Confused by NHS jargon and medical terminology?

If you need help in understanding the many acronyms used in the NHS or are new to medical terminology the following resources might be of interest:

NHS acronym buster

The NHS Acronym Buster gives you the definition over 500 commonly used acronyms in the NHS. Find an A-Z of acronyms on their webpage or download the app. Aimed primarily at anyone working with or in NHS management the app has been developed from the acronym buster in The NHS Handbook published by the NHS Confederation.


If you have an OpenAthens password you can access:


Dorland's Dictionary of Medical Acronyms and Abbreviations, 7th ed. Elsevier, 2016 as an ebook via our subscription to Clinical Key

 

Abbreviations and acronyms should be used with care and caution as this list shows:

List of error prone abbreviations

Finally this tutorial may be helpful in understanding the Greek and Roman origins and formation of medical terminology:

Understanding medical words tutorial (US)