2/52 | Weekly, twice a week |
| 1/26 | Fortnightly |
| 3/7 ago, 3/52 ago | 3 days ago, 3 weeks ago |
| 1/12, 2/12 | Monthly, twice a month |
| 15/60, 60/60 | Every 15 minutes, every hour (usually a reference to frequency of nursing observations required whilst an inpatient on the ward) |