I was going through charts at work recently (chart checks, yay!) and found that nursing students were writing A&O x 4, WDWN in their notes. Now, I knew what A&O x 4 stood for but the WDWM puzzled my colleagues and I. I've now discovered that it stands for well developed, well nourished, but it's not something I would put in my individual patient notes and it's not an abbreviation I learned in nursing school. What do you all have to say about that? Was I just sheltered as a student?

I was never tought to use it and I graduated in May. We were given a specific list of abbreviations that were "legal" and had a minor amount of leaway, but WDWN was not on the list.

Never used it...never knew what it stood for until this thread, in fact :)

This past semester we were told to stop using abbreviations for anything - that most facilities were changing to being wordy.

That definitely seems like something that was be more appropriate in an NP/PA/MD note than an RN note regardless of whether it's a legit abbreviation.

I didn't know what it stood for either. But the words are used by docs in the dictation re: patient visits.

It has been a few years but legally we cannot use abbreviations at all.

steph

That definitely seems like something that was be more appropriate in an NP/PA/MD note than an RN note regardless of whether it's a legit abbreviation.

I remember reading a comment similar to this in my husband's last assessment, written by a doctor. I have stopped using abbreviations since one of my last employers stopped the practice with the list of nonapproved abbreviations.

Never heard of this one.

I requested a copy of my ER visit and was kinda insulted when I saw that the doc wrote "Well developed, well nourished" . ..... I thought it was a way to say . . . FAT.

steph:D

I've never seen that abbreviation before. However, it looks like something the primary care physician would "write out" in their assessment.

I requested a copy of my ER visit and was kinda insulted when I saw that the doc wrote "Well developed, well nourished" . ..... I thought it was a way to say . . . FAT.

steph:D

It doesn't mean "fat," it means "healthy."

I know I've seen WDWN for over 35 years, but usually only in an initial assessment done by an MD/PA. And, no, it does not apply to the obese - they need to say obese! Needless to say, it should only be used for those patients who are relatively 'normal' in height & weight. It is one of those abbreviations that needs to be abandoned.

It doesn't mean "fat," it means "healthy."

I know it didn't mean fat or obese-really. . . it still bugged me. You know middle-aged women . . they take offense at the slightest thing.

P.S. I've seen it in physician's notes for years . . written out . . .so it was no surprise to me but to see it written about me . . . ;-)

steph