Acronyms and abbreviations

Abstract

Doctors’ speech is full of abbreviations. Including the writing, we use several abbreviations per minute. This high prevalence has led us to consider medical abbreviations as a challenging pandemic. Not only are doctors aware of medical abbreviations, but patients are familiar with many of them as well. Not uncommonly a patient in the UK would tell you in consultation something like “I have this weakness in my leg, and I am worried about MS” (multiple sclerosis). In my early months in London, I learnt many medical abbreviations from the patients themselves!