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Medical Abbreviation Decoder
Paste clinical notes to automatically find and decode medical abbreviations, or look up individual terms. Covers 150+ abbreviations commonly used in charts, prescriptions, and referral letters.
Plain Language in Patient-Facing Forms
- Clinical abbreviations are fine for provider-to-provider communication, but they should never appear on patient-facing forms, instructions, or consent documents.
- Replace abbreviations with plain language. Write “twice a day” instead of “BID” and “high blood pressure” instead of “HTN.”
- The Joint Commission recommends avoiding all abbreviations in patient education materials to reduce the risk of misunderstanding.
- If you must use an abbreviation, spell it out on first use. For example: “Your hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) measures average blood sugar over the past 3 months.”
- Consider health literacy levels. Nearly 36% of U.S. adults have basic or below-basic health literacy, so clarity is essential.
- Test your patient forms with real patients and ask if any terms are confusing.
Build patient forms in plain language
Formisoft's form builder helps you create clear, patient-friendly intake forms. No medical jargon, no confusion, just simple questions your patients can understand.
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