this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2026
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No Stupid Questions

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When

• Gun shot wound = 3 syllables, and
• GSW = 5 syllables

We abbreviate to shorten, not lengthen.

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[–] Apytele@sh.itjust.works 29 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Easier to write. We spend 5 minutes talking about you at handoff (and I need to write down everything AS the other person is talking) then I have to write a mini essay about each person by morning. Abbreviations are highly specific to specialty (ROM = "range of motion" in most specialties but "rupture of membranes" in obstetrics), but much easier than writing things out. An example from my specialty might be:

SI / attempt r/o. BIBA GSW LA + lig marks neck (suspect DV but pt denies). WC placed, CT (-). Hx DM2 diet managed.

Which is to say

Ruling out a suicide attempt. The ambulance brought them to the ED for a gunshot wound to the left arm and strangulation marks on the neck. We're pretty sure the spouse did it but the patient is refusing to talk about how it happened. The wound consult is in and they did a CT of their neck already, no severe injury noted. History of diabetes, but it's type 2 and managed by diet (as opposed to insulin).

...which is like 3 times as long.

[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 70 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You can yell GSW across a crowded room and not cause a panic like yelling "GUN SHOT wound" might.

[–] derekabutton@lemmy.world 48 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Just pulling this out of my ass, but perhaps it's an artifact from handwritten medical charts. GSW is shorter to write.

[–] Rhoeri@piefed.world 7 points 4 days ago

Ooh! That’s probably it! I hadn’t thought of it that way.

[–] Omgpwnies@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

it's faster typed out as well. When I worked call centres, we'd shorthand all of our notes because we had 15-30 seconds to wrap up the final notes after the call ended, not to mention no agent wants to read a novel to get up to speed.

[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 28 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Hospitals and ambulances do a lot of handwritten reports. In a conversation, the nurse/doctor/paramedic will say 'gunshot wound' but write it GSW.

Worked in public health and never heard anyone say 'GSW.'

[–] Rhoeri@piefed.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Could be that it’s a TV only thing. Been binging a lot of medical dramas lately.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

New season of The Pitt coming out this week I think

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago

Tomorrow. I'm stoked.

[–] GeneralEmergency@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

G S Dub.

It's also shorter to write.

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 15 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Abbreviations aren't just used to make a word quicker to say or write, but also to obfuscate.

[–] Gluek@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Dashing in a real rush, hurry, or else accident

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 days ago (3 children)

It's quicker to write/type the abbreviation, so syllables don't matter. Most common example of more syllables in the abbreviation than the words themselves is "WWW" (9 syllables) for "World Wide Web" (3 syllables). Quicker to type but longer to speak.

[–] myrrh@ttrpg.network 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

...i never understood why the convention didn't become web.domain.tld for exactly that reason...

[–] GamingChairModel@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

While we're at it, I never understood why the convention for domain name wasn't left to right tld, domain, subdomain. Most significant on left is how we do almost everything else, including numbers and ISO 8601 dates.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Because we must pay homage to mister World Wide himself, Pitbull, as we browse the internet.

[–] GamingChairModel@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Joke's on him, I'm putting my website at 305.domain.tld.

[–] sanguinepar@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I saw Stephen Fry suggest once that it be pronounced "Wuh Wuh Wuh" which I kind of like :-)

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] Nasan@sopuli.xyz 2 points 3 days ago

Gee ess dub dub sounds like a burger joint menu item.

[–] Rhoeri@piefed.world 2 points 3 days ago

Yep. I think this his the answer. Hadn’t thought of it being abbreviated as written, then spoken as the written shorthand.

[–] TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago

Depends on the language you use. In the Netherlands W is pronounced as "wae" instead of "double you".

[–] blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Wait until you learn about abbreviating the World Wide Web 

[–] Rhoeri@piefed.world 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Is that a hospital term I’m unaware of?

[–] ZoDoneRightNow@kbin.earth 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

www as in www.website.tld means "world wide web". Double-U double-U double-U uses 9 syllables when world wide web uses 3

[–] Rhoeri@piefed.world 1 points 3 days ago

I’m aware of it.

[–] middleagerioter@lemmy.world -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Is this a stupid ai question?

[–] Rhoeri@piefed.world 2 points 2 days ago

My best guess is…. no, but you probably could have made it sound more human had you not bothered to ask to begin with.

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I dont know why GWS is used , but there are a bunch of the medical abbreviations that are not intuitive to me.

  • PRN = As Needed
  • ASA = aspirin
  • BRP = Bathroom Priviledges (this one is intuitive)
  • PT = Bloodtest
  • bid = Twice a Day
  • BS can = Breath Sounds or Bowl Sounds
  • C with a “-“ on top of it means “with”
  • M = so many things.
[–] ZoDoneRightNow@kbin.earth 13 points 3 days ago
  • PRN is an abbreviation of a Latin phrase "pro re nata".
  • ASA is acetylsalicylic acid which is the chemical name for aspirin
  • PT is a specific type of blood test that measures how long it takes for blood to clot called "prothrombin time"
  • BID comes from another Latin phrase "bis in die". TID is 3 times and QID is 4 times a day
  • BS can also mean blood sugar
  • c̅ is basically equivelant to w/ meaning with but it comes from the Latin "cum"
[–] weariedfae@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I thought pt meant patient?

[–] Apytele@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Or physical therapy. I've never seen either of the major clotting labs abbreviated "PT." You typically say PTT for prothrombin time or INR for the PT-INR.

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 days ago

Probably does

[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world -1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

How are you pronouncing those words? I get 6 and 3 syllables respectively.

[–] Rhoeri@piefed.world 8 points 4 days ago

Gun ¹ Shot ¹ Wound ¹ = 3

G ¹ S ¹ W ³ = 5

The letter “w” is three syllables.

Double ² and U ¹