Article: ISMP's list of error-prone abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations.

The abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations found in this table have been reported to ISMP through the USP-ISMP Medication Errors Reporting Program as being frequently misinterpreted and involved in harmful medication errors. They should NEVER be used when communicating medical information. This includes internal communications, telephone/verbal prescriptions, computer-generated labels, labels for drug storage bins, medication administration records, as well as pharmacy and prescriber computer order entry screens. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has established a National Patient Safety Goal that specifies that certain ...

<10" 
 mistaken as "40" 
 
 / (slash mark) Separates two doses  Mistaken as the number 1 
or indicates "per"   (e.g., "25 units/10 
 units" misread as "25 
 units and 110" units) 
 
@   At   Mistaken as "2" 
 
&   And  Mistaken as "2" 
 
+   Plus or and  Mistaken as "A" 
 
[degrees]   Hour Mistaken as a zero (e.g., 
 q2[degrees] seen as q 20) 
 
  Abbreviations Correction 
 
[micro]gUse "mcg" 
 
   AD, AS, AU   Use "right ear," "left ear," or "each ear" 
 
   OD, OS, OU   Use "right eye," "left eye," or "each eye" 
 
   BT   Use "bedtime" 
 
   cc   Use "mL" 
 
   D/C  Use "discharge" and "discontinue" 
 
   IJ   Use "injection" 
 
   IN   Use "intranasal" or "NAS" 
 
   HS   Use "half-strength" or "bedtime" 
 
   hs 
 
  IU ** Use "units" 
 
   o.d. or OD   Use "daily" 
 
   OJ   Use "orange juice" 
 
 Per os Use "PO," "by mouth," or "orally" 
 
  q.d. or QD ** Use "daily" 
 
   qhs  Use "nightly" 
 
   qn   Use "nightly" or "at bedtime" 
 
q.o.d. or QOD **Use "every other day" 
 
   q1d  Use "daily" 
 
   g6PM, etc.   Use "daily at 6 PM" or "6 PM daily" 
 
  SC, SO, sub q Use "subcut" or "subcutaneously" 
 
   ss   Spell out "sliding scale;" use "one-half" 
or "1/2" 
 
  SSRI  Spell out "sliding scale (insulin)" 
 
   SSI 
 
   i/d  Use "1 daily" 
 
   TIW or tiw   Use "3 times weekly" 
 
U or u **   Use "unit" 
 
  Dose 
  Designations 
and Other 
   Information  Correction 
 
  Trailing zero Do not use trailing zeros for doses 
  after decimal expressed in whole numbers 
  point (e.g., 
   1.0 mg) ** 
 
 No leading zeroUse zero before a decimal point when the 
before a decimaldose is less than a whole unit 
   dose (e.g., 
.5 mg) ** 
 
  Drug name and Place adequate space between the drug 
dose run together   name, dose, and unit of measure 
   (especially 
 problematic for 
 drug names that 
 end in "I" such 
as Inderal40 mg; 
 Tegretol300 mg) 
 
 Numerical dose Place adequate space between the dose and 
   and unit of  unit of measure 
   measure run 
 together (e.g., 
  10mg, 100mL) 
 
  Abbreviations Use mg, mL, etc. without a terminal period 
 such as mg. or 
mL. with a period 
  following the 
  abbreviation 
 
   Large doses  Use commas for dosing units at or above 
without properly1,000, or use words such as 100 "thousand" 
  placed commas or 1 "million" to improve readability 
  (e.g., 100000 
 units; 1000000 
 units) 
 
Drug Name 
  Abbreviations Correction 
 
  ARA A Use complete drug name 
 
   AZT  Use complete drug name 
 
   CPZ  Use complete drug name 
 
   DPT  Use complete drug name 
 
   DTO  Use complete drug name 
 
   HCl  Use complete drug name unless expressed 
as a salt of a drug 
 
   HCT  Use complete drug name 
 
  HCTZ  Use complete drug name 
 
MgSO4 **Use complete drug name 
 
   MS, MSO4 **  Use complete drug name 
 
   MTX  Use complete drug name 
 
   PCA  Use complete drug name 
 
   PTU  Use complete drug name 
 
   T3   Use complete drug name 
 
   TAC  Use complete drug name 
 
   TNK  Use complete drug name 
 
  ZnSO4 Use complete drug name 
 
 Stemmed 
   Drug Names   Correction 
 
  "Nitro" drip  Use complete drug name 
 
"Norflox"   Use complete drug name 
 
"IV Vanc"   Use complete drug name 
 
 SymbolsCorrection 
 
z   Use the metric system 
 
  [??] 
 
   x3d  Use "for three days">