Final answer:
Technicians should avoid using error-prone abbreviations in a patient's EHR like 'QD,' 'QOD,' 'U,' 'IU,' 'MS,' 'MSO4,' and 'cc' due to potential for misinterpretation and patient harm. Health organizations recommend spelling out full terms for clarity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The use of certain abbreviations has been discouraged in documentation within a patient's Electronic Health Record (EHR) due to the potential for confusion, which could lead to medication errors and patient harm. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) and many healthcare organizations maintain a list of potentially dangerous abbreviations that should be avoided.
Examples of abbreviations that should not be used include 'QD' or 'QOD' for daily or every other day (due to possible misinterpretation), 'U' for units (which can be mistaken for a zero, causing a tenfold overdose), and 'IU' for international units (which can be misread as IV or the number 10). Instead, medical professionals should spell out the full term to ensure clarity and patient safety.
Avoid using error-prone abbreviations
Abbreviations such as 'MS' for morphine sulfate or magnesium sulfate, and 'MSO4' or 'MgSO4' for distinguishing between the two, should be avoided because they can be confused with one another, potentially leading to a dangerous drug error. Similarly, abbreviations like 'cc' for cubic centimeters should be avoided in favor of 'mL' for milliliters to ensure consistency and avoid dosing errors.