Medical Acronyms. Love them or hate them?

[Cateran]

Some years ago I volunteered for a clinical research programme entitled TRIBE. It wasn't an ethnic study or investigation into my genetic origins. It was a localised study : Tayside Rehabilitation In Bronchiectasis Rehabilitation. My first brush with the all-pervasive ACRONYMIC mania.I soon learned to live with it, in fact found it rather easy to remember as both an acronym and a mnemonic, which of course is its dual purpose. However, medical acronyms can be baffling or plain bewildering, and too clever or obtuse for any use. I wonder if you have fallen foul of acronyms, or regard them as NHS gibberish, at times? Comments welcome.

TTFN

[stone-UK]

Hi

Two interesting ones.

Ad lib: At liberty. For example, a patient may be permitted to move out of bed freely and orders would, therefore, be for activities to be ad lib.

ANED: Alive no evidence of disease. The patient arrived in the ER alive with no evidence of disease.

A few more.

medicinenet.com/common_medi...

[Ergendl]

One I used a lot as a dietitian was EOH, meaning alcohol. EOH+++ was code for a heavy drinker verging on alcoholic.

[cofdrop-UK]

Love the TTFN! So not you Terry.

I still can’t get my head around EMBARC without looking it up, even though went to the EMBARC open meeting and have the feedback from it.

Some medical acronyms are quite useful and easy to remember, as they are in other areas of life. My gd remebers the planets from My Very Energetic Mouse Jumped Up Nelly’s Pants, although I understand Pluto is not now recognised as a planet!

Cx

[HungryHufflepuff]

OMG IDK 🙄 At my latest doctors appointment the doctor I saw spoke only in initials and I had no idea what she was talking about. I try to write down things I won’t remember later but couldn’t remember the string of meaningless letters long enough to write them down. At one point I asked her to write it down. When i asked her what one bunch of initials meant, she couldn’t remember 🙄 I am trying to evolve to speak only in emojis (mainly to make skischool jealous) but I think she’s evolved to speak only in initials LOL 👩‍⚕️ 👨‍⚕️ 📢🤬👌🗣📵🔚