Medical jargon & terminology translator

Doctors’ letters and discharge summaries are written for other doctors, so they are full of medical jargon, Latin terms and abbreviations. Paste a passage into the box above and the translator explains the medical terminology in plain English, term by term, with a source for every explanation.

How it works

You paste in some text and the script checks it against a glossary of abbreviations and terms. Any matches are then highlighted, along with a short explanation and the source that backs it up. Abbreviations written without full stops, such as “DD”, are only picked up when the capitalisation is exactly right. This stops ordinary words from being confused with medical shorthand.

At the moment, the glossary covers terms from three groups:

• English clinic letters: for example SOB (shortness of breath), NAD (no abnormality detected), o/e (on examination), prn (as needed), FBC (full blood count), U&E (urea and electrolytes).
• German doctors’ letters: for example V.a. (Verdacht auf, suspected), Z.n. (Zustand nach, condition after), o.B. (ohne Befund, no findings), b.B. (bei Bedarf, as needed).
• Blood test abbreviations: Hb, MCV, CRP, TSH, HbA1c and about twenty more, linked to the lab values table.

Each explanation has been written for this site in plain language and cites the page it was checked against. You can see the full list in the A-Z glossary.

What the tool does not do

• It does not interpret numbers, flags such as “H” or “L”, or reference ranges.
• It does not suggest diagnoses or treatments.
• It does not know the context of your letter. The same abbreviation can mean different things to different writers. The NHS explains “Rx” as treatment, while MedlinePlus lists it as prescription.

If something in your letter worries you, ask the practice or hospital that wrote it. You also have a legal right to a copy of your full record: see how to request your medical records.

Corrections

If an explanation is wrong or unclear, let us know. Corrections are handled as described in the editorial policy.