Do Official Not Use List1 Do Not Use U (unit) IU (International Unit) Q.D., QD, q.d., qd (daily) Q.O.D., QOD, q.o.d, qod (every other day) Trailing zero (X.0 mg)* Lack of leading zero (.X mg) MS MSO4 and MgSO4
1
Potential Problem Mistaken for 0 (zero), the number 4 (four) or cc Mistaken for IV (intravenous) or the number 10 (ten) Mistaken for each other Period after the Q mistaken for "I" and the "O" mistaken for "I" Decimal point is missed Can mean morphine sulfate or magnesium sulfate Confused for one another
Use Instead Write "unit" Write "International Unit" Write "daily" Write "every other day"
Write X mg Write 0.X mg Write "morphine sulfate" Write "magnesium sulfate"
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 the of 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 > (greater than) < (less than) Abbreviations for drug names Potential Problem Misinterpreted as the number 7 (seven) or the letter L Confused for one another Misinterpreted due to similar abbreviations for multiple drugs Unfamiliar to many practitioners Confused with metric units Mistaken for the number 2 (two) Mistaken for U (units) when poorly written Mistaken for mg (milligrams) resulting in one thousand-fold overdose Use Instead Write greater than Write less than Write drug names in full
Apothecary units
Use metric units
@ cc
Write at Write mL or "ml" or milliliters (mL is preferred) Write "mcg" or micrograms
g
Updated 3/5/09