Monday, August 17, 2015

Monday August 17 2015 Abbreviations

Goodness gracious.  I think I've figured out this blog thing. If I've figured it out I'll start adding categories until there's new content Sunday through Thursday each week.

But since I'm still figuring it out Monday is still the only day with information.

On to today's abbreviation.

I've decided to focus on a personal favorite today. This is the first abbreviation that I learned.

NPO

It literally means Nil Per Os. Which is Latin for nothing by mouth.  

Nothing by mouth is both a dietary status and a physician order.  The reasons for nothing by mouth are different depending on the client. Sometimes the client's diet is NPO because they're at risk for aspiration or choking on their food, and sometimes the order is NPO because the person is going for a test the next morning. 

NPO is almost always in capital letters in the sentence. 

Example Sentences

Patient was made NPO at midnight for his test tomorrow morning. Patient was aware of his status. 

Patient is NPO due to her high risk for aspiration.  

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