Dorland's Dictionary of Medical Acronyms and Abbreviations

by Dorland

Overview

Medical acronyms and abbreviations offer convenience, but those countless shortcuts can often be confusing. Now a part of the popular Dorland's suite of products, this reference features thousands of terms from across various medical specialties. Its alphabetical arrangement makes for quick reference, and expanded coverage of symbols ensures they are easier to find. Effective communication plays an important role in all medical settings, so turn to this trusted volume for nearly any medical abbreviation you might encounter. - Symbols section makes it easier to locate unusual or seldom-used symbols. - Convenient alphabetical format allows you to find the entry you need more intuitively. - More than 90,000 entries and definitions. - Many new and updated entries including terminology in expanding specialties, such as Nursing; Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapies; Transcription and Coding; Computer and Technical Fields. - New section on abbreviations to avoid, including Joint Commission abbreviations that are not to be used. - Incorporates updates suggested by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780323442541
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	07/24/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	488
File size:	3 MB

Table of Contents

CONTENTS Symbols Abbreviations to Avoid A-Z Acronyms and Abbreviations

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Thousands of new terms to keep you current in your specialty.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Chana Kraus-Friedberg, AHIP, MSLS, Ph.D(Michigan State University Libraries)
Description: This book covers a wide range of medical abbreviations and acronyms, listed alphabetically with each abbreviation/acronym in bold font. Each entry spells out equivalent words or phrases for the acronym or abbreviation; if there is more than one equivalent, all will be listed. This is the eighth edition of the dictionary, last published in 2016. The print book comes with an access code for the ebook version.
Purpose: This book is intended to provide those in the health professions with a reliable reference for medical acronyms/abbreviations. This type of book has lost much of its function in the Digital Age, but compared to regular medical dictionaries, whose coverage of acronyms and abbreviations will be less comprehensive, it is still a useful resource. The print book and website have different, complementary functions: the print book might be something to keep on hand for quick reference, while the ebook will probably be useful to students memorizing terms.
Audience: The target audience of the dictionary includes almost anyone who is connected to the medical or health sciences, including students, researchers, practitioners, and medical librarians. The current editor has been involved in the creation of medical content since 2004 and has been working at Elsevier since 2012, so he is well qualified to edit a reference of this type.
Features: In addition to the standard A-Z dictionary portion, this book also has useful features including a chart of the Greek alphabet and the names of the letters, a list of symbols commonly used in certain specialties (e.g., genetics, math), as well as the Joint Commission's list of abbreviations to avoid. The new edition also has a special list of COVID acronyms and abbreviations. The COVID list is not very comprehensive, but will hopefully be expanded in the next edition.
Assessment: This book is really the only well-known medical dictionary with a focus on acronyms/abbreviations. Perhaps the closest alternative is Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 28th Edition (Wolters Kluwer, 2006, out of print), which gives acronyms and abbreviations their own entries so they are easier to find. This book does fill an important need for its audience. The addition of the ebook version also widens the dictionary's uses and accessibility, although it is possible it will eventually be supplanted by free online medical dictionaries such as OpenMD. Even if the only innovation of the current edition was the addition of the list of COVID acronyms, that would be justification enough for an update. Overall, this is a useful reference book for anyone involved in any way in health research, study, or practice.

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