When
• Gun shot wound = 3 syllables, and
• GSW = 5 syllables
We abbreviate to shorten, not lengthen.
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Wait until you learn about abbreviating the World Wide Web
You can yell GSW across a crowded room and not cause a panic like yelling “GUN SHOT wound” might.
I’d think that in an emergency room, it wouldn’t be that out of place to cause panic.
Then you’d think wrong.
So, what you’re saying is that the word “gun shot wound” would cause a panic…… in an ER.
There are humans in an ER and humans are fucking stupid, so yes it could. The US is a silly place so people just instantly react to the word “gun” with thoughts of mass shootings.
Just pulling this out of my ass, but perhaps it’s an artifact from handwritten medical charts. GSW is shorter to write.
Hospitals and ambulances do a lot of handwritten reports. In a conversation, the nurse/doctor/paramedic will say ‘gunshot wound’ but write it GSW.
Worked in public health and never heard anyone say ‘GSW.’
Could be that it’s a TV only thing. Been binging a lot of medical dramas lately.
I dont know why GWS is used , but there are a bunch of the medical abbreviations that are not intuitive to me.
- PRN = As Needed
- ASA = aspirin
- BRP = Bathroom Priviledges (this one is intuitive)
- PT = Bloodtest
- bid = Twice a Day
- BS can = Breath Sounds or Bowl Sounds
- C with a “-“ on top of it means “with”
- M = so many things.
I thought pt meant patient?
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How are you pronouncing those words? I get 6 and 3 syllables respectively.
Gun ¹ Shot ¹ Wound ¹ = 3
G ¹ S ¹ W ³ = 5
The letter “w” is three syllables.
Double ² and U ¹
