Use of unsafe abbreviations in pharmacy literature

Purpose: The intention of this study is to determine whether the use of selected medication-related abbreviations has diminished in pharmacy literature in compliance with the Joint Commission’s (TJC) “Do Not Use” abbreviations list issued in 2004. Use of these abbreviations has been deemed a preventable threat to patient safety. 

Methods: Three pharmacy journals were selected representing medication safety culture.  Researchers measured the frequency of TJC prohibited abbreviations within each issue of each of the journals published during the years 1997 and 2011, seven years prior and seven years after the publication of the TJC “Do Not Use” abbreviations list. The abbreviations consisted of U, IU, QD, QOD, MgSO4, MS, trailing zeroes, and naked decimals. The frequency of prohibited abbreviations per article, per issue, and per journal, per year was compared between the two years for each journal and between journals.  All articles regardless of type were included in the study.  Advertisements were not evaluated, and abbreviations used in reporting of medication errors or representing context not in line with TJC guidelines were excluded. Additionally, current submission guidelines were evaluated for abbreviation considerations.

Results: Preliminary analysis indicates there was an overall lower incidence of prohibited abbreviations in each of the three journals over the course of 2011 compared to those from 1997. Total incidence of these types of abbreviations was low, with QD, U, and trailing zeroes most often identified. Final analysis pending and will be presented.  No current submission guidelines provide instruction regarding abbreviation use in this context. 

Conclusion: Results suggest that there has been a decrease in the frequency of inappropriate abbreviations in journal articles since the introduction of TJC’s “Do Not Use” abbreviations list.  Any use of these abbreviations may re-emphasize such unsafe behavior and should be discouraged.