Table 1 Comparison of abbreviations (from handover sheets) with the two standards; in total, 221 abbreviations
Standard used for comparison
Trust Intranet Dictionary3Mosby’s Medical Dictionary4
Number recognised by source30 (14%)45 (20%)
Number not recognised by source191 (86%)176 (80%)
Number with alternative meaning31 (14%)24 (11%)
Number with >2 alternative meanings0 (0%)8 (4%)