All Nursing Exams

Nursing abbreviations in English, and the ones that must not be used

The Joint Commission Do Not Use list has 9 entries, including U, IU, QD and MS. There is no national accepted list: use your facility's list.

Checked November 10, 2026

Short answer: The Joint Commission's "Do Not Use" list has 9 entries: U, IU, QD, QOD, a trailing zero, a missing leading zero, MS, MSO4 and MgSO4. The United States and Canada have no official national list of accepted abbreviations, so each facility keeps its own, and you should ask for it on your first day.

Each employer's policy and each regulator's standard decide what is required where you work; this page teaches language, not policy.

The Joint Commission "Do Not Use" list

The Joint Commission requires organizations to follow a list of prohibited abbreviations that includes, at a minimum, the 9 entries below. It sits in a Standards FAQ, last updated April 21, 2026.

The FAQ prints only the abbreviations. The other two columns come from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), whose list marks every Joint Commission item with a double asterisk.

Do not write Why it is risky (ISMP) Write instead (ISMP)
U, u Read as zero, the number 4, or cc unit or units
IU Read as IV or the number 10 unit or units
Q.D., QD, q.d., qd Read as q.i.d. (four times daily) daily
Q.O.D., QOD, q.o.d, qod Read as daily or four times daily every other day
Trailing zero (X.0 mg) 1.0 mg read as 10 mg the whole number, without the zero
Lack of leading zero (.X mg) .5 mg read as 5 mg a zero before the decimal point: 0.5 mg
MS Mistaken for magnesium sulfate morphine sulfate
MSO4 Mistaken for magnesium sulfate morphine sulfate
MgSO4 Mistaken for morphine sulfate magnesium sulfate

Where it applies. The list covers all orders, preprinted forms and medication-related documentation, handwritten or electronic. Forms and fields that the organization builds itself must not contain these abbreviations.

The trailing zero exception. A trailing zero is allowed only to show the precision of a reported value, such as a laboratory result, a lesion size in an imaging report, or a catheter or tube size. It is not allowed in a medication order or other medication documentation.

More error-prone abbreviations from ISMP

ISMP publishes the List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations (2024 edition). ISMP says these items were involved in harmful or potentially harmful errors and should not be used in speech, writing or on screens. Here are 10 entries that nurses meet often. The full list is on ISMP's site.

Do not write Can be misread as Write instead (ISMP)
cc u (units) mL
µg mg mcg
SC, SQ, sq, sub q SL (sublingual), "5 every", or "every" SUBQ or subcutaneous
D/C discharge read as discontinue discharge; discontinue or stop
o.d., OD (once daily) right eye daily
TIW (3 times a week) 3 times a day, or twice a week 3 times weekly
x1 (give once) give for 1 day for 1 dose
@ the number 2 at
> and < the opposite symbol more than, less than
/ between two doses the number 1 and

ISMP also asks you to write drug names in full: HCTZ (hydrochlorothiazide) has been mistaken for hydrocortisone.

Is there an official list of accepted abbreviations?

Not in the United States or Canada. The Joint Commission says it does not publish a list of approved abbreviations. It accepts any reasonable approach: the organization may standardize its own abbreviations or use a published reference, and it must be able to show how it does this.

ISMP adds that banning every abbreviation is not realistic. Understand the risk of any approved abbreviation, define an uncommon one, and ask the writer when in doubt.

In Canada, the current documentation standards of the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) and the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) do not mention abbreviations. Both connect documentation to employer policy.

Australia: a national list for medicines

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care published "Recommendations for safe use of medicines terminology" in November 2024. It covers medicines documentation in Australian hospitals and health services, including verbal communication. It is not a general charting list.

  • Acceptable timing terms include: mane (morning), nocte (night), bedtime, bd (twice a day), tds (three times a day), prn (when required) and stat (immediately).
  • Not acceptable: OD, QD, QOD and Qhs.
  • Subcutaneous: Australia accepts "subcut" and rejects SC, while ISMP's form is SUBQ.

Several Latin forms, among them nocte, bd, tds, prn and stat, carry an asterisk in the commission's table. Read the table's footnote before you rely on them.

How to ask a new workplace for its approved list

  • "Where can I find the approved abbreviation list or policy for this hospital?"
  • "Is this abbreviation on our approved list?"
  • "I am not sure what this abbreviation means in the order. Could you tell me what you meant?"

Until you know the list well, write the word in full.

What to do next

  1. Ask for your facility's approved abbreviation list in orientation.
  2. Learn the 9 Do Not Use entries, then read the full ISMP list.
  3. See these rules inside a real order in How to read a medication order in English, and in notes in How to write a nursing note in English.

Common questions

Are BID, TID and PRN on the ISMP list?

They are not entries on the 2024 ISMP list. That does not mean ISMP approves them: your facility decides.

Is HS on the ISMP list?

HS is not an entry in the 2024 edition. For bedtime, ISMP says to use QHS or qhs.

Does the Do Not Use list apply to my nursing notes?

The Joint Commission applies it to orders, preprinted forms and medication-related documentation. Check your facility's policy for other records.

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