CHAPTER 1 An Inside Look at Pharmacology^15
Table 1-1. (continued)
OU* Both eyes
Rect* Rectum
Time a- Before
ad.lib As desired
b.i.d. or bid Twice a day
d.c. or D/C Discontinue
h or hr Hour
h.s. At bed time
min Minute
o.d. or OD Once a day
pā After
p.c. After meals
p.r.n. When necessary
q. Every, each
q.a.m. Every morning
q.d. or qd* Every day or once a day
q.h. or qh Every hour
q2h, q4h Every two hours, every four hours
qhs or q.h.s.* Every night at bedtime
q.i.d. or qid Four times a day
q.o.d. or qod* Every other day
s.o.s Once if necessary
stat or STAT Immediately or at once
t.i.d. or tid Three times a day
t.i.w.* Three times a week*The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals Organization (JCAHO) has recommended that these
abbreviations not be used to decrease the chance of errors. However, some hospitals and providers continue to
use them when writing medications orders.