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Approved Podiatry abbreviations

Discussion in 'General Issues and Discussion Forum' started by ruthmckeown, Oct 10, 2008.

  1. ruthmckeown

    ruthmckeown Welcome New Poster


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    Hi all

    I'm a Podiatrist working in an Adelaide metro hospital and am part of an allied health documentation work group. One issue we have raised is around approved abbreviations for each discipline.

    I know there is approved medical terminology from the book "Australian Dictionary of Clinical Abbreviations" but I am having difficulty trying to locate any Podiatry specific abbreviations in the literature.

    Can anyone please help me or point me in the right direction?!

    Thanks, Ruth
     
  2. Johnpod

    Johnpod Active Member

    Hi Ruth, this might help, perhaps...


    CLINICAL TERMINOLOGY AND ABBREVIATIONS


    GENERAL TERMINOLOGY

    H/O history of
    C/O complains of
    TBS to be seen
    TCI to come in
    3/7 three days
    1/52 one week
    1/12 one month
    Rt right
    Lt left
    Bilat. Bilateral/both sides
    CSP Cardinal sagittal plane


    ANATOMY

    Ant anterior/to the front
    Post posterior/to the rear
    Sup superior/above/over
    Inf inferior/below/beneath
    Med medial/towards midline
    Lat lateral/to the side
    Plant plantar/sole surface
    Dors dorsal/top/back of foot
    Apical on the apex/tip/end of toe
    1st web first interdigital space
    Dist distal/further out
    Prox proximal/closer in
    MPJ metatarsophalangeal joint
    IPJ interphalangeal joint
    3rd.Met.Hd. third metatarsal head


    NAIL DYSTROPHIES

    Onycho~ specific nail dystrophy
    e.g. onychomycosis
    (fungal toe nail)
    ~nychia specific nail dystrophy
    e.g. paronychia
    (infection of nail fold)
    O/HD subungual heloma durum
    O/C onychocryptosis
    O/G onychogryphosis
    O/X onychauxis
    O/P onychophosis
    PNA partial nail avulsion
    TNA total nail avulsion
    NT&F nails trimmed and filed


    SKIN PATHOLOGIES

    HD heloma durum hard corn
    HM heloma molle soft corn
    Hmille heloma milliaire seed corn
    HV h. vasculare vascular corn
    HNV h. neurovasculare neurovascular corn
    VP verruca pedis verruca
    enuc enucleated
    prd pared
    call.rcd. callus reduced
    call.rdn callus reduction



    MISCELLANEOUS TERMS

    OA osteoarthritis
    RhA rheumatoid arthritis
    IDDM insulin dependant Diabetes mellitus
    NIDDM non insulin dependant Diabetes mellitus
    PVD peripheral vascular disease
    DVT deep vein thrombosis
    PreOp before operating
    PostOp after operating
    Dx diagnosis
    Tx treatment
    Rx prescription/recommendation
    >> condition improved/improving
    << condition deteriorating/going backwards
    x3, x5 multiple lesions (e.g. HDs x3 - three HDs)
    TBW to be worn (duration of dressing wear)


    NOTES

    Write in passive past tense: (e.g. HD enuc 2nd met hd
    - pressure-relief dressing applied)
    Write notes in this order:
    what was done to the nails
    what was done to the soft tissues
    dressings or medicaments applied
    instruction to patient - (to be kept dry 48hrs)
    intention: (TBS 3/52 - to be seen in three weeks)

    Be specific about sites:
    HD enuc prox IPJ 4th digit Rt
    Call rdn plant Lt 5th MPJ
    O/P med groove Rt hallux
    When note-writing, relate to body midline (CSP):
    i.e. lateral groove of hallux abuts 2nd toe
     
  3. twirly

    twirly Well-Known Member

    Hi John & Ruth,

    May sound like a silly question....... :confused:

    I have used these terms since training. However, can anyone enlighten me as to the origin of their use?

    Thanks muchly ;)

    Mandy
     
  4. Johnpod

    Johnpod Active Member

    Hi Twirly!

    I don't know for sure, but I suspect that it begins with Rx written in the way of the old apothecaries and their copper-plate hand-writing. The front tail of the R was extended rather elegantly below the line and crossed through.

    I suspect that Tx, Dx and Hx (histories) are nhs shorthand terms?

    Certainly, many abbreviations were in use when I worked in the nhs (in another clinical role, not podiatry) all those years ago. For instance, DNAs did not keep their appointment.

    Slightly different I know, but we used to look forward to Mrs Brown's arrival. If a colleague came to you while you were attending a patient, she would say quite openly 'Mrs Brown is here .... a covert way of saying 'tea-up'. :wacko:
     
  5. Ruth:

    Abbreviations are something we all use in our shorthand of taking clinical notes. However, you must also understand that an abbreviation that is common and accepted in one institution may not be common, or even understood, in another institution, another city or another country. We often have the problem here on Podiatry Arena of individuals using abbreviations for terms they use in their clinical shorthand, which they and their coworkers commonly use, but the rest of us have no clue what they are talking about. Personally, I find it very frustrating trying to read someone's clinical shorthand here on Podiatry Arena when the writer thinks that everyone in the world should know what all their abbreviations mean.

    Just thought you might want to take this all into account before you become too liberal at accepting abbreviations as being standard, without possibly asking whether other institutions and cities in your country would also accept and would understand these same abbreviations.
     
  6. Donna

    Donna Active Member

    Hi Ruth,

    As Kevin mentioned, abbeviations used by one group of practitioners may not be recognised by another... :confused:

    The best advice that I received at uni was not to abbreviate terms due to the potential confusion they can cause... :butcher: This advice was quite strongly drummed into us by one of our best (and more respected) clinic tutors/lecturers, and as a result I haven't ever abbreviated my notes when working in clinics where other health practitioners share the same patient file (eg. at physio/podiatry clinics, nursing homes, hospitals)...

    Regards

    Donna ;)
     
  7. And then there's the ones we don't WANT other people to understand.


    THAD - Thinks he's a doctor
    PITA - Pain in the A***
    OBCT - Phonetic.

    etc

    And of course in Maidstone we all know what it means if someone sticks their head around the door and asks if you still want to see Mr Tetley. :morning:

    Regards
    Robert
     
  8. Scorpio622

    Scorpio622 Active Member

    Here's a few more of the politically incorrect that I have heard through the years:

    GLM- Good Looking Mom (As in "An 8yo boy presents with a GLM and heel pain")

    TFA- Too Fat for Ankle

    And my all-time favorite along the same OBCT lines.....

    VTMTS- Volkswagon Tire on the Mack Truck Syndrome

    Nick
     
  9. Bug

    Bug Well-Known Member

    And I thought FITH (F'd in the head) and FLK (Funny looking kid) were bad.

    I did learn a lesson though never to teach a student FLK. The look of confusion on a parent's face when they mentioned it - eek!
     
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