What does an order of "Q2D" mean to you?

Nurses General Nursing

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I thought that it meant that if I give the medication on Monday then Tuesday would be day one and Wednesday would be day two and so I would give it on day two. I'm being told by someone who is not a nurse (our RN is out on leave for two months and we have a director over us who is not a nurse taking her place) that if I give it on Monday then Tuesday would be day one and Wednesday would be day two but I would give it on Thursday (I would think that would be day three). Is that true? I was told this as I was leaving work and so I haven't had a chance to verify this with the doctor and of course today is Friday.

By the way, I'm an LVN with just over one year experience working at a facility that deals with Assisted Living/Memory Care. Thanks for any insight you can give me until I can check this with the doctor.

Yeah, I don't like electronic charting because I can't type that little 'c' with the line over it. I don't feel like a real nurse if I can't use all my little nurse-y shorthand symbols.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.
If I make a shopping list I'll write "with" like "c" with the line.

Without = "s" with the line.

I also do a 1 like the little t with the dot over it, the sign for 1 tab.

These are super useful and short. I use them all the time. But if I make an error while shopping nothing bad happens. Unless I accidentally get chunky peanut butter. Then someone gets hurt.

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I don't like the order.....we had a surgery discharge paper that "said on the second day after surgery...." I always felt stupidly confused...finally I asked Allnurses their opinion and one respondent said...."today is day zero...then go from there." However this was a relatively insignificant order relating to using ice or heat on a minor incision. If it came to medications I would ask the Dr., not go by "today is day zero."

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

I mean, it reads "every two days", which would be q 48 h, but i'd definitely call to clarify.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
I thought that it meant that if I give the medication on Monday then Tuesday would be day one and Wednesday would be day two and so I would give it on day two. I'm being told by someone who is not a nurse (our RN is out on leave for two months and we have a director over us who is not a nurse taking her place) that if I give it on Monday then Tuesday would be day one and Wednesday would be day two but I would give it on Thursday (I would think that would be day three). Is that true? I was told this as I was leaving work and so I haven't had a chance to verify this with the doctor and of course today is Friday.

By the way, I'm an LVN with just over one year experience working at a facility that deals with Assisted Living/Memory Care. Thanks for any insight you can give me until I can check this with the doctor.

I interpret Q2D as "every 2 days". So that would mean Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun, Tue, Thu, Sat, Mon, Wed...

That being said, I agree with most here: call the provider for clarification. Especially since if you keep with the every 2 days, once you enter week 2 you're not giving the med on a Monday but on a Tuesday.

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It would mean, I need to get the order clarified.

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It's not R2D2's father? :jester:

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If I make a shopping list I'll write "with" like "c" with the line.

Without = "s" with the line.

I also do a 1 like the little t with the dot over it, the sign for 1 tab.

Me too. :nurse: Nurse-brain . . . . .

I still chart on paper in LTC when we have a hospice patient there. I love that. Seriously.

(I'm not a fan of electronic medical records as many already know since I rant about it often. But that's another thread.) :nailbiting:

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I never seen Q2D ordered.... EVER in my entire life! I wouldn't even try to decipher it either as I'd like to protect my license from doctors who write orders like this. I would call the doctor and request that he use any of the approved abbreviations by Safe Med Practice instead of inventing his own.

Sent from my iPhone

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Thanks for the comments guys! I forgot to come back and do an update, but I was able to reach the provider and I was right. If I give it on Monday then the next day to administer the med would be on Wednesday. The non-nurse that told me that it meant every 3 days apologized saying she never saw the order and assumed it meant every 3 days. I was happy to change it back to Q48 hrs before the patient missed receiving his med on time.

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I recently reviewed our approved abbreviations and yup it still includes QOD. I informed re no longer recommended to use and I haven't since :)

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

Never have I seen QAD? I like my c and s with above line, and OD, OU, OS. Love the a and p with a line above. I just love nursing jargon in general for some reason! Guess I'm a little wacky.

Oh geez, this brought back an old memory from early LPN school many years ago. While learning Medical Terminology our instructors would use slides to supposedly help us remember the root prefixes. One was Hyster; the slide was of a woman as a drink stirrer in a martini glass (His Stir, get it?) Crazy stuff, LOL

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