"Get The Message": The Utilization and Issues With Abbreviations in Nuclear Medicine

Author Type(s)

Faculty, Resident/Fellow

Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

6-2022

Journal Title

Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Department

Radiology

Abstract

Introduction: -Abbreviations are commonly used in the nuclear medicine and radiology workplace. They are convenient, time saving and can help the misspelling of words.-Abbreviations can result in miscommunication of findings due to incorrect interpretation.-We discuss how they can waste time finding their meaning, delay report interpretation and have potential to negatively impact patient care.

Methods: Many healthcare workers and radiologists utilize abbreviations in their requests and reports. Abbreviations can have ambiguous meanings and can interfere with communication of results. Many abbreviations are well known throughout the field of medicine. With patients having increased access to their image reports, the abbreviations could be confusing and affect their trust in the read. The Joint Commission has developed a Do Not Use List of various abbreviations that should not be used. The reason for this list is to eliminate ambiguity of meaning. In Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, as few as possible abbreviations should be used and only ones that convey one meaning.

Results: Abbreviations used in healthcare and radiology can result in miscommunications affecting patient care. Errors occur with the understanding of patient referrals that contain abbreviations which may cause the wrong test to be ordered or wrong results conveyed. The nuclear medicine physician and radiologist also need to be careful in dictating abbreviations which can result in errors.

Conclusions: The use of abbreviations in healthcare and radiology can lead to dangerous situations with miscommunication of information, one of the reasons that the Joint Commission in 2001 issued a sentinel event alert and created a Do Not Use List. Communication failures remain a leading cause patient safety issues. We demonstrate issues with the use of abbreviations in nuclear medicine and radiology and issues with understanding referrals that contain abbreviations.

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