|
|
Article: AORN guidance statement: "do-not-use" abbreviations, acronyms, dosage designations, and symbols.(Association of Operating Room Nurses)
- Article from:
- AORN Journal
- Article date:
- September 1, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
PREAMBLE
Confusing or easily misinterpreted abbreviations, acronyms, or symbols put caregivers at risk for making errors and compromising patient safety. Unintentional as an error may be--a misplaced decimal point, a "U" interpreted as a "0" (zero), QOD confused for QID, or AS misinterpreted as OS--it puts patients at risk for a medical error with potentially catastrophic results (eg, overdose, inadequate dose, omission due to laterality error, wrong medication administered, error in frequency of administration). Improving communication through reducing and standardizing abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols is a significant step toward reducing the occurrence of ...