Snapshot: This article reviews common medical abbreviations that the Joint Commission has deemed potentially problematic, along with suggested alternatives.
| Do Not Use | Potential Problem | Use Instead |
| U, u (unit) | Mistaken for “0” (zero), the
number “4” (four) or “cc” |
Write “unit” |
| IU (International Unit) | Mistaken for IV (intravenous) or the number 10 (ten) | Write “International Unit” |
| Q.D., QD, q.d., qd (daily) | Mistaken for each other | Write “daily” |
| Q.O.D., QOD, q.o.d., qod (every other day) | Period after the Q mistaken for "I" and “O” mistaken for “I” | Write “every other day” |
| Trailing zero (X.0 mg) | Decimal point is missed | Write X mg |
| Lack of leading zero (.X mg) | Decimal point is missed | Write 0.X mg |
| MS | Can mean morphine sulfate or magnesium sulfate | Write “morphine sulfate” or write “magnesium sulfate” |
| MSO4 and MgSO4 | Confused for one another |