Need help with abbreviation on med order

[Hailbop16]

I can't figure this one out! On my patient's chart for Albuterol nebulizer it said "RTQ4WA". What the heck does that mean?

[Karou]

RT is for respiratory therapy.

Q4 means even four hours.

WA means while awake.

So I would translate it to mean that respiratory therapy administration the treatment to the patient every four hours when the patient is awake.

[Hailbop16]

Wow- you rock! Thank you so very much. Makes sense when you break it down!

[elkpark]

RT is for respiratory therapy.

Q4 means even four hours.

WA means while awake.

So I would translate it to mean that respiratory therapy administration the treatment to the patient every four hours when the patient is awake.

Yup, that.

[Christy1019, ASN, RN]

I can't imagine that is an accepted abbreviation, ew I don't like it!

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I don't think that's an approved abbreviation... I figured it out when I opened this and saw it was albuterol, but I can see how that would be confusing. Which is exactly why we have approved abbreviations

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

There's a med error waiting to happen! What a poorly written order =(

[QuietRiot83, BSN, RN]

Agreed. What a mess! Seems like someone made that up to save time for them and ended up wasting the time of others who had to figure it out lol

[elkpark]

Agreed. What a mess! Seems like someone made that up to save time for them and ended up wasting the time of others who had to figure it out lol

Orders like that used to be quite common, and no one had significant trouble understanding them.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Routine every 4 hours while awake :)

RT could mean routine...

[Christy1019, ASN, RN]

It could mean radiology tech also, lol. But that would raise some eyebrows lol