Abkürzungen Pflege: 70+ German Nursing Abbreviations Explained
German nursing abbreviations, the Abkürzungen Pflege teams use every day, cover vital signs (RR = blood pressure, AF = breathing rate, BZ = blood sugar), medication (i.v., s.c., p.o., b.B. = as needed), findings (o.B. = no abnormal findings, Z.n. = status after, AZ/EZ = general and nutritional condition) and devices (DK, PEG, ZVK). Each facility approves its own list.
Checked in October 2026 against the abbreviation list for foreign-trained doctors published by the Vienna Medical Chamber (Ärztekammer Wien), the OPS 2026 abbreviation list of the federal drug and medical device institute (BfArM), Robert Koch Institute (KRINKO) recommendations on catheters, and the patient-safety alliance APS recommendation on prescriptions as reported by the Deutsches Ärzteblatt. Usage differs between hospitals, care homes and countries.
Abkürzungen Pflege: vital signs and observation
| Abbreviation | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| RR | Blutdruck (nach Riva-Rocci) | blood pressure |
| HF | Herzfrequenz | heart rate |
| P | Puls | pulse |
| AF | Atemfrequenz | respiratory rate |
| SpO2 | Sauerstoffsättigung (Pulsoxymetrie) | oxygen saturation |
| BZ | Blutzucker | blood glucose |
| Temp. | Temperatur | temperature |
| KG | Körpergewicht | body weight |
| BMI | Body-Mass-Index | body mass index |
| NRS | Numerische Rating-Skala | numeric pain scale (0–10) |
| GCS | Glasgow Coma Scale | consciousness scale |
| DMS | Durchblutung, Motorik, Sensibilität | circulation, movement, sensation (limb check) |
| mmHg | Millimeter Quecksilbersäule | millimetres of mercury |
What does RR mean?
RR stands for blood pressure, named after the Italian physician Scipione Riva-Rocci, who developed the cuff method. You will see RR 130/80 mmHg in almost every chart.
Medication
| Abbreviation | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| i.v. | intravenös | into a vein |
| i.m. | intramuskulär | into a muscle |
| s.c. | subkutan | under the skin |
| i.c. | intrakutan | into the skin |
| p.o. | per os, oral | by mouth |
| s.l. | sublingual | under the tongue |
| Tbl. | Tablette | tablet |
| Kps. | Kapsel | capsule |
| Trpf., gtt. | Tropfen | drops |
| Amp. | Ampulle | ampoule |
| Supp. | Suppositorium, Zäpfchen | suppository |
| Lsg. | Lösung | solution |
| IE | Internationale Einheit(en) | international unit(s) |
| b.B. | bei Bedarf | as needed (PRN) |
| BtM | Betäubungsmittel | controlled drug |
| AO, lt. AO | ärztliche Anordnung, laut Anordnung | doctor’s order, as ordered |
| VO | Verordnung | prescription |
| 1-0-1 | morgens – mittags – abends | dose pattern: 1 in the morning, none at noon, 1 in the evening |
| NaCl 0,9 % | Kochsalzlösung | normal saline |
Some facilities use four positions for the dose pattern (1-0-1-0, the last one for night). Check how your chart is set up.
Documentation and findings
| Abbreviation | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Pat. | Patient, Patientin | patient |
| Bew. | Bewohner, Bewohnerin | resident (care home) |
| o.B. | ohne Befund | no abnormal findings |
| V.a. | Verdacht auf | suspected (in Austria often Vd.a.) |
| Z.n. | Zustand nach | status after (Z.n. Hüft-OP) |
| St.p. | Status post | status after (Latin form) |
| DD | Differenzialdiagnose | differential diagnosis |
| Dx, Diag. | Diagnose | diagnosis |
| AZ | Allgemeinzustand | general condition |
| EZ | Ernährungszustand | nutritional status |
| HA | Hausarzt, Hausärztin | GP |
| ZNA | Zentrale Notaufnahme | emergency department |
| ITS | Intensivstation | intensive care unit |
| OP | Operation, Operationssaal | surgery, operating theatre |
| präop., postop. | präoperativ, postoperativ | before, after surgery |
| BB | Blutbild | blood count |
| EKG | Elektrokardiogramm | ECG |
| Rö | Röntgen | X-ray |
| bds. | beidseits | both sides |
| re., li. | rechts, links | right, left |
| HWI | Harnwegsinfekt | urinary tract infection |
| D.m., DM | Diabetes mellitus | diabetes |
| aHT | arterielle Hypertonie | high blood pressure |
| KHK | koronare Herzkrankheit | coronary heart disease |
| VHF | Vorhofflimmern | atrial fibrillation |
| COPD | chronisch obstruktive Lungenerkrankung | COPD |
| Fx | Fraktur | fracture |
| TVT | tiefe Venenthrombose | deep vein thrombosis |
| MRSA | Methicillin-resistenter Staphylococcus aureus | MRSA |
What do AZ and EZ mean?
AZ is the Allgemeinzustand, the general condition, and EZ the Ernährungszustand, the nutritional status. They usually come with an adjective: Pat. in gutem AZ und adipösem EZ, or reduzierter AZ, kachektischer EZ.
What does o.B. mean?
Ohne Befund: the check found nothing abnormal. It only makes sense together with what was checked: Haut am Gesäß o.B. An “o.B.” alone tells the next shift nothing.
Devices: catheters, lines and tubes
| Abbreviation | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| DK | Dauerkatheter (transurethraler Blasenverweilkatheter) | indwelling urinary catheter |
| SPK | suprapubischer Katheter | suprapubic catheter |
| PEG | perkutane endoskopische Gastrostomie | PEG feeding tube |
| ZVK | zentraler Venenkatheter | central venous catheter |
| PVK | peripherer Venenkatheter, Venenverweilkanüle | peripheral IV cannula |
| O2 | Sauerstoff | oxygen |
| NIV | nicht-invasive Beatmung | non-invasive ventilation |
Brand names are often used for the peripheral cannula, for example Braunüle or Flexüle. The genders follow the full noun: der DK and der ZVK (der Katheter), die PEG (die Sonde, die Gastrostomie).
Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:
Time, frequency and everyday short forms
| Abbreviation | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ggf. | gegebenenfalls | if necessary |
| tgl. | täglich | daily |
| stdl., 2-stdl. | stündlich, alle zwei Stunden | hourly, every two hours |
| h, Std. | Stunde | hour |
| mind., max. | mindestens, maximal | at least, at most |
| lt. | laut | according to |
| bzgl. | bezüglich | regarding |
| FD, SD, ND | Frühdienst, Spätdienst, Nachtdienst | early, late, night shift |
| PDL | Pflegedienstleitung | director of nursing |
| WBL | Wohnbereichsleitung | head of a care-home unit |
| MD | Medizinischer Dienst | insurance medical review service |
What does “pp” mean in nursing?
There is no single standard meaning, which is exactly why it causes problems. The meanings you may meet:
- p.p. = post partum, after giving birth (maternity and obstetrics).
- pp = postprandial, after a meal, for example a blood sugar reading taken after eating.
- pp. or “etc. pp.” in general German: an old way of writing “and so on” (from the Latin perge, perge).
The Vienna list does not include “pp” at all. If you see it in a report and the meaning is not clear from context, ask the colleague and check your facility’s list. When you write, use the full words.
Why every facility has its own list
Most hospitals and care homes have an approved list of abbreviations (Abkürzungsverzeichnis), often in the quality manual or the documentation software. Only abbreviations on that list belong in the record. The reasons are practical:
- The same letters mean different things. See the table below.
- Medication errors. The German patient-safety alliance APS recommends avoiding abbreviations in prescriptions, as the Deutsches Ärzteblatt reported in 2020.
- Legal value. A report that only its author can read is weak evidence. See how to write a Pflegebericht.
| Abbreviation | Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 |
|---|---|---|
| BE | Broteinheit (carbohydrate unit) | Blutentnahme (blood sample), common on German wards |
| Ca | Calcium | Karzinom (cancer) |
| FA | Facharzt (specialist) | Familienanamnese (family history) |
| HWI | Harnwegsinfekt | Hinterwandinfarkt (posterior heart attack) |
| HI | Herzinfarkt | Harninkontinenz |
| PE | Pulmonalembolie | Probenentnahme (sample taking) |
| OA | Oberarzt (senior doctor) in German hospitals | Oberarm (upper arm) in the Vienna list |
| AF | Atemfrequenz | “AF” for atrial fibrillation in English texts (German: VHF) |
How to say abbreviations aloud in a handover
In a spoken handover, most nurses say the full word or a short spoken form. Letter names in German: A [a], B [be], C [tse], D [de], E [e], F [ef], H [ha], K [ka], P [pe], R [er], S [es], V [fau], Z [tset].
| Written | Usually said |
|---|---|
| RR 140/90 | Blutdruck 140 zu 90 |
| SpO2 94 % | Sättigung 94 Prozent |
| BZ 180 | Blutzucker 180 or Be-Zett 180 |
| i.v., s.c., p.o. | intravenös, subkutan, oral (i.v. is also said as I-Vau) |
| DK, ZVK | De-Ka, Zett-Vau-Ka |
| PEG | die PEG, said letter by letter (Pe-E-Ge) or as one word |
| o.B., V.a., Z.n. | usually in full: ohne Befund, Verdacht auf, Zustand nach |
| b.B. | bei Bedarf |
| AZ | Allgemeinzustand |
When the next shift includes new colleagues or students, say everything in full. For a full handover structure, see nursing handover in German; for the everyday words patients use instead of medical terms, see patient language for nurses.
Practise saying them, not only reading them
Reading RR on a chart is easy; saying Der Blutdruck lag um 4 Uhr bei 160 zu 95 fluently at 6 a.m. is the hard part. SipLingo (our app) lets you practise spoken German with an AI partner in work and doctor scenarios, with corrections in your own language and tap-to-translate with pronunciation. It is not a medical dictionary and does not teach your facility’s list, so learn the abbreviations here and practise the sentences there. Try SipLingo free.
Frequently asked questions
Which abbreviations are used in nursing (Welche Abkürzungen gibt es in der Pflege)?
The most common Abkürzungen Pflege staff use are vital signs (RR, HF, AF, SpO2, BZ), medication routes and forms (i.v., s.c., p.o., Tbl., b.B.), findings (o.B., V.a., Z.n., AZ, EZ) and devices (DK, SPK, PEG, ZVK, PVK). Your facility’s approved list decides which ones you may write.
What does “pp” stand for in nursing (Wofür steht “pp” in der Pflege)?
It has no single standard meaning. It can mean post partum (after birth), postprandial (after a meal) or, in general German, “and so on”; if it is unclear, ask and write the full words yourself.
What does RR mean in German nursing?
RR means blood pressure, after Scipione Riva-Rocci, who developed the cuff measurement. RR 130/80 mmHg is read aloud as Blutdruck 130 zu 80.
What does o.B. mean in German?
Ohne Befund, meaning no abnormal findings. Always say what was examined, for example Abdomen o.B. or Haut o.B.
What do AZ and EZ mean?
AZ is Allgemeinzustand (general condition) and EZ is Ernährungszustand (nutritional status). Both are usually described with an adjective, such as guter AZ or reduzierter EZ.
Learn the abbreviations here, then practise saying the full sentences out loud.
