Are abbreviations becoming obsolete?

[WuLabsWuTecH]

So I was having a discussion with someone at my station and I wanted to make the point that abbreviations are going to become obsolete, at least to my generation. This all came about after I went to a clinical session for medical school, and my preceptor informed me that unless an abbreviation is for a word that is many syllables long and you're going to be using it a lot, we're not supposed to use them anymore. If choose to, we need to define it the first time we use it. One of the few acceptable ones is, "hydrochlorothiazide, (HCTZ)"

My partner tended to agree with me--in her generation (when she rode her dinosaur to school, uphill both ways of course), abbreviations shortened the amount of time it took to write a report. In that case, the person who was writing, might be thinking a few words ahead of what she was writing. Even now with electronic run reports, it still might benefit her to abbreviate words as she hunts and pecks.

But in my generation, I grew up using computers. Ever since kindergarten we've had computers and ever since the 3rd grade we've had typing classes. I almost never find myself trying to catch up to my thoughts, but rather find my hands idle waiting for the next thought to type out. My partner decided to clock me one day and I'm at about 60-70 words per minute when typing. She declined to be timed but she spends about 20 minutes per run report and has about half of what I write. The difference between be using abbreviations and not is negligible, so I think i'm going to decide to never use them, but this brings up a good point.

Since abbreviations can cause for a lot of errors, should we just ban all abbreviations? Especially once my generation ages a decade or so, will we all type fast enough to not need abbreviations anymore?

Of course you could argue that the generation or two younger than me only knows how to type in abbreviations and can't use punctuation, but we'll save that discussion for another thread

 

[ExpatMedic0]

I still use the common ones like HX, B/P, ETOH, ect. I think my last agency had a protocol for all the acceptable ones within that agency. Sometimes they can cause confusion like LOC for example. I avoid that one because it can be taken different ways. I don't think a ban is in order. Just some uniformity and regulations.

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

I'm not saying ban it right now, but just that would a ban, say 10 years from now, have any detrimental effects?

 

[DesertMedic66]

I don't see any kind of ban happening anytime soon. I'm 21 years old and have never had any kind of typing class (let alone a computer class) so I am a hunt and peck typer. We have a list of generic abbreviations and people often use others (Pt. N/V/D, CP, SOB, PCN, AOS, 23 YO F/M, etc).

 

[AtlasFlyer]

I'm 37, I learned to type on an Apple //e when I was 8, was first introduced to computers (Commodore 64, bay-bee) in the 2nd grade. Being "young" has nothing to do with typing ability Some of us more aged folks can match any 20 year old's typing speed.

No matter how fast you type, it still takes less time to type an abbreviation than it does to type out the whole word, and leaves less room for spelling errors. The entire document is less wordy, more concise, and tends to read faster & easier (provided the reader knows the abbreviations, in EMS you can be fairly sure the person reading the document does, indeed, know).

I doubt we'll ever see the "end" of the use of abbreviations.

 

[Bullets]

I still use the common ones like HX, B/P, ETOH, ect. I think my last agency had a protocol for all the acceptable ones within that agency. Sometimes they can cause confusion like LOC for example. I avoid that one because it can be taken different ways. I don't think a ban is in order. Just some uniformity and regulations.

ETOH isnt an abbreviation, its a notation of a chemical formula, slightly different

With EMSCharts, they dont use abbreviations in the medication, medical history, or allergies lists. So when you are looking for COPD, its listed long form as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, same with things like GERD and ESRD.
So this has made our charts a little better and taught our EMTs some things, like what hyperlipidemia is. I still use abbreviation when im taking notes, but when i write reports i use the full version

Also, police department policy is that no reports shall include abbreviations, so we have to adhere to that as well.

The hospital also has banned abbreviations from charts, to many mixups between mcg and mg, and the nature of pharmaceuticals today, a lot of similar names

 

[Tigger]

No matter how fast you type, it still takes less time to type an abbreviation than it does to type out the whole word, and leaves less room for spelling errors. The entire document is less wordy, more concise, and tends to read faster & easier (provided the reader knows the abbreviations, in EMS you can be fairly sure the person reading the document does, indeed, know).

You cannot be fairly sure that the reader knows what you are talking about. Even amongst EMS providers (especially region to region), there is still a great deal of confusion. Now think about what happens if the hospital staff reads your PCR, and they are not likely to call you up and ask. No. that PCRs are of much value to most EDs, but making them unreadable certainly doesn't help/

I used abbreviations a lot when I had to write paper charts. Now I have ePCRs and I only use really obvious ones like Pt. or HEENT. Seeing that using abbreviations would likely save me about a minute of typing, I don't think they're that useful. Not to mention that from a personal perspective I think they make a narrative harder to read as you have to wonder what the person is trying to abbreviate.

 

[Aprz]

There are so much rumors about the county I work in, and one of them is that they do not want any acronyms or abbreviations at all. They do not have an approve list in their protocols and policies like other nearby counties I've worked in so I never use any acronyms or abbreviations including obvious ones. So maybe we are headed in that direction of banning acronyms and abbreviations. I still see a lot of people I work with though who do choose to use acronyms and abbreviations even in their ePCRs, and say the same thing, they use the obvious ones.

I personally disagree with using what's obvious or common knowledge. What a lot of people think is obvious and common knowledge really isn't. For example, in the ER that I am doing my clinical internship at, we had a list of acronyms and abbreviation that we were suppose to define, and I was shocked to find out that some people didn't know what C/C (chief complaint) or c/o (complaining of) was. The hospital had a bunch of acronyms that the students weren't familiar with too like OD (oculus dexter, right eye), OS (oculus sinister, left eye), OU (I forget what U is, but it means both eyes), they had things like RRR (regular rate and rhythm), different variations of CMSTP (capillary refill, motor, sensory, temperature, pulse), CSMTP, PMS, CMS, CSM, PSM, CCMTP, etc....

I acronyms and abbreviations are all right to use as we (the agency, and agencies you interact with eg the hospital) agree to use the same ones. I see way too many people using what they consider common knowledge/obvious or just making up their own acronyms and abbreviations to shorten their PCRs.

 

[JPINFV]

As long as paper charts are around, abbreviations are going to be present. Be it q__, BID, mg, or even a c with a line over it. Unless it's signfiicantly dangerous to earn an infamous spot on "Never ___" signs they aren't going away, and even those are often still easy to find.

ETOH isnt an abbreviation, its a notation of a chemical formula, slightly different

Technically it's EtOH.

 

[ExpatMedic0]

ETOH isnt an abbreviation, its a notation of a chemical formula, slightly different

Its been over 10 years since I had a chemistry class however, Ethanol is often abbreviated as EtOH?
(acorrding to the web)The common organic chemistry notation of representing the ethyl group is (C2H5) the formula for ethonal is C2H6O

 

[JPINFV]

Its been over 10 years since I had a chemistry class however, Ethanol is often abbreviated as EtOH?
(acorrding to the web)The common organic chemistry notation of representing the ethyl group is (C2H5) the formula for ethonal is C2H6O

Yes. Another way, and arguably better, to short hand the formula would be C2H5OH, thus leaving the functional group off to the end. CH3-O-CH3 (dimethyl ether) has the same C2H3O formula.

 

[chaz90]

Ooh, I love chemistry nomenclature discussions.

 

[JPINFV]

Ooh, I love chemistry nomenclature discussions.

Next you'll be praising VSEPR theory.

 

[Bullets]

You cannot be fairly sure that the reader knows what you are talking about. Even amongst EMS providers (especially region to region), there is still a great deal of confusion. Now think about what happens if the hospital staff reads your PCR, and they are not likely to call you up and ask. No. that PCRs are of much value to most EDs, but making them unreadable certainly doesn't help/

I used abbreviations a lot when I had to write paper charts. Now I have ePCRs and I only use really obvious ones like Pt. or HEENT. Seeing that using abbreviations would likely save me about a minute of typing, I don't think they're that useful. Not to mention that from a personal perspective I think they make a narrative harder to read as you have to wonder what the person is trying to abbreviate.

Whats HEENT? High End Ear Nose and Throat?

Its been over 10 years since I had a chemistry class however, Ethanol is often abbreviated as EtOH?
(acorrding to the web)The common organic chemistry notation of representing the ethyl group is (C2H5) the formula for ethonal is C2H6O

Its basically the C2H5 Ethanol groups being noted by Et and the hydroxyl group as OH. The only abreviations we are allowed to use in our charts are chemical abbreviations so things like KCl, FeSO4, MgSO4, ect

 

[Wheel]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEENT_examination

 

[Tigger]

Whats HEENT? High End Ear Nose and Throat?



Its basically the C2H5 Ethanol groups being noted by Et and the hydroxyl group as OH. The only abreviations we are allowed to use in our charts are chemical abbreviations so things like KCl, FeSO4, MgSO4, ect

This is actually a good illustration of why abreviations are bad. I think it's obvious, but it's not, and that holds nothing against anyone else. I do use it considering one tab of the ESO ePCR "Assessment" page is labelled HEENT and it's defined within that as such.

 

[Bullets]

This is actually a good illustration of why abreviations are bad. I think it's obvious, but it's not, and that holds nothing against anyone else. I do use it considering one tab of the ESO ePCR "Assessment" page is labelled HEENT and it's defined within that as such.

primary reason i asked was to illustrate this point, this would fall under Secondary Survey on my ePCR

 

[abckidsmom]

I find that it's easier and quicker just to type the words than to slow down for the caps lock.

I'm 33, had the same apple IIe, commodore experience as referenced above, and was writing logos script when we watched the Challenger explode on our 19" black and white TV on a rolling cart in the classroom.

I type 60 wpm. You should have seen my grandma type 80 wpm on her electic typewriter. It was amazing.

 

[SpecialK]

I have come to learn that abbreviations are bad and cause more problems than they are worth.

The standard ones that have existed since time itself began are fine; for example Hx for history, IHD for ischaemic heart disease, /60 for minutes or /24 for hours, HTN for hypertension, GERD for GERD etc.

Problems start when people use ones that are not so common and expect them to be understood.

WIth the move towards ePRF and all of the hospitals now using electronic discharge summaries and such its just easier to write it out in full unless using very common abbreviations like those I mentioned above.

 

[Bullets]

I have come to learn that abbreviations are bad and cause more problems than they are worth.

The standard ones that have existed since time itself began are fine; for example Hx for history, IHD for ischaemic heart disease, /60 for minutes or /24 for hours, HTN for hypertension, GERD for GERD etc.

Problems start when people use ones that are not so common and expect them to be understood.

WIth the move towards ePRF and all of the hospitals now using electronic discharge summaries and such its just easier to write it out in full unless using very common abbreviations like those I mentioned above.

If someone told me they had IHD, id start looking for a ankle cuff and calling the cops

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