Current Practice of Abbreviations

In Northern Ireland

To use abbreviations or not

that is the question?????

Problems with using abbreviations

1) crypticness - making the communication harder for others to understand

2) ambiguity - having more than one possible interpretation

Problems with using abbreviations

Regardless of their convenience, medical abbreviations have been responsible for serious

errors and deaths.

According to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)

Over 7,000 deaths per year may be attributed to medication errors (Brehio, 2005).

The use of abbreviation and medical notation makes a significant contribution to this

statistic. The literature is filled with many examples of the problems arising from their

use.

Frances Report - 2013

Current Practice - NI

Is there a current policy for guidance and/or teaching in the use of Abbreviations held within the organisation?

SEHSCT NHSCT SHSCT WHSCT BHSCT QUB UUJ OU CEC

No No No No Yes No No No NoTwo policies

make reference to abbreviation

s i.e. at patient

check into theatre and

the site marking

policy

1. Policy for the safe use of abbreviations

2. speciality specific

Nephrology and Transplant

Do not teach abbreviations – therefore do not have a policy

But will assist students to understand what they mean

Regional Maternal Hand Held Record

Current Practice - NI

• Is the policy/ policies for Uni or Multi-professional use?

SEHSCT NHSCT SHSCT WHSCT BHSCT QUB UUJ OU CEC

N/A N/A N/A N/A MultiProfession

al

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Maternal Hand Held Record – Multi-Professional Use

Current Practice - NI

• Has an audit been completed on the adherence of any policy?

SEHSCT NHSCT SHSCT WHSCT BHSCT QUB UUJ OU CEC

N/A N/A N/A N/A No N/A N/A N/A N/A

Maternal Hand Held Record – Supervision Audit

Current Practice - NI

In the absence of a policy, are abbreviations used throughout the organisation

SEHSCT NHSCT SHSCT WHSCT BHSCT

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Current PracticeWhat is the general view of the use of

abbreviations within the organisation?

• ‘Abbreviations are not recommended for use in our Trust’

• There are dangers in a lack of standardisation e.g DOA – ‘dead on arrival or date of admission’

• ‘The Trust has been wishing to address this matter but knew the regional group would be formed so we have not as yet tackled this issue’

Current Practice - general view cont’d• ‘There needs to be defined easily understood

terminology for computers as they cannot interpret meaning, and are the future of record keeping’

• ‘Not all abbreviations are known outside specific disciplines, which can cause confusion at times’

• ‘Maybe there are some acceptable e.g TPR, BP, Temp’

• ‘A regional approach would be useful’

Current Practice

What is the general opinion about the development of a regional policy for abbreviations?

All organisations welcomed this development

development of a regional policy on abbreviations for use by Nurses and feel the policy needs to go across professional boundaries

If you can do this well done

Uncovering the meaning

GROUP WORK

What does that mean?????

Exercise One

Random selection of abbreviations

Each of these abbreviations has two meanings some have more...................

Can you decipher them?

How did you do!!!!

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