Abbreviations are regularly used in medical practice to maintain patient progress notes, prescriptions, pharmacy notes, discussions, and so on. Medical practitioners use these very often to save time. They can be very helpful if you know what they stand for. Occasionally, you will find an abbreviation that has more than one meaning, which will need some deductive reasoning on the reader’s part. These abbreviations can come off as very difficult for the aforementioned reason and other reasons like simply the lack of knowledge about these abbreviations. So this can lead to wrong dosage and diagnosis and severe and even fatal outcomes for the patient.
Medical abbreviations denote the dosage, like the time of the day when and the number of times the medicine must be consumed. They also stand for the various details that indicate a patient’s state of health, medical outcomes, and what the patient needs after the observation by the doctor.
The need for saving space and time while filling the patients’ records has led up to the usage of such abbreviations. Over time, with the development of new fields and further changes, every department has come up with their own collection of medical abbreviations. Therefore, people not in the field will face difficulties in deciphering them on their own. Because of the absence of any standard list about such abbreviations, they need to be understood with the context in which they were written.
Abbreviations can also be for medicine names, medicine composition, and even about details of an operation or surgery.
Table of Contents
QHS medical abbreviation
The QHS medical abbreviation stands for quaque hora somni. Doctors and medical practitioners also write it as qhs, q.h.s., or qHS. The QHS medical abbreviation in the prescription can refer to the intake of any medicinal pill or syrup. However, the implication of consuming something at night time is not restricted to medicines only. It can also refer to the doing of a particular physical exercise as a part of the treatment. Or maybe some other activity, as simple as drinking water or inhaling steam before you go to bed. You will understand you have to do so when you see the doctor writing the QHS medical abbreviation right next to the physical exercise or any activity, like inhaling steam if you are suffering from a cold.
QHS medical abbreviation Latin
All the sciences find a good chunk of their roots in Greek and Roman works, apart from other places as well. This is reflected very well in the usage of Greek and Latin terms and phrases even today for scientific purposes despite their minimal usage in our daily life. They also form a big proportion of denotations in the study of sciences.
Medical abbreviations and short forms are no alien to the impact of Greek and Latin language. Even if a medical practitioner does not understand Latin or Greek, they will know what a medical abbreviation means, even if it is in Greek or Latin. It is, however, difficult for laypersons like many of us to remember and decipher their meanings on a regular basis.
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The QHS medical abbreviation comes from the Latin phrase quaque hora somni, which means “every night at bedtime”. But it is not as simple as it seems. Quaque hora by itself means every hour, and just the addition of somni changes its meaning drastically. So, there are certain norms that govern the context, meaning, and usage of these medical abbreviations. Doctors will also write the number of days for and possibly the number of pills or drops of the medicine you have to take every night at bedtime. This is to ensure that the medicine does not only enter your body at the right time, but overall in the appropriate amount also.
QHSE full form
The abbreviation QHSE stands for Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment. It is a systematic management system integrating ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001, and ISO 14001. It means conformity and stability of industrial, commercial, and service companies. The QHSE Management aims to build health and safety arrangements compatible with all places of work.
Multi-site companies, local businesses or start-ups will find answers to compliance questions and solutions to questions of certification stability.
The QHSE Compliance division accompanies the company on a path to efficiency and sustainability. It is because QHSE is a specialist in industry standards.
PO QHS medical abbreviation
All medicines are not consumed via mouth, some need to be taken in other ways too. For example, eye drops are put in the eye and not in the mouth. Another very common example is injections, like insulin injections for diabetes patients. While pills are generally swallowed with water, many pills need to be chewed too. You will also find many pills being dissolved in water and then consumed. Therefore, it is very prudent to make sure the patient knows how to take the medicine.
When the prescription contains the po qhs medical abbreviation, it means the patient has to take one pill, by mouth, at bedtime. Po is the Latin abbreviation for per os, which translates as “by mouth” or “orally”. Therefore, if your prescription contains po qhs medical abbreviation, this means that the doctor wants you to take the associated drug every night at bedtime by mouth. Furthermore, the doctor might also specify the number of tablets or the number of drops or spoons of the liquid drug you have to take every night at bedtime by mouth. The doctor will also mention the number of nights you have to repeat the process. This will ensure there is no risk of underdose or overdose.
OS QHS medical abbreviation
OS stands for oculus sinister. Oculus refers to something related to the eye. It is the Latin term for “left eye”. This is the medical abbreviation used extremely commonly by ophthalmologists and other medical practitioners dealing with ailments and features related to eyes. Many of the drugs that eye patients take are applied directly onto the eyes. They consist of eye drops and sometimes ointments depending on the kind of treatment the patient needs.
When OS is clubbed with the QHS medical abbreviation, it is written as OS QHS medical abbreviation. Doctors, mainly ophthalmologists, write this in their prescription to eye patients. They write OS QHS medical abbreviation next to some cream, gel, ointment, lotion, and/or eye drop. This means the patient must apply the corresponding cream, gel, ointment, lotion, or eye drop on their left eye every night at bedtime.
QHS medical abbreviation pharmacy
Decoding every abbreviation is not everyone’s cup of tea. Be it in the field of engineering, medical sciences, mathematics, or any other subject. People without knowledge should not try to apply their guessing skills to work, especially when it comes to medical abbreviations. The consequences of a minor mistake can be even fatal. However, we all should definitely keep some knowledge about basic medical abbreviations, like the QHS medical abbreviation, which means every night at bedtime. But in case we are not sure, we must not take any chances with guessing what they mean.
Medical practitioners, doctors, and pharmacists should know about medical abbreviations better than us, if not all of them. We rely on them to help us get cured of diseases, and therefore it becomes their job to be well aware of medical abbreviations. If the doctors write something in short form to save time and space next to a medicine and we take the prescription to the pharmacy, the pharmacists will tell us how to take the drug. Doctors often tell their patients about the time and dosage of the medicine, but in case they forget, pharmacists are there to help us out.
OD Medical abbreviation
Just like the QHS medical abbreviation, or qhs medical abbreviation, there are other medical abbreviations too. The medical abbreviation OD stands for a Latin phrase omne in die which means once a day. So, this refers to the intake of any therapeutic pill or syrup following a treatment methodology. Doctors write this in prescriptions next to the medicine the patient has to consume.
Alternative full form of OD is oculus dexter, which means right eye. Doctors write OD to save space and time in place of writing “right eye”. Ophthalmologists in their prescriptions regularly use this medical abbreviation while treating people suffering from eye related ailments. Similarly, for the left eye, the abbreviation is OS, which is oculus sinister in Latin.
SQ QHS medical abbreviation
SQ is the medical abbreviation for subcutaneous tissue. Therefore, it is a layer of fat that rests under our skin. It provides padding to our skin. Therefore, if the SQ medical abbreviation is present in our prescription, the doctor is referring to an injection most probably. They also mention the time at which and the number of injections the patient has to take.
If the prescription contains the SQ QHS Medical abbreviation, this means the patient must take some medicine right under the Subcutaneous tissue under the skin through an injection. Moreover, the patient has to take this injection every night at bedtime. However, you should take someone’s help in implementing this course of action because taking an injection by yourself is very risky. This is a very common medical abbreviation for patients of diabetes mellitus. If you have high levels of blood sugar, the doctor might advise you to take an injection with the right medicine under your skin to control your blood sugar.
RX Medical abbreviation
The medical abbreviation RX, or rx, is derived from the Latin word for “recipe”, meaning “take”. It is also generally used to mean a medical prescription itself. The first doctor to use Rx used it as a verb with the same meaning, writing “Rx two aspirin”. It is equivalent to today’s “take two aspirin”. Before the simple abbreviation of a R followed by an X, there was another symbol for the same meaning: ℞, literally, take.
Medical abbreviation for surgery
Surgery is a very complex medical procedure which involves the use of various instruments on the patient’s body. Doctors do surgery to investigate the affected area or treat a condition that is malignant in nature. This is an important as well as a very dangerous and technical process which requires specialisation.
The medical abbreviation for surgery is Sx. Many people often call it inappropriate. There are several types of surgeries and many of them have their own abbreviation of acronym. The acronym for General Surgery is GENSURG. Biopsy is one of the most common surgeries around the world. It has the abbreviation Bx for it. Biopsies commonly involve the use of microscopes to study possible abnormalities inside the patient’s body.
QHS Medical abbreviation vs HS
HS is the abbreviation for the Latin phrase hora somni which literally means “at bedtime”. So, the appearance of HS or hs on the prescription means the patient has to consume the corresponding medicine at bedtime.
However, HS or hs is also an abbreviation for “hours of sleep”. So, one has to keep the context of usage of the abbreviation in mind before deciding what it signals. Doctors and medical practitioners may use the exact same abbreviation to indicate both the meanings. At the same time, some doctors and medical practitioners may use hs and h.s., or HS and H.S. for “at bedtime” and “hours of sleep” respectively or vice-versa.
On the other hand, the QHS medical abbreviation, that is, HS with a Q before it, means every night at bedtime. The addition of only Q changes the meaning of the medical abbreviation quite significantly. This is because now the doctor might mean to ask you to repeat the medicine’s consumption every night at bedtime instead of some particular night at bedtime, maybe before the day of your operation or some medical test.
APD Medical abbreviation
APD in the world of medical practice stands for Acid Peptic Disease. Acid Peptic Disease occurs when there is damage due to acid and peptic activity in gastric secretions. The condition of Acid Peptic Disease involves irritation in the inner cells of the stomach. Acid Peptic Disease affects the oesophagus, duodenum, and stomach the most.
APD is caused due to the excessive presence of acid and pepsin. Gastric and duodenal ulcer are two main types of Acid Peptic Diseases. However, the disease can also occur at the GJ Stoma, lower end of the oesophagus, and Meckel’s diverticulum. The acuteness of the disease depends on the complexity and duration of symptoms. Acid Peptic Disease can be chronic too.
The symptoms of Acid Peptic Disease, a type of digestive function disorder, are common. They include discomfort, nausea, or heartburn. Other symptoms, primarily of Peptic ulcer disease, are pain in the upper abdomen or discomfort arising due to fullness, bloating, or nausea.
The reasons behind Acid Peptic Disease are not much different from what defines our lifestyle, like many other diseases. They include smoking, alcohol, NSAIDs inclusive of aspirin, citrus or acidic foods, chocolate, caffeine, junk, greasy, and spicy food, garlic and onion flavourings, and drugs containing steroids.
Antacids serve as quick relief solutions for Acid Peptic Disease. But they are not effective in the long term. A more effective solution is H2 receptor blockers. Proton Pump Blockers is another treatment for Acid Peptic Disease which totally discontinues the secretion of acid. Last but not the least is the treatment of H pylori which minimises the chances of suffering from any type of Acid Peptic Disease.
JVD Medical abbreviation
JVD is a medical abbreviation for “Jugular Vein Distention” or “Jungular Venous Distention”. Jugular veins are on the sides of our neck. They bring blood from the head to the superior vena cava, that is, the larger vein of our upper body. Jugular Vein Distention is the condition in which the jugular veins become visible due to the extra pressure of superior vena cava, and thus they bulge.
QHS Medical abbreviation FAQs
What does SC mean in medical terms?
In medical terms, SC means spinal cord, or Subcutaneous (from the Latin subcutis).
What does Quaque mean in Latin?
Quaque in Latin means each or every. In medical practice, it is used very commonly in abbreviations. For example, QHS medical abbreviation represents quaque hora somni, that is, “every night at bedtime”. Similarly, q15 can mean “every 15 minutes”, q8h means “every 8 hours”, so on and so forth.
What does QAM and QHS mean?
QAM and QHS are two different medical abbreviations. QAM medical abbreviation stands for the Latin quaque ante meridian, which means every morning. So, if there is QAM, then the patient must take the corresponding medicine every morning. The QHS medical abbreviation, on the other hand, stands for the Latin phrase quaque hora somni, that is, every night at bedtime. Thus, the QHS medical abbreviation beside a pill or syrup means the patient must consume that pill or syrup every night at bedtime.
What does AC stand for in medical?
The medical abbreviation AC or ac, or even Ac stands for the Latin phrase ante cibum, which means “before meals”. So, the presence of this abbreviation in the prescription indicates the patient must consume the corresponding medicine before his meals.
The abbreviation AC can be accompanied by the name of the meal as well, like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For example, AC HS means before meals and at bedtime. Then AC breakfast means before breakfast. AC breakfast/dinner signals before breakfast and dinner.
What are common medical abbreviations?
Some common medical abbreviations are:
ANED: ANED stands for “Alive No Evidence of Disease
Cap: Cap or cap means “Capsule”.
CPAP: CPAP stands for “Continuous Positive Airway Pressure”. It is a treatment for sleep apnea.
DJD: DJD stands for “Degenerative Joint Disease”. It is another term for osteoarthritis
ARF: ARF is the abbreviation for “Acute Renal Failure”. The word “renal” means kidney(s).
DM: DM is another common medical abbreviation. It is for “Diabetes Mellitus”.
HA: HA stands for “Headache”.
SOB: The medical abbreviation SOB stands for “Shortness of Breath”.
N/V: N/V is the medical abbreviation for “Nausea or Vomiting”.
What does QID mean?
Apart from the very common qhs medical abbreviation, there is another medical abbreviation, QID, or qid. QID means “4 times a day”, or quater in die in Latin. Therefore, the context and the proper knowledge of such abbreviations must be kept in mind before deciding what it means.
The abbreviation QD is often confused with QID, or qid, by misreading QD. The medical abbreviation QD intends to mean “every day”. It is the abbreviation of a Latin phrase quaque die. Doctors write this in the prescription beside the name of the medicine, either a pill or a consumable liquid. This means the patient has to take the medicine every day. It is also written as qd, that is, QD in small letters.
What does TDS mean in prescription?
The medical abbreviation tds, or TDS, stands for ter die sumendus, a Latin phrase meaning “take by mouth 3 times a day”. Thus, the patient, if his prescription carries this abbreviation next to a medicine, has to take the associated medicine orally three times a day for the stipulated period.
Which is better MS or MD?
MS stands for Master in Surgery. It is a high qualification in the field of medical surgery. MD stands for Doctor of Medicine. It is a postgraduate degree and thus only those students who have completed MBBS are eligible to pursue MD. However, medical students can do MD and MS both as well if they want to in place of doing only one of them.
What is MBBS full form?
MBBS is an abbreviation for a Latin full form of this abbreviation: Medicinae Baccalaureus Baccalaureus Chirurgiae. In English, MBBS means Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. It is the primary medical degree offered by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United Kingdom. So, countries like India offer MBBS as a primary degree to medical students.