Benefits of Medical Abbreviations

Benefits of Medical Abbreviations There are many benefits of medical abbreviations. One benefit of medical abbreviations is how much easier it makes it to read a chart. This speeds up the process by knowing the abbreviations and the use of them. It is nice to simplify things by using medical abbreviations when it is a busy day. The other reason to use medical abbreviations is so that only the medical personnel will know what is being described. It is a very efficient way of maintaining a patient’s privacy. Everybody does not need to know a patient’s medical history or what is going on with a patient or resident and allows their privacy to be protected.
Limitations of Medical Abbreviations There are often more than one meaning for an abbreviation, which in turn can cause confusion if the person tending to the patient is unaware of their medical history. An example being the letters EP. This abbreviation could mean either an ectopic pregnancy or evoked potential. If the person reading the chart is not careful, a mistake could be made. If a doctor were to write and incorrect dosage, it could lead to several different complications or health problems, and even death. A person reading a dosage incorrectly may also have the same result. Abbreviations that support Jane Dare’s treatments and diagnosis would be dosages for her medications. Also, the HEENT for the head, eyes, ears, nose, and throats exam which showed the doctors difficulty in examining her. Knowing that Jane Dare had an EKG and a CBC prior to being released into a skilled nursing facility helps staff learn about her history. Because she was having trouble with ADL’s, it helped the therapists by informing them of things they need to help Jane Dare work on. Also knowing that Jane was still experiencing SOB, could be an indication that she will need oxygen when she is ready to be released home. I feel Jane Dare is angry and aggressive because she fears she is dying. She misses her husband and wants