Medical Terminology
Medical Abbreviations
While the “Medicalese” glossary contains medical jargon and terms and some spoken abbreviations, there are far more abbreviations used in medical records and related documents that are rarely spoken, but commonly written. Individual institutions sometimes have lists of abbreviations used in those institutions; if available, these are the best source of information for physicians working in those institutions. However, if no such list exists or a more extensive list is desired, the websites listed below may be helpful.
Note that it is highly variable as to which abbreviations are included on a particular list. So if a particular abbreviation is not found on one list, it may be worthwhile to check other lists for more information.
The Clinician’s Ultimate Reference (from Detroit VA Medical Center)
This is a very good list of medical abbreviations. It is reasonably comprehensive but not overwhelming. A few of the abbreviations are a bit obscure but most are in fairly common usage. The site also has a great deal of other useful information, tables, and tools.
http://www.globalrph.com/abbrev.htm
Your Dictionary.com
This is also a reasonably comprehensive yet manageable list of abbreviations similar in scope to The Clinician’s Ultimate Reference. Interestingly, each of these two lists contains abbreviations not included in the other.
http://www.yourdictionary.com/grammar/abbreviations/common-medical-abbreviations.html
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a user-generated and user-edited resource that provides information on a vast array of topics. Its entries on medical abbreviations and related items are quite comprehensive but, like all Wikipedia entries, not always complete and not always accurate. Nevertheless, the advantage of this resource is that it includes materials beyond simple abbreviations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_abbreviations
Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)
List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations
This two-page document lists the abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations that have been found to be commonly misinterpreted. It indicates how the common misinterpretations are made as well as suggestions to prevent these errors.
http://www.ismp.org/Newsletters/ambulatory/Issues/Abbreviations.pdf
Elsevier Evolve
These materials are directed primarily at nurses but the site has several one-page quick references on common abbreviations, lab values, and other quick reference information.
http://www.coursewareobjects.com/objects/evolve/E2/pdf/SD_Quick_Reference_Tools.pdf
Joint Commission Do Not Use List
Although included with some modification in several of the above websites, this is the official Joint Commission list of abbreviations that should not be used due to the possibility of misinterpretation. Each entry includes the potential problem and suggestion of an alternate term or abbreviation to use.
http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/Official_Do%20Not%20Use_List_%206_10.pdf
mediLexicon
Instead of providing a list of abbreviations, this site allows users to search a database of 200,000 entries either by abbreviation to find a definition or by definition to find related abbreviations. This might be most useful as a last resort if abbreviations or definitions are not listed on the more accessible sites.