Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Ragad J. Arbaein; Faisal O. BinJahlan; Dana R. Alghumgham; Lama K. Alhazmi; Abdulrahman A. AlGhamdi; Raad Fayez; Hesham Rizk

doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

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Original Article
Online Published: 28 Mar 2022

IJMDC. 2022; 6(5): 692-697

doi: 10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Ragad J. Arbaein, Faisal O. Binjahlan, Dana R. Alghumgham, Lama K. Alhazmi, Abdulrahman A. Alghamdi, Raad Fayez, Hesham Rizk.

Abstract
Background: Abbreviations and acronyms are commonly used in medical practice to save time and space in medical records. However, the use of ambiguous and unfamiliar abbreviations threatens patient safety. We aimed to assess medical students’ and interns’ knowledge of medical abbreviations and acronyms.
Methods: We gave a self-administered questionnaire comprising selected medical abbreviations to pregraduate medical students and medical interns at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. A total of 254 participants responded including 128 interns (50.4%) and 126 sixths (49.6%). The survey was conducted using Google Forms. Student and intern responses were classified into three categories: >70% correct answers; 50%-69% correct answers; and <50% correct answers. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2016 and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 21 (IBM© Corp., Armonk, NY).
Results: A total of 45 (17.6%) achieved >70% correct answers, 123 (48%) achieved 50%-69% correct answers, and 88 (33.6%) had <49% correct answers. No significant scoring differences existed between pre and postgraduates. Arterial blood gas (98.8%), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (98.4%), and shortness of breath (98.4%) received the most correct answers, whereas argon plasma coagulation (97.2%), bronchoalveolar lavage (85.8%), and total protein (84.6%) received the most incorrect answers. 79.5% of participants admitted use of the “do not use” list. However, only 20.8% of these had a score of >70%.
Conclusion: Further education is necessary to emphasize the risks associated with using medical abbreviations. Awareness of the “do not use” list established by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations should be increased among medical students and professionals.

Key words: medical abbreviations; JCAHO; do not use list; patient risks; medical students

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Pubmed Style

Arbaein RJ, Binjahlan FO, Alghumgham DR, Alhazmi LK, Alghamdi AA, Fayez R, Rizk H. Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. IJMDC. 2022; 6(5): 692-697. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

Web Style

Arbaein RJ, Binjahlan FO, Alghumgham DR, Alhazmi LK, Alghamdi AA, Fayez R, Rizk H. Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=4736 [Access: April 22, 2025]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Arbaein RJ, Binjahlan FO, Alghumgham DR, Alhazmi LK, Alghamdi AA, Fayez R, Rizk H. Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. IJMDC. 2022; 6(5): 692-697. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Arbaein RJ, Binjahlan FO, Alghumgham DR, Alhazmi LK, Alghamdi AA, Fayez R, Rizk H. Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. IJMDC. (2022), [cited April 22, 2025]; 6(5): 692-697. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

Harvard Style

Arbaein, R. J., Binjahlan, . F. O., Alghumgham, . D. R., Alhazmi, . L. K., Alghamdi, . A. A., Fayez, . R. & Rizk, . H. (2022) Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. IJMDC, 6 (5), 692-697. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

Turabian Style

Arbaein, Ragad J., Faisal O. Binjahlan, Dana R. Alghumgham, Lama K. Alhazmi, Abdulrahman A. Alghamdi, Raad Fayez, and Hesham Rizk. 2022. Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 6 (5), 692-697. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

Chicago Style

Arbaein, Ragad J., Faisal O. Binjahlan, Dana R. Alghumgham, Lama K. Alhazmi, Abdulrahman A. Alghamdi, Raad Fayez, and Hesham Rizk. "Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 6 (2022), 692-697. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Arbaein, R. J., Binjahlan, . F. O., Alghumgham, . D. R., Alhazmi, . L. K., Alghamdi, . A. A., Fayez, . R. & Rizk, . H. (2022) Use of medical abbreviations and acronyms: knowledge among pre and postgraduate medical students in single academic institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 6 (5), 692-697. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1642240084

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