Medication Safety · Chart Shorthand

Medication Abbreviations Guide

A plain-English guide to the shorthand you keep seeing on drug charts, plus the ones safest not to write at all.

The Nurse Lab · Nursing Hub

Save for later

Student note

You do not need to memorise every Latin phrase to work safely. Focus on what the abbreviation means in practice, what it tells you to do, and which short forms are risky enough that you should avoid writing them yourself.

Critical safety reminders

NEVER write "U" for units — misread as "0"NEVER write "μg" — handwritten looks like "mg" (1000× overdose!)NEVER crush MR/SR/EC tabletsIf a chart abbreviation is unclear, stop and check

Frequency / Timing

OD, BD, TDS, PRN and the rest — what they actually mean on a drug chart

Abbreviation	Meaning	Origin	Example	What to remember
OD	Once daily	Omni die	Atorvastatin 20mg OD at night	—
BD / BID	Twice daily	Bis in die	Amoxicillin 500mg BD	—
TDS / TID	Three times daily	Ter die sumendum	Paracetamol 1g TDS	—
QDS / QID	Four times daily	Quater die sumendum	Ibuprofen 400mg QDS with food	Check if truly 6-hourly or with meals
PRN	As needed / when required	Pro re nata	Paracetamol 1g PRN (max 4g/24hrs)	Always check maximum daily dose & frequency
Stat	Immediately / at once	Statim	Adrenaline 0.5mg IM stat	Give as soon as possible — time critical!
Mane	In the morning	Mane	Prednisolone 40mg mane	—
Nocte	At night / bedtime	Nocte	Zopiclone 7.5mg nocte	—
AC	Before food	Ante cibum	Omeprazole 20mg AC	Usually 30–60 mins before meals
PC	After food	Post cibum	Ibuprofen 400mg PC	Usually within 30 mins of eating
OM	Every morning	Omni mane	Levothyroxine 50mcg OM	—
ON	Every night	Omni nocte	Simvastatin 40mg ON	—

Before giving any medication

Check the 9 Rights. Read the prescription carefully. If you cannot read it clearly, do not guess. Check allergies, make sure you know why the patient is having it, and document straight after giving.

Sources & References

BNFC — British National Formulary for Children BNF — British National Formulary NMC (2018) — The Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses NHS England — Medication safety and prescribing resources

Also practice with

Core Quiz — test your recall →OSCE Stations — apply it clinically →

Discussion (0)

Open account page

←Children's Nursing Hub

Medication Safety · Chart Shorthand

Medication Abbreviations Guide

A plain-English guide to the shorthand you keep seeing on drug charts, plus the ones safest not to write at all.

The Nurse Lab · Nursing Hub

Save for later

Student note

Critical safety reminders

NEVER write "U" for units — misread as "0"NEVER write "μg" — handwritten looks like "mg" (1000× overdose!)NEVER crush MR/SR/EC tabletsIf a chart abbreviation is unclear, stop and check

Frequency / Timing

OD, BD, TDS, PRN and the rest — what they actually mean on a drug chart

Abbreviation	Meaning	Origin	Example	What to remember
OD	Once daily	Omni die	Atorvastatin 20mg OD at night	—
BD / BID	Twice daily	Bis in die	Amoxicillin 500mg BD	—
TDS / TID	Three times daily	Ter die sumendum	Paracetamol 1g TDS	—
QDS / QID	Four times daily	Quater die sumendum	Ibuprofen 400mg QDS with food	Check if truly 6-hourly or with meals
PRN	As needed / when required	Pro re nata	Paracetamol 1g PRN (max 4g/24hrs)	Always check maximum daily dose & frequency
Stat	Immediately / at once	Statim	Adrenaline 0.5mg IM stat	Give as soon as possible — time critical!
Mane	In the morning	Mane	Prednisolone 40mg mane	—
Nocte	At night / bedtime	Nocte	Zopiclone 7.5mg nocte	—
AC	Before food	Ante cibum	Omeprazole 20mg AC	Usually 30–60 mins before meals
PC	After food	Post cibum	Ibuprofen 400mg PC	Usually within 30 mins of eating
OM	Every morning	Omni mane	Levothyroxine 50mcg OM	—
ON	Every night	Omni nocte	Simvastatin 40mg ON	—

Before giving any medication

Check the 9 Rights. Read the prescription carefully. If you cannot read it clearly, do not guess. Check allergies, make sure you know why the patient is having it, and document straight after giving.

Sources & References

Also practice with

Core Quiz — test your recall →OSCE Stations — apply it clinically →

Discussion (0)

Open account page

Keep the momentum

One useful next step beats opening twelve new tabs.

Suggested next block

Use this page, then move straight into practice.

You have already done the reading. The best next move is a short practice block or one related guide, while the details are still fresh.

Quiz next

Open the matching quiz block

Turn this page into active recall while the details are still fresh.

OSCE next

Practise the matching OSCE topic

Use the same topic in a more spoken, checklist-based format.

Return to children's hub