Acronyms Frequently Used in Healthcare

Sometimes when in a situation you have higher than normal anxiety and hear something that you don’t ask for clarification.  Here is a little cheat sheet for some of the acronyms you may hear and really want to know the meaning.

ADE 

• Adverse drug event- A side effect of a medication

ADL’s 

• Activities of daily living - Like bathing, toileting, feeding, hygiene, walking

ALF   

• Assisted Living Facility

ALS  

• Advanced Life Support - machines that keep you alive

APS 

•   Adult Protective Services

BIPAP 

• Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure - A breathing machine

CABG 

•   Coronary Artery Bypass Graft - Open Heart Surgery

CAD 

•   Coronary Artery Disease - diseases affecting the heart

CT 

• Computerized tomography - x-ray images from different angles of bone, blood vessels and soft tissues inside your body

CCU  

• Coronary Care Unit - Intensive care for issues with heart

CHHA 

•  Certified Home Health Aide - aide who has taken classes home health aides work with one client at a time mostly in home care 

CNA

• Certified Nursing Assistant - Can work in any healthcare facility - Need to take specific courses and pass a state exam

Co payment 

• The financial responsibility after insurance pays

CPAP  

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure - Breathing machine

CPR  

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - lifesaving procedure when heart stops

CVA   

• Cerebral Vascular Accident - stroke

CVC   

• Central Venous Catheter- an IV line which is passed through a vein into part of the heart

Dementia 

• Symptoms of the brain which are progressive

DME   

•  Durable Medical Equipment - equipment needed to make normal functions easier, for example:  walkers, wheelchairs, commodes

DNR   

•  Do-Not-Resuscitate Order - If loved one dies they do not want any life saving attempts to be made

DOH  

•  Department of Health

DVT

•  Deep vein thrombosis - blood clot

ED/ER 

• Emergency Department or emergency room

EHR    

• Electronic Health Record

EMS  

•  Emergency Medical Services - 911

EMT   

•  Emergency Medical Technician - one who comes when you call 911

ESRD 

• End Stage Renal Disease - when kidneys stop on permanent basis and leading to need of long-term dialysis or kidney transplant to maintain life

H1N1 

•  Influenza virus - flu

HDL  

• High density Lipoproteins - good cholesterol - absorbs it and carrys to liver

HHA  

•  Home Health Agency - agencies that provide care at home

ICU   

•  Intensive Care Unit - specialized or critical care

IV      

• Intravenous - and IV needle permanently inserted to give fluids or medications

LDL  

•   Low Density Lipoprotein - bad cholesterol raises risk of heart disease

LTC   

•  Long Term Care - Nursing Home

MD   

•   Medical Doctor

Medigap 

•  Medicare supplemental insurance

MRI   

•  Magnetic Resonance Imaging - uses magnetic fields and radio waves to see detailed images of organs and tissues in your body

MRSA 

•  Methicillan-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus - bacteria that is resistant to alot of antibiotics and very hard to treat

MUGA  

• A small amount of radioactive tracer is injected into a vein and then a camera takes pictures of the pumping heart

NP      

• Nurse Practitioner

NPO  

• Nothing by mouth - doctors order before surgery or treatment in hospitals

OT

• Occupational therapist - therapist who works with upper body and your fine motor skills

PA   

•  Physicians assistant

PCA   

• Personal Care Assistants - nursing assistants

PCP   

•  Primary Care Physician - your doctor

PE     

•  Pulmonary Embolism - blood clot in your lung

PET   

•  Positron Emission Tomography - a scan used to identify conditions like cancer, heart disease and brain disorders

PICC  

•  Peripherally inserted central catheter - a long thin IV line inserted into the vein in arm or neck to a large vein in heart used to give fluids, blood, iv nutrition or chemotherapy

POA  

• Power of Attorney - You give permission for another person to make decisions for you if you are unable to do so

PPE   

•  Personal Protective Equipment - gowns, gloves and masks to protect the healthcare workers and others

PSA   

•  Prostate Specific Antigen - a lab value that shows degree of cancer of prostate

PT     

•  Physical Therapy - therapy to improve use of lower limbs of body legs and mobility

RN    

• Registered Nurse - nurse that has completed more nursing education and passed the NCLEX exam for registered nurses

RT    

•  Respiratory therapist - therapist that works with breathing issues - and machines to help with your breathing

SNF  

•  Skilled Nursing Facility - Nursing Home

TBI   

• Traumatic Brain Injury - Injury of brain resulting from a blow or jolt to the head and effects how the brain works

TKA  

• Total Knee Athroplasty - Total knee replacement

THA 

•  Total Hip Athroplasty - Total hip replacement

TPN  

•  Total Parenteral Nutrition - Nutrition that is given through an IV line when a patient can’t eat by mouth

VNA  

•  Visiting Nurse Association - a home care agency that will visit your home

VRE  

•  Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus - a bacteria usually found in intestines and the female genital tract that is resistant to vancomycin