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Prohibiting 'do not use' abbreviations on all documentation is the safest way to success

Accreditation Connection, August 27, 2007

Although they don't add any new requirements for hospitals, the NPSG FAQs addressing NPSG #2B (standardizing a "do not use" list of abbreviations, acronyms, etc.) do clear up some confusion. The most important of the new FAQs may be the one addressing prohibited terms in an order when the order is clear despite the prohibited abbreviation.

The question answered by The Joint Commission is "If a prohibited term is used in an order, but the order is clear, does the abbreviated term have to be written out in full by the nurse and signed off later by the physician?"

The reason this is such an important FAQ is because, according to the goal, you aren't allowed to use prohibited terms at all on orders, but its answer says you don't need a physician's signature if this occurs. "The Joint's position came about after hospitals, nurses, pharmacists, and doctors complained about the time it takes to clarify orders where a 'do not use' abbreviation is used, yet the order is clear," says John Rosing, MHA, FACHE, practice director of accreditation and regulatory compliance at TGC. "Then the clarification only wasted time and often made it difficult to differentiate episodes where a clarification was really needed."

Access the full story in the August issue of Briefings on The Joint Commission; access is free for subscribers, nonsubscribers can sign up for a 30-day free trial of BOJExtra! or purchase a copy of the story for $10 by clicking here.

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