Acceptable Prescribing Terms and Abbreviations

Acceptable term Acceptable term Intended meaning Intended meaning or abbreviation or abbreviation Dose frequency or timing Route of administration (in the) morning morning, mane ear(s) specify left, right ear or both (at) midday midday epidural epidural (at) night night, nocte eye(s) specify left, right twice a day bd eye or both three times a day tds inhale, inhalation Inhale, inhalation four times a day qid intraarticular intraarticular every 4 hours every 4 hrs, 4 hourly, 4 hrly intramuscular IM every 6 hours every 6 hrs, 6 hourly, 6 hrly intranasal intranasal every 8 hours every 8 hrs, 8 hourly, 8 hrly intrathecal intrathecal once a week and specify intravenous IV once a week the day in full irrigation irrigation three times a week and three times a week specify the days in full left left when required prn naso-gastric NG immediately stat nebulised NEB before food before food oral PO after food after food percutanous enteral gastrostomy PEG with food with food per rectum PR Dose forms per vagina PV capsule cap peripherally inserted PICC cream cream central catheter drops drops right right injection inj subcutaneous subcut sublingual subling metered dose inhaler metered dose inhaler, inhaler, MDI topical topical mixture mixture Units of measure and concentration ointment ointment, oint gram(s) g patient controlled litre(s) L analgesia PCA milligram(s) mg pessary pess millilitre(s) mL powder powder microgram(s) microgram, microg suppository supp millimole mmol tablet tablet, tab international unit(s) international unit(s) unit(s) unit(s) percentage % OCM-011016 JAN’17 © Department of Health 2017 OCM-011016 better health * better care * better value