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How does everybody remember all of their words in their expander?nm - dm

Posted: Jan 25, 2011

You don't really remember, it just becomes - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
habit, just like anything else. My abbreviations are what makes sense to me if I start typing a particular word or phrase== tpd - the patient denies, lapch - laparoscopic cholecystectomy, etc.

P.S. -- I have also been using the same ones - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
for 20 years or more, so it is 2nd nature.

For basic word forms, I have the word then the various endings --

treat - tr
treated - trd
treatment - trm
treating - trg

Using the same endings for any word is also a big help.

DM, mostly you don't. It's much easier than that. - Pragmatist

[ In Reply To ..]
Some people start typing and then choose off a list the expander provides. Good but not best for all the time as it requires you to keep looking away from the text.

Others set up systems of abbreviations, so they know what a term is going to be without memorizing. For instance, I gave all all medical prefixes and suffixes their own abbreviations, such as sa- for supra, se- for super, etc. My system for anatomic terms is super simple--first two letters of each word and/or important syllable. Therefore, suprapatellar pouch is sapapo. No memorizing.

A whole lot of people do a combo that works best for them: consult lists for less-standard terms, just plain remember commonly used terms, and "remember" their system for lots of others.

Lots of people chat on the web about their systems, so you can browse, copy your favorites, and make up others of your own.

Plus, sometimes you might just choose to name and memorize some really common terms in nonstandard forms so you can get them even shorter than a system would allow. tp the patient

Then there are things like: pcomiyhafq, please contact me if you have any further questions; not to be confused with pcamiyhyfq: please call me if you have any further questions. (Muscle memory lets these roll off your fingers fast and smooth as they get used to them.)

In the case of the last type of example, I strongly recommend storing entries in a form that can be used for any dictator on any account for flexibility and mobility. I have entries named for individual dictator and individual account, but keep them to a serviceable minimum.

Enjoy getting that speed up.

What I do... - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
This depends on how your expander is set up, but I take the first 2 to 3 letters of the word or first few letters of the first words of the phrase and just use that as a standard rule so that when I go to type something that I know I added to AutoCorrect, I can just assume what it is by the first few letters. For example, if dictator says "no new medicine", I know to type nnm. For the most part, this does not interfere with regular words or typing, and if it does and I have to make a unique expander for a certain word, I just write it down or put it on a sticky note, and after a couple of days I remember it.

It's About A Concept - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
It's not about remembering them, it's about using a concept and sticking to it as best as possible. In other words, most my drugs are the first letter of the drug, and the last 3 or 4 letters of the drug--grid is Glyburide, lxine is levothyroxine.

For words ending in ing, I use the first letter, a middle letter, and a g at the end--hvg is having; rcg is receiving.

The 3-word diseases? CHF expands to confestive heart failure CHF, chfx is CHF. All my abbreviated 3-word diseases now have an x on the end of them, which really comes in handy for ASR editing.

Phrases? The first letter of each main word. Ptpw is patient tolerated the procedure well. Awtt is attention was then turned...

You have to make your own concept, as that's the one you'll remember. You CAN use ideas from other people, but ultimately, it has to be tailored to you.

I use a standard (for me) abbrev pattern - with Word autocorrect

[ In Reply To ..]
You find what feels natural to you. I'm not able to use the expanders that offer me options as I find them utterly distracting. But I do like Shorthand because I can make separate dictionaries for instance one for radiology, one for acute care, and one for heme/onc. It takes practice and I confess to sometimes browsing thru my Auto Correct to remind myself what some are, or I go to add a word and realize I'd already assigned the very shortcut to it I was trying to add and just hadn't remembered it!

Connections - sadiemt50

[ In Reply To ..]
Some words are so frequently used together that an abbreviation automatically comes to mind: For ''apnea of prematurity'', tack on the first letters of the words that so often follow: ''apneaop''. For ''dyspnea on exertion'', use ''dyspneaoe''. For ''alert and oriented'', use ''Alertao''. For ''mother-in-law'', use ''motheril''. Also, sound-alikes: Before = b4. Benign = b9. Then, it becomes more of an automatic reflex rather than memorizing a list of expanders.

You should only use your own entries so it is natural - for you to make the shortcut. sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Trying to memorize someone else's list is ridiculous.

Start from scratch. Do 5 entries at a time. Make the shortcut what comes natural. Once you can use those 5 without having to think about it, look it up or pause, add another 5.

It takes time.

I've based tons of abbreviations solely on what pops - Pragmatist

[ In Reply To ..]
into my mind too, but with many, many thousands of entries, I found system absolutely necessary.

Now, in developing one's own systems, there's endless room for individual preference. Since many verbs end in -e, I just willy-nilly chose to use that as the ending for the base form of those verbs. xme examine (xm already taken for exam) xmg examining, xmj examination, etc.

Even choosing what to copy from so many out there is personalization, and there are real benefits in not trying to reinvent the whole car, instead of just a wheel or something. One of the other posters does COPD for the abbreviation and COPDX for "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." I chose that very same thing for a while before changing to a COPD and COPDD system borrowed from someone else who'd decided since the finger was already on the last letter, why not just stay there... Since then I've developed my systems to include doubling the last letter for a variety of purposes. For me a great idea even if it was someone else's first.

Prag, that's a GREAT tip with doubling the last letter of shortcut! - Hayseed

[ In Reply To ..]
I've just always done "x" and that is a GREAT idea!!

I just wish I remembered who first offered it the very first time. - Some good fairy waving ideas into the ethernet. :)

[ In Reply To ..]
x

It was me. Yeah, yeah, me. Uhh, that's the ticket. - It was me, yeah. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Sensing a lack of sincerity, but thanks for something - I am sure we have benefited from here. :) NM

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Oh, you must be young if you dont remember this - from SNL. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

LOL! - not-so-young here

[ In Reply To ..]
Jon Lovetz (sp?) as The Liar! So funny!

I do the same thing. (see message) - RMS

[ In Reply To ..]
Before we went to M*Modal and we had to format our own headings and subheadings, I would put the double letter in front of the shortcut, like hhpi for History of Present Illness: or HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS:

You can do the same thing for doctors' names. Instead of typing out the name and credentials every time when doing an OP report. Dr. Marcus Welby could be dwelby and Marcus Welby, M.D. could be welbym. If you had 2 Drs. Welby, just put the first initial after the d in front of the shortcut.

We even have an account that wants any abbreviation expanded the first time in the report with the abbreviation in parentheses after the expansion, i.e., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For these I just put an x after the shortcut, COPDX.

Once you start remembering your own system, it gets easier to remember the shortcuts. I have over 50,000 of them.

What works for me - Ayn

[ In Reply To ..]
First, I love InstantText because it doesn't require I use the exact same abbrev. each time. I find that I do, though, as I learn/remember what works for me. Second, try learning just a few new ones a week rather than all at once. It may be a little slower to build up your list of expansions, but you might remember them better. Third, it just takes time for it to become "natural" to you. If you are new to MT, don't get discouraged. After 12 years, I'm still learning and adding to my expansions. It took me about 6-9 months to really get into InstantText and feel comfortable with it, but now it is like second nature. I've been using it for roughly 3 years. Before that was just Auto Correct, which I found to restrictive and, yes, more difficult to remember a large list of expansions.

expanders - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
When I first started years ago (before VR), I used a book called "Saving Keystrokes" and then tweeked it to fit my needs.

For example, for headings, I would use hhpi (h at the beginning for heading) to make it expand to "HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS" I use hpix (x at the end for an expansion) to expand "history of present illness."

For something like COPD, I have expansions:
copd = COPD
copdx = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
copde = COPD exacerbation
copdex = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation

For drugs, I use the first 3 letters and the last letter.
lovx = Lovenox
lisl = lisinopril
atrt = Atrovent

When I was first starting out, there was a productively board for MTs that was very helpful and gave great tips and files to download with shortcuts. I can't remember the name. I wonder if it's still around?

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