Official "Do Not Use" List1

 

Do Not Use                                      Potential Problem                          Use Instead

 _____________________________________________________________________

U (unit)                                                  Mistaken for "0" (zero), the                      Write "unit"

number "4" (four) or "cc"

_________________________________________________________________________________________ 
IU (International Unit)                              Mistaken for IV (intravenous)                   Write "International Unit"

or the number 10 (ten)

 ________________________________________________________________________________________
Q.D., QD, q.d., qd (daily)                        Mistaken for each other                          Write "daily"    

_____________________________________________________________________________

Q.O.D., QOD, q.o.d, qod                        Period after the Q mistaken for                Write "every other day"

(every other day)                                    "I" and the "O" mistaken for "I"

 ____________________________________________________________________________

Trailing zero (X.0 mg)*                            Decimal point is missed                          Write X mg       

Lack of leading zero (.X mg)                                                                                Write 0.X mg

___________________________________________________________________________

MS,   MSO4 and MgSO4                        Can mean morphine sulfate or                 Write "morphine sulfate"

magnesium sulfate                                Write "magnesium sulfate"

                                                            Confused for one another

 

 

1 Applies to all orders and all medication-related documentation that is handwritten (including free-text

computer entry) or on pre-printed forms.

 

*Exception: A "trailing zero" may be used only where required to demonstrate the level of precision of the value being reported, such as for laboratory results, imaging studies that report size of lesions, or

catheter/tube sizes. It may not be used in medication orders or other medication-related documentation.

 

Additional Abbreviations, Acronyms and Symbols

(For possible future inclusion in the Official "Do Not Use" List)

 

 

Do Not Use                                      Potential Problem                          Use Instead

_____________________________________________________________________

> (greater than)                                      Misinterpreted as the number                  Write "greater than"

< (less than)                                          "7" (seven) or the letter "L"                      Write "less than"

 Confused for one another

_____________________________________________________________________________

Abbreviations for drug names                  Misinterpreted due to similar                   Write drug names in full

abbreviations for multiple drugs

 _____________________________________________________________________________

Apothecary units                                    Unfamiliar to many                                 Use metric units

practitioners

Confused with metric units

 _____________________________________________________________________________

@                                                         Mistaken for the number                         Write "at"

"2" (two)

 _____________________________________________________________________________

cc                                                         Mistaken for U (units) when                     Write "ml" or "milliliters"

poorly written

 ____________________________________________________________________________

 ug                                                   Mistaken for mg (milligrams)                  Write "mcg" or "micrograms"

           resulting in one thousand-fold overdose