Common Medical Abbreviations
If you’re in an accident or have a medical emergency, then it’s imperative that your MedicAlert ID is engraved with your most critical medical information. But if you aren’t sure what to engrave on your medical ID, it might feel overwhelming.
Let’s look at some common medical abbreviations that will communicate your needs to emergency services.
What should I engrave on my medical ID?
First responders are trained to look for medical IDs. Therefore, your medical ID engraving should reflect the vital information that will help you get fast and accurate care in an emergency. Deciding on what information to engrave can be challenging – especially if you if have more than one medical condition, allergy, or medication.
The American College of Emergency Physicians advises that you should list your information in the following order:
The American College of Emergency Physicians advises that you should list your information in the following order:
1
Allergies - but only those likely to cause anaphylaxis or severe reaction
2
Medications - any that will affect how you are treated in an emergency, such as blood thinners or immunosuppressants
3
Medical Conditions - your primary condition(s), for example: heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, dementia
4
Implanted Medical Devices - including pacemaker, ICD, LVAD, GCM
5
Other special instructions - i.e. no MRI, carries EpiPen
Remember that only the most critical information goes on your ID. The rest of your medical history – including your current medications, past surgeries, vaccinations and more – is stored in your MedicAlert health profile. That’s the information that is communicated to first responders by our 24/7 emergency support team.
If you’re unsure what to engrave, you can talk to your physician, or speak with our Member Care team at 800.432.5378, available Monday – Friday from 6am – 4:30 PM ET.
What is a medical abbreviation?
When engraving your MedicAlert ID, it’s extremely important that you maximize the space on the emblem to communicate your most vital medical information. Also, it’s equally important to utilize the most common abbreviations used in the medical community. For instance, the condition ‘High Blood Pressure’ — also known as Hypertension — is very long, and would take up a lot of space on an ID if you need to include other information. Basically, by using the medical abbreviation of “HBP” or “HTN,” you communicate to emergency personnel that you have high blood pressure.
Do first responders understand medical abbreviations?
Yes – first responders, doctors, nurses, and other emergency response professionals use these abbreviations in their day-to-day work, so using them on your ID actually makes their job easier. Therefore when you use an accepted abbreviation, then EMTs don’t have to guess what your engraving means.
What are common medical abbreviations for medical alert bracelets?
At MedicAlert, we’re continually adding new medical abbreviations to our vast database. As a result, our medical response team collaborates with partners in the medical community to understand, compile and diligently maintain a list of the most frequently used and recognized abbreviations. Of course, we want to ensure that you make best use of the space on your ID. But more importantly, we want to maximize the effectiveness of your engraving, so first responders have the information needed for a quick diagnosis.
Here are some commonly used medical abbreviations:
Common abbreviations to engrave |
|
| Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm | AAA |
| Allergy | ALGY |
| Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome | AIDS |
| Aortic Valve Replacement | AVR |
| Aspirin | ASA |
| As Needed | PRN |
| Attention Deficit Disorder | ADD |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | ADHD |
| Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant | ABMT |
| Atrial Fibrillation | A-Fib |
| Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure | BIPAP |
| Blood Pressure | BP |
| Bone Marrow Transplant | BMT |
| Cerebrovascular Accident | CVA |
| Cervical Spine | C-Spine |
| Chronic Kidney Disease | CKD |
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease | COPD |
| Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy | CTE |
| Ciprofloxacin | CIPRO |
| Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia | CAH |
| Congestive Heart Failure | CHF |
| Coronary Artery Disease | CAD |
| Coronary Artery Bypass Graft | CABG |
| Continuous Glucose Monitoring Sensor | CGMS |
| Deep Vein Thrombosis | DVT |
| Diabetes Mellitus | DM |
| Diabetic Ketoacidosis | DKA |
| Do Not Resuscitate | DNR |
| Epinephrine | EPI |
| Epinephrine Pen (auto-injector) | EPIPEN |
| Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate | EES |
| Fibromyalgia Syndrome | FMS |
| Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease | GERD |
| Gastrostomy Tube | G-Tube |
| Generalized Anxiety Disorder | GAD |
| High Blood Pressure | HBP |
| History of | HX |
| Hydrochlorothiazide | HCTZ |
| Hydrochloride | HCL |
| Hypertension | HTN |
| Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura | ITP |
| Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis | IHSS |
| Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillator | ICD |
| In Case of Emergency | ICE |
| Inflammatory Bowel Disease | IBD |
| Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus | IDDM |
| Intravenous | IV |
| Intravenous Immune Globulin | IVIG |
| Irritable Bowel Syndrome | IBS |
| Jejunostomy Tube | J-Tube |
| Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome | KTS |
| Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome | KTW |
| Left | LT |
| Left Bundle Branch Block | LBBB |
| Malignant Hyperthermia Susceptible | MH Susceptible |
| Medication(s)/Prescription(s) | MED/MEDS/RX/RXS |
| Mitral Valve Prolapse | MVP |
| Multiple Chemical Sensitivities | MCS |
| Multiple Sclerosis | MS |
| Myocardial Infarction | MI |
| Muscular Dystrophy | MD |
| Nasogastric Feeding Tube | NG |
| Nitroglycerin | NTG |
| No Known Allergies | NKA |
| No Known Drug Allergies | NKDA |
| Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs | NSAIDs |
| Nothing by Mouth | NPO |
| Oxygen | O2 |
| Parkinson’s Disease | PD |
| Penicillin | PCN |
| Peripheral Vascular Disease | PVD |
| Post Traumatic Stress Disorder | PTSD |
| Pulmonary Embolism | PE |
| Rheumatoid Arthritis | RA |
| Right | RT |
| Right Bundle Branch Block | RBBB |
| Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis | SBE |
| Supraventricular Tachycardia | SVT |
| Systemic Lupus Erythematosus | SLE |
| Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome | TMJ |
| Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis Vaccine | TDaP |
| Tetracycline | TCN |
| Tracheostomy/Tracheotomy | TRACH |
| Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement | TAVR |
| Transplant or Treatment | TX |
| Transurethral Resection of Prostate | TURP |
| Traumatic Brain Injury | TBI |
| Tuberculosis | TB |
| Venipuncture | VP |
| Ventricular Fibrillation | V-FIB |
| Ventricular Tachycardia | V-TACH |
| Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt | VP Shunt |
| Von Willebrand’s Disease | VWD |
Medications to list on your ID |
Blood Thinners / Anticoagulants |
| Warfarin |
| Coumadin |
| Apixaban (Eliquis) |
| Dabigatran (Pradaxa) |
| Edoxaban (Savaysa) |
| Rivaroxaban (Xarelto) |
Immunosuppressants |
| Calcineurin Inhibitors: Tacrolimus and Cyclosporine |
| Antiproliferative agents: Mycophenolate Mofetil, Mycophenolate Sodium and Azathioprine |
| mTOR inhibitor: Sirolimus, Torisel |
Corticosteroids |
| Bethamethasone (Celestone) |
| Prednisone (Prednisone Intensol) |
| Prednisolone (Orapred, Prelone) |
| Triamcinolone (Aristospan Intra-Articular, Aristospan Intralesional, Kenalog) |
| Methylprednisolone((Medrol, Depo-Medrol, Solu-Medrol) |
| Dexamethasone |