Abbreviating drug administration routes
Take care to use the appropriate abbreviation for terms describing routes of drug administration.
oral: p.o. NOT po or PO or P.O.
subcutaneous: subcu NOT subQ or subq
intramuscular: IM NOT I.M., i.m. or im
intravenous: IV NOT I.V., i.v. or iv
endotracheal: ET NOT E.T., e.t. or et
Some facilities specify abbreviating intravenous using periods (I.V.) in order to avoid confusion with the roman numeral IV. Use account specifics.
In most instances, it is acceptable to use these abbreviations even when they are not used directly in correlation with a dosage instruction.
The patient was able to tolerate p.o. quite well.
He will be started on IV hydration.
There is subcu edema.
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