In pharmacy, "OM" stands for "omni mane," which is Latin for "every morning." It is used in prescriptions and medication orders to indicate that a medication should be taken once a day in the morning.
Here's a breakdown:
- OM = Omni Mane: This abbreviation is derived from the Latin phrase "omni mane."
- Meaning: It instructs the patient or healthcare provider to administer the medication every morning.
- Usage: Commonly found on prescriptions or medication administration records in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
- Example: A prescription might read "Amoxicillin 250mg PO OM for 7 days." This means the patient should take 250mg of Amoxicillin by mouth every morning for seven days.
It is important to note that medication abbreviations can sometimes be misinterpreted, leading to medication errors. Therefore, some healthcare organizations discourage the use of abbreviations like "OM" and instead prefer writing out "every morning" explicitly to ensure clarity.
