Medical abbreviations for phlebotomy students

83 medical abbreviations for phlebotomy students, with plain definitions and sources.

A1CHemoglobin A1C (HbA1c): shows how high blood sugar has run, on average, over roughly the last 2 to 3 months; no…
ABGArterial blood gases: oxygen, carbon dioxide and pH measured in blood from an artery, such as the radial, brachial or…
ABNAdvance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage: Medicare form given before a test Medicare may not pay for, so the patient…
AEDAutomated external defibrillator: portable unit that checks the heart rhythm through chest pads and tells the rescuer…
AIDSAcquired immunodeficiency syndrome: late-stage HIV disease, when the immune system is badly weakened. HIV spreads…
ALT, ASTAlanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase: enzymes released when liver cells are damaged; both are part…
BACBlood alcohol concentration: the amount of alcohol (ethanol) in the blood.
BPBlood pressure, written systolic over diastolic in mm Hg. An arm with a dialysis fistula or graft is never used for a…
BUNBlood urea nitrogen: a kidney-function blood test, usually run as part of a basic or comprehensive metabolic panel.
CAPCollege of American Pathologists: a CMS-approved accreditor whose Laboratory Accreditation Program sends peer…
CBCComplete blood count: hematology panel giving the numbers of each blood cell type plus hemoglobin and hematocrit…
ccCubic centimeter. Error-prone (ISMP): it can be misread as u (units). Write mL for blood and specimen volumes.
CDCCenters for Disease Control and Prevention: the federal public health agency whose guidelines cover isolation…
CLIAClinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments: federal law covering any site that tests human specimens. A site running…
CLSIClinical and Laboratory Standards Institute: a nonprofit that writes consensus lab standards, such as GP41 for venous…
CPOEComputerized provider order entry: the provider types test orders directly into the electronic record instead of…
CPRCardiopulmonary resuscitation: emergency care for cardiac arrest. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest…
CRPC-reactive protein: measured in a blood sample to look for inflammation in the body.
CVACerebrovascular accident: the medical name for a stroke.
CVCCentral venous catheter: a line whose tip lies in a large vein near the heart.
D/CError-prone abbreviation (ISMP): it can mean discharge or discontinue. Write the full word, discharge or discontinue…
DKADiabetic ketoacidosis: a high-blood-sugar emergency. Fruity breath, deep fast breathing, vomiting or drowsiness in a…
DMDiabetes mellitus. A patient who takes diabetes medicine and is fasting for a draw can develop low blood sugar; watch…
DNRDo not resuscitate: an order that CPR will not be attempted if cardiac arrest occurs. It does not mean "do not treat"…
EHRElectronic health record: digital chart built to move with the patient between providers and settings; orders are…
EMRElectronic medical record: the computerized chart one practice or facility keeps for its own patients.
ESRErythrocyte sedimentation rate: measures how far red cells fall in a standing tube in a set time; faster settling…
ESRDEnd-stage renal disease: kidney failure treated with dialysis or a transplant. A dialysis fistula or graft arm is…
FITFecal immunochemical test: home stool kit whose antibodies react only with human hemoglobin, so hidden bleeding can be…
FOBTFecal occult blood test: checks stool for blood too small to see; the patient usually collects the samples at home…
HAIHealthcare-associated infection: an infection a patient picks up while receiving care, for example from unclean hands…
HBVHepatitis B virus: spread by blood and body fluids and attacks the liver. OSHA has employers offer at-risk workers the…
hCGHuman chorionic gonadotropin, the hormone that rises in pregnancy and is detected by urine or serum pregnancy tests…
HCTHematocrit: the share of whole blood occupied by packed red cells, given as a percentage. ISMP also flags HCT as…
HCVHepatitis C virus: a bloodborne virus that infects the liver; named with HIV and HBV in the Needlestick Safety and…
HDLHigh-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol, reported in a lipid (cholesterol) panel.
Hgb, HbHemoglobin: the protein in red cells that binds oxygen, or the lab value measuring it. Blood donors have it checked…
HIL indicesHemolysis, icterus and lipemia indices: analyzer measurements of sample quality that flag results that may be…
HIPAAHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996: its Privacy and Security Rules govern how patient…
HIVHuman immunodeficiency virus: the bloodborne virus that causes AIDS; one of the three viruses named in the Needlestick…
ICD-10-CMThe diagnosis code set. The ordering provider supplies the code that supports a test's medical necessity; a…
INRInternational normalized ratio: the prothrombin time put on a standard scale so results agree between labs; used to…
IUInternational unit. On The Joint Commission Do Not Use list: it can be misread as IV or 10. Write "International Unit"…
IVIntravenous: into a vein. Draw from the other arm when an IV is infusing, because IV fluid or medicine can alter the…
LDLLow-density lipoprotein, the "bad" cholesterol, reported in a lipid panel. Fast before the draw only when the order…
LFTLiver function tests: a group of blood tests, such as ALT, AST and bilirubin, that show how well the liver is working.
LISLaboratory information system: software for lab orders, specimen tracking, results and reports. Each user needs a…
MCVMean corpuscular volume: a CBC index telling whether red cells are, on average, normal, small or large in size.
MIMyocardial infarction (heart attack): heart muscle damaged by blocked blood flow. Suspected heart attack during a…
MRNMedical record number: a number the facility assigns to one patient; acceptable as one of the two required identifiers.
MROMedical Review Officer: a licensed physician who reviews drug-test results from the laboratory and evaluates medical…
MRSAMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: staph bacteria resistant to many antibiotics; they spread by contact, so…
NIOSHNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: researches workplace hazards and certifies respirators; it does…
NPINational Provider Identifier: a permanent 10-digit number assigned to each health care provider and used on claims and…
NPONothing by mouth (Latin nil per os): the patient may not eat or drink. Check the order before offering a drink or…
O&POva and parasites: a stool test for parasites and their eggs. Nothing else, such as urine, water or toilet paper, may…
OGTTOral glucose tolerance test: timed blood glucose draws after the patient drinks a measured amount of glucose.
OPIMOther potentially infectious materials: fluids such as semen, CSF and any visibly bloody fluid, plus unfixed human…
OSHAOccupational Safety and Health Administration: part of the U.S. Department of Labor; it writes and enforces job safety…
PEPPost-exposure prophylaxis: medicine started after an exposure; for possible HIV it should begin as soon as possible…
PHIProtected health information: health information that identifies a patient, in any form (spoken, paper or electronic)…
PICCPeripherally inserted central catheter: a long thin line placed through an upper-arm vein with its tip in a large vein…
POCTPoint-of-care testing: testing at the bedside or patient's location, such as a fingerstick glucose or hemoglobin…
PPEPersonal protective equipment: gloves, gowns, masks, respirators and eye or face protection worn against blood and…
PSAProstate-specific antigen: a protein made by the prostate gland; its blood level helps screen for and follow prostate…
PTProthrombin time: a clotting test collected in a sodium citrate (light blue-top) tube and reported with the INR to…
PTTPartial thromboplastin time: a coagulation test, drawn in a light blue-top sodium citrate tube, commonly ordered to…
QD, QODDaily (QD) and every other day (QOD). On The Joint Commission Do Not Use list: misread as each other or as QID. Write…
QNSQuantity not sufficient: too little specimen for the ordered tests, a common reason a sample is rejected.
RBCShort for red blood cell (erythrocyte). On a lab report it usually means the red cell count: how many are present in a…
SBARSituation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation: a structured way to report a patient problem to a nurse or provider.
SDSSafety data sheet: the 16-section document kept for each hazardous chemical; section 8 lists the protective equipment…
SESIPSharp with engineered sharps injury protection: OSHA term for a needle or other sharp with a built-in feature that…
STATPriority meaning "now" (Latin statim). Collect and send a STAT specimen without delay, ahead of routine work; a timed…
TBTuberculosis: a bacterial infection, mainly of the lungs, spread through the air; it calls for airborne precautions…
TDMTherapeutic drug monitoring: blood tests that measure a medicine's level, drawn at ordered times relative to the dose.
TJCThe Joint Commission: accredits health care organizations; its goals require two patient identifiers and labeling…
TPNTotal parenteral nutrition: complete nutrition infused into a vein. As with any infusion, do not draw from that arm…
TSHThyroid-stimulating hormone: a pituitary hormone measured in a blood sample to check how the thyroid is working.
UUnit. On The Joint Commission Do Not Use list: it can be misread as 0, 4 or cc. Write "unit".
UTIUrinary tract infection. A clean-catch midstream urine specimen is collected for the urine culture that diagnoses it.
VREVancomycin-resistant Enterococcus: gut bacteria no longer killed by vancomycin; patients carrying them are cared for…
WBCShort for white blood cell (leukocyte). On a lab report it usually means the white cell count: how many are present in…