Abbreviations : As a retired military... - Advanced Prostate...

Advanced Prostate Cancer

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Abbreviations

MGBman profile image
11 Replies

As a retired military chap, I understand the use of abbreviations, however, I would not presume that everyone would understand such usage. Some posts are so full of abbreviations that one does have to spend some time researching what is being stated. Is it possible to reduce the use of medical abbreviations?

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MGBman profile image
MGBman
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11 Replies
Tall_Allen profile image
Tall_Allen

Probably better if you get up to speed. Here's a list:

prostatecancerinfolink.net/...

If not on the list, just ask.

Lyubov profile image
Lyubov in reply toTall_Allen

Thank you TA for this link. There's so much more here than the abbreviations!

MGBman profile image
MGBman in reply toTall_Allen

Thank you for the link. As a wild guess, I probably know about 10-15% of the abbreviations and acronyms. I will print the list and keep it handy.

Mrtroxely profile image
Mrtroxely

Psst Don't fret.

You'll pick it up fast.....

You'll find this site a great resource of knowledge and experience.

Now!!!

Left.left..left ,right, left keep soldering through dude.

You got this.

MGBman profile image
MGBman in reply toMrtroxely

Indeed, no worries, no fretting. Well, not completely true as my good old PSA is once again rocketing up and the day of reckoning is most likely not too far off......when I become (and here is where I can use an acronym) .....mCRPC. It used to be left, left, left, right but when I retired it was right, right, left, left. It was called "zunting" and it would cause the Sgt-Major with his pace-stick to froth at the mouth.

Stoneartist profile image
Stoneartist in reply toMGBman

I agree with you. Some abbreviations are commonplace - like PCa, but the range goes right up to the non-understandable. At the end of this range the abbreviations cause great difficulty to the reader - just so the writer can save a few seconds. If there are 100 readers, who take 10 seconds to look up a little used abbreviation - thats 1000 seconds wasted for the writer to save just a few seconds.

In technical presentations it is customary to give the full name at first mention - with the abbreviation in brackets afterwards. This makes it easier.

Furthermore many of us are at an age where short term memory is degraded, making superfluous use of abbreviations a major problem.

Darryl profile image
DarrylPartner

here: healthunlocked.com/advanced...

MGBman profile image
MGBman in reply toDarryl

Thanks Darryl. I will also print the list and keep it handy

Darryl profile image
DarrylPartner in reply toMGBman

I just updated the list with aproximately 25 new terms.

witantric profile image
witantric in reply toDarryl

Is there going to be a quiz, boss? 😀

NIKKIWOOD profile image
NIKKIWOOD

I'm late to the dance here, but I agree with you.

However, prostate cancer (and its various treatments) is an enormously complicated subject, and as such, it is difficult to avoid abbreviations altogether.

But I will say that too many posters seem to indulge, simply as a way of showing the rest of us how smart they are..................... however, just being here, you will eventually learn enough of the lingo to enable you to understand what you need to know to figure out your own case.

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