JCAHO eliminates 11 abbreviations

By JOHN HULTGREN
Kentucky EMS Connection

LOUISVILLE — The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations recently released new standard that effectively eliminate eleven common medical abbreviations used in patient charting.

These changes were implemented on Jan. 1 at many hospitals.

JCAHO selected these eleven abbreviations for elimination because they are apparently the most confusing. While JCAHO has no authority over most ambulance services, knowing that these abbreviations are confusing may be helpful for EMS workers to know.

The eliminated abbreviations are:

• U for units (use Unit instead)
• IU for international units (use International Units instead)
• OD for daily (use Daily or Every Day instead)
• OOD for every other day (use Every Other Day instead)
• A trailing zero after a decimal point (instead of XX.0, just write XX)
• Lack of a zero before a decimal point (instead of .XX, just write 0.XX)
• MS and MSO4 (write Morphine or Morphine Sulfate instead)
• MgSO4 (write Magnesium Sulfate instead)
• ug for microgram (use mcg instead)
• TIW for three times a week (use Three Times Weekly or 3 Time Weekly instead)
• cc for cubic centimeter (use mL or milliLiters instead)

JCAHO's Internet site is available at www.jcaho.org

Information provided to the Kentucky EMS Connection by Bruce Bowling. 

BACK TO NEWS INDEX

BACK TO MAIN INDEX

COMMENTS

Copyright © 2004 The Kentucky EMS Connection. All rights reserved. News stories may be copyrighted by another organization. Original material may be reproduced provided source is credited.