Q&A: Is there an approved list of abbreviations for Ascension Wisconsin?

 

Question: Is there an approved list of abbreviations for charting at Ascension Wisconsin?

Answer: After checking with Medical Records, Informatics, Clinical Educators, Quality and others in-the-know, we determined that there is currently NO statewide list of approved abbreviations for Ascension Wisconsin for documenting care in the EHRs.   

But there is a team currently working on standardizing a policy statewide.

Some sites / regions may have their own approved abbreviations lists / policies (like the ones below), but there is nothing standardized statewide:

• Use of Abbreviations and Symbols (PolicyStat 10494144)  but it appears to be limited to The Fox Valley.
• Abbreviations Policy (PolicyStat 9522008) - Franklin - Elmbrook - St Joseph's Campus

For reference and patient safety, there are several DO NOT USE abbreviation lists:

• The Joint Commission's Official "DO NOT USE" List.
• The official DO NOT USE LIST from The Joint Commission (1-page pdf) (c2018)
• Facts about the Official "Do Not Use" List.
• TJC FAQ:  What are the key concepts organizations need to understand regarding the use of terminology, definitions, abbreviations, acronyms, symbols and dose designations?  (c2021)

• The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) also keeps a list of error-prone abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations.

For a complete listing of what's possible, see
Dorland's Dictionary of Medical Acronyms (c2016) via Clinical Key, through Ascension Wisconsin Library Services.  

ISMP Medication Safety Newsletters Improve Patient Safety

 

Ascension Library Services subscribes to 3 ISMP Medication Safety newsletters that can have a big impact on patient safety in our organization.  

Read more about the 3 newsletters below.  

• If you would like to receive the new issue alerts for any of these 3 ISMP newsletters, please contact your Medical Librarian, Michele Matucheski. 

The ISMP Medication Safety Alert!® Acute Care is a digital newsletter, published every two weeks for hospital healthcare professionals. 

• Practitioners are encouraged to share this publication at committee meetings to initiate conversations about preventing similar errors within their organizations.

The ISMP Medication Safety Alert!® Nurse AdviseERR is a digital newsletter, published monthly. It is specifically designed to meet the unique medication safety and education needs of nurses who transcribe orders, administer medications, and monitor the effect of medications on patients.  

Nurses in the following settings read this newsletter: 

• Acute care hospitals
• Behavioral health facilities
• Community health clinics
• Surgical centers
• Birthing centers
• Faculty at academic settings to share with student nurses 

The ISMP Medication Safety Alert!®Community/Ambulatory Care is a digital newsletter, published monthly for healthcare practitioners in ambulatory settings, including community pharmacies, outpatient clinics, physician offices, and state institutions.

Who reads this newsletter?

• Community/ambulatory care pharmacists
• Pharmacy managers and executives
• Pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy staff
• Physicians and nurses in ambulatory practice
• Anyone concerned with medication safety