August 11, 2006 - 7:47am
Some people think that Rx means prescription. In a way it does. However, Rx is the abbreviation for the Latin word meaning ‘recipe’. The abbreviations used in prescriptions are derived from Latin terms. Listed below are many commonly used today.
Abbreviation-- Meaning -- Latin Term
ac ------- before meals--- ante cibum
bid ------- twice a day --- bis in die
cap ------- capsule------- capsula
gt -------- drop------------ gutta
hs-------- at bedtime--- hora somni
od ------- right eye----- oculus dexter
os ------- left eye ------- oculus sinister
po ------- by mouth --- per os
pc-------- after meals--- post cibum
pil ------- pill --------- pilula
prn ------ as needed --- pro re nata
q2h ------ every 2 hours --- quaque 2 hora
qd --------every day--- quaque die
qh-------- every hour --- quaque hora
qid ------- 4 times a day --- quater in die
tab ------- tablet -------- tabella
tid ------- 3 times a day --- ter in die
please feel free to add to the list.
i saw this and copied it as i commonly see a lot of these things being misinterpreted.
I forgot about this chart, but since Mr. Phisher said to feel free to add, I will add one thing, even though it's not along the exact same lines.
PS- I clicked the link in a newer post, and that is how I found this. Good job, Phisher!
Anyhow, I have noticed at several of the hospitals (emergency rooms mainly), I have seen several signs posted for doctors to write the following in their prescriptions.
Instead of .5 mg of Xanax, the doctors have been instructed to write 0.5 mg of Xanax With the emphasis of adding the "0" prior to the decimal to avoid confusion.
There are more, and most are on the side of a PCA machine. For what it's worth, I have not been the patient in the ER. Just part of a team that cares for a family member. Someone help me out, I know there are more that are posted on the PCA machines, but I can't remember them.