A&E
accident and emergency
Acronym Buster
Our handy acronym buster has over a thousand commonly used healthcare abbreviations for you to access when you need them.
A
AAA
abdominal aortic aneurysm
AAC
Accelerated Access Collaborative/ Augmented and Alternative Communication/
AACE
Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
AAGBI
The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland
AAND
allow a natural death
AAP
associate ambulance practitioner
AAR
Accelerated Access Review
AAU
acute assessment unit
ABHI
Association of British Healthcare Industries
ABPI
ankle-brachial pressure index
AC
Audit Commission
ACAD
ambulatory care and diagnostic unit
ACC
acute care collaboration
ACCEA
Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards
ACDP
Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens
ACEVO
Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations
ACG
adjusted clinical group
ACO
accountable care organisation
ACP
accountable care partnerships
ACRA
Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation
ACS
accountable care systems
ACU
ambulatory care unit
ADASS
Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
ADCS
Association of Directors of Children's Services
ADON
associate director of nursing
AEC
ambulatory emergency care
AECU
ambulatory emergency care unit
AF
atrial fibrillation
AfC
Agenda for Change
AfPP
Association for Perioperative Practice
AGNSS
Advisory Group for National Specialised Services
AGS
Annual Governance Statement
AHCS
Academy for Healthcare Science
AHP
allied health professional
AHSC
Academic Health Science Centre
AHSN
Academic Health Science Network
AIR
annual innovation report (strategic health authority)
AIS
abbreviated injury scale
AKI
acute kidney injury
ALB
arm’s-length body
ALE
auditors’ local evaluation
ALOS
average length of stay
ALTO
arm's-length trading organisation
AM
Assembly Member (Wales)
AMD
age related macular degeneration
AME
annually managed expenditure
AMHP
approved mental health professional
AMR
antimicrobial resistance
AMU
acute medical unit
ANA
Apprentice Nursing Associate
AND
allow natural death
ANP
advanced nurse practitioner
ANTT
aseptic non-touch technique
AO1
assistance of 1
AoMRC
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
AP
assistant practitioner
APB
autism partnership board
APC
admitted patient care
APL
Adjustment Pressure-Limiting
APMS
alternative provider medical services
APT
anatomical pathology technologist
AQI
ambulance quality indicator
AQN
activity query notice (issued by CCG)
AQP
any qualified provider
AQuA
Advancing Quality Alliance
AR
Aortic regurgitation
ARCP
annual review of competency progression
ARDS
acute respiratory distress syndrome
ARRS
Additional Role Reimbursement Scheme
ASA
American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification (ASA Class)
ASCOF
Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework
ASD
autistic spectrum disorder
ASG
allocations steering group
ASI
appointment slot issues
ASN
Ambulance Service Network
ASPC
Association of Surgeons in Primary Care
ASPiH
Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare
ASQ
age and stage questionnaire
ASSKING
assessment of surface and skin inspection
AST
administration support team
AT
area team
ATMIST
(handover from paramedics) age, time of incident, mechanism, injuries sustained, treatment and trends
ATO
assistant technical officer
AUR
acute urinary retention
AVR
accredited voluntary register
AWD
agency workers directive
AWR
agency workers regulations
