PN
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Parenteral nutrition |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Medical, Geography & Places |
PN has four meanings. The most common are Parenteral nutrition (pharmacy) and Peripheral neuropathy (neurology); it can also stand for Progress note and Pitcairn Islands.
Meanings of PN at a glance
| # | PN stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parenteral nutrition | Medical › Pharmacy |
| 2 | Peripheral neuropathy | Medical › Neurology |
| 3 | Progress note | Medical › Medical Documentation |
| 4 | Pitcairn Islands | Geography & Places › Country Code |
1. Parenteral nutrition
Medical · Pharmacy Abbreviations
Nutrition delivered intravenously rather than through the digestive tract. ASPEN prefers PN as the general term, covering both central (formerly TPN) and peripheral (PPN) nutrition.
Example: Start PN at half goal and advance over 3 days due to refeeding risk.
PN orders are usually written in standardized ASPEN formats listing grams or mEq of each component per day. Prescribing errors in PN, especially electrolytes in pediatrics, have caused fatal outcomes, which led to safety recommendations on order templates and pharmacy verification. In charting PN also means progress note.
2. Peripheral neuropathy
Medical · Neurology Abbreviations
Damage to nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, most often producing numbness, tingling, burning pain and weakness that start in the feet and spread upward in a "stocking-glove" pattern. Diabetes is the most common cause in high-income countries.
Example: Bilateral foot numbness to the ankles, absent ankle reflexes: length-dependent PN, check B12 and SPEP.
Other causes include alcohol, vitamin B12 deficiency, chemotherapy, hypothyroidism, kidney disease, HIV and inherited conditions such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease; many cases remain unexplained. Loss of protective sensation increases the risk of foot ulcers, so daily foot checks are advised. PN can also mean progress note or parenteral nutrition in other contexts.
3. Progress note
Medical · Medical Documentation Abbreviations
Daily or periodic note documenting a patient's status, new findings, assessment and plan during a hospital stay or course of treatment. Physicians, nurses and therapists all write progress notes.
Example: PN hospital day 3: afebrile 24 hrs, transition to oral antibiotics.
Usually written in SOAP format. Copy-forward of earlier notes is efficient but risks carrying outdated information. In other contexts PN stands for parenteral nutrition and for practical nurse, so it is often written out.
4. Pitcairn Islands
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
British Overseas Territory in the South Pacific with Adamstown as its only settlement and fewer than 50 residents, most descended from the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. It is the least populous national jurisdiction in the world.
Example: Supply ships call at PN only a few times a year.
Pitcairn sells honey, stamps and .pn domain names to support its economy. The alpha-3 code is PCN.
Related abbreviations
More pharmacy abbreviations
- Ph. Eur. – European Pharmacopoeia
- PI – Package insert
- PIC – Pharmacist-in-charge
- PM – Nighttime formula
- PPI – Patient package insert
- PPN – Peripheral parenteral nutrition
- PR – Prolonged release
- QL – Quantity limit
See all 134 pharmacy abbreviations →
More neurology abbreviations
- PD – Parkinson's disease
- PICA – Posterior inferior cerebellar artery
- PLEX – Plasma exchange
- PML – Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
- PNES – Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures
- PPA – Primary progressive aphasia
- PPMS – Primary progressive multiple sclerosis
- PRES – Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
See all 131 neurology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.