Acronyms in healthcare

Acronyms are very commonly used in healthcare settings.[1] They are formed from the lead letters of words relating to medications, organisations, procedures and diagnoses.[2] They come from both English and Latin roots.[2][3] Acronyms have been described as jargon.[1] and their use has been shown to impact the safety of patients in hospitals, owing to ambiguity and legibility.[4]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Guardian2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ACSQH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference MedicineNet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Glassman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).