Acronyms Frequently Used in Healthcare

resources Jun 09, 2022

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
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