A-Z First Aid Acronym Index
Every first aid acronym guide on First Aid Acronyms, arranged alphabetically for fast lookup.
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4
A
ABC
ABC First Aid Meaning: Airway, Breathing and Circulation
ABC means Airway, Breathing and Circulation, an older but still familiar way to describe core life-support priorities.
AABCDE
ABCDE Meaning: Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability and Exposure
ABCDE is a structured assessment acronym used in emergency care to organise immediate problems by Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability and Exposure.
AACS
ACS Meaning: Acute Coronary Syndrome and Suspected Heart Attack
ACS means Acute Coronary Syndrome, a group of urgent heart conditions that includes heart attack and unstable angina.
AAED
AED Meaning: Automated External Defibrillator Explained for Australians
An AED is the public-access defibrillator that gives spoken instructions and may deliver a shock during cardiac arrest.
AALGEE
ALGEE Meaning: The Mental Health First Aid Action Plan
ALGEE is the five-action Mental Health First Aid plan used to approach, listen, give support and encourage appropriate help.
AALS
ALS Meaning: Advanced Life Support in Australia
ALS means Advanced Life Support, the higher-level resuscitation care used when trained clinicians, equipment and medicines are available.
AAMI
AMI Meaning: Acute Myocardial Infarction in Plain English
AMI means Acute Myocardial Infarction, the medical term for a heart attack happening now.
AASCIA
ASCIA Action Plan: The Anaphylaxis First Aid Acronym Australians See Everywhere
ASCIA is the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, the name behind the familiar anaphylaxis action plans.
AAVPU
AVPU First Aid: Alert, Voice, Pain, Unresponsive
AVPU is a quick way to describe a person’s level of responsiveness.
B
BBV
BBV Meaning: Blood-Borne Viruses and First Aid Exposure Risk
BBV means blood-borne viruses, a key workplace first aid term when blood, sharps or body-fluid exposure is possible.
BBGL
BGL Meaning: Blood Glucose Level in First Aid
BGL means Blood Glucose Level, a measurement that matters when someone with diabetes may be low or high.
BBLS
BLS Meaning: Basic Life Support in Australian First Aid
BLS means Basic Life Support: the emergency actions that keep oxygen moving during a life-threatening collapse.
BBVM
BVM Meaning: Bag-Valve-Mask in Resuscitation
BVM means Bag-Valve-Mask, a ventilation device used by trained responders to support breathing.
C
CO
CO Meaning: Carbon Monoxide and Poisoning First Aid
CO means Carbon Monoxide, an invisible poisonous gas that can be life-threatening and cause collapse.
CCOWS
COWS First Aid: A Simple Response Check
COWS is a first aid response check that helps you work out whether a person can hear, open their eyes and respond.
CCPR
CPR Meaning in First Aid: Compressions, Breaths and the Australian Basics
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the emergency technique used when someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally.
CCVA
CVA Meaning: Cerebrovascular Accident and Stroke Language
CVA means Cerebrovascular Accident, an older medical term for stroke.
D
DRABC
DRABC Meaning: The Older First Aid Primary Survey Acronym
DRABC means Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing and Circulation, an older first aid sequence now usually expanded to DRSABCD in Australia.
DDRSABCD
DRSABCD Meaning: The Australian First Aid Action Plan
The big emergency sequence: Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR and Defibrillation.
DDVT
DVT Meaning: Deep Vein Thrombosis and First Aid Awareness
DVT means Deep Vein Thrombosis, a blood clot in a deep vein, often in the leg.
E
F
G
GCS
GCS Meaning: Glasgow Coma Scale in First Aid Handover
GCS means Glasgow Coma Scale, a clinical score used to describe consciousness after illness or injury.
GGHS
GHS Meaning: Hazard Pictograms and Chemical Labels
GHS means Globally Harmonized System, the classification and labelling system behind chemical hazard pictograms.
GGTN
GTN Meaning: Glyceryl Trinitrate and Chest Pain First Aid
GTN means Glyceryl Trinitrate, a medicine some people are prescribed for angina or chest pain.
H
HAZCHEM
HAZCHEM Meaning: Hazardous Chemical Signs and Emergency Awareness
HAZCHEM is shorthand for hazardous chemicals and appears on workplace chemical warning signs and placards.
HHLTAID009
HLTAID009 Meaning: Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
HLTAID009 is the Australian nationally recognised unit code for Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
HHLTAID010
HLTAID010 Meaning: Provide Basic Emergency Life Support
HLTAID010 is the Australian unit code for Provide basic emergency life support.
HHLTAID011
HLTAID011 Meaning: Provide First Aid in Australia
HLTAID011 is the common Australian nationally recognised unit code for Provide First Aid.
HHLTAID012
HLTAID012 Meaning: First Aid in an Education and Care Setting
HLTAID012 is the Australian first aid unit code for education and care settings such as childcare and early learning.
HHLTAID014
HLTAID014 Meaning: Provide Advanced First Aid
HLTAID014 is the Australian unit code for Provide Advanced First Aid.
HHYPER
HYPER Meaning: High Blood Glucose and Diabetes Warning Signs
HYPER is shorthand for hyperglycaemia, meaning high blood glucose.
HHYPO
HYPO Meaning: Low Blood Glucose in Diabetes First Aid
HYPO is shorthand for hypoglycaemia, meaning low blood glucose.
I
IM
IM Meaning: Intramuscular Injection in First Aid Contexts
IM means intramuscular, a route where medicine is injected into a muscle.
IIMIST-AMBO
IMIST-AMBO Meaning: Australian Ambulance Handover Acronym
IMIST-AMBO is an Australian ambulance-to-hospital handover acronym for clear, structured patient information.
IIPC
IPC Meaning: Infection Prevention and Control in First Aid
IPC means infection prevention and control, the practical hygiene and PPE habits that reduce infection risk during first aid.
IISBAR
ISBAR Meaning: A Safer Handover Framework
ISBAR means Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation: a structured way to hand over important information.
L
LOC
LOC Meaning: Loss or Level of Consciousness
LOC usually means loss of consciousness or level of consciousness, depending on the context.
LLOOK LISTEN LINK
Look Listen Link Meaning in Psychological First Aid
Look, Listen, Link is a simple psychological first aid framework for noticing needs, listening supportively and connecting people to help.
LLVR
LVR Meaning: Low Voltage Rescue and Electrical First Aid
LVR means Low Voltage Rescue, a workplace electrical safety skill often paired with CPR training.
M
MHFA
MHFA Meaning: Mental Health First Aid in Australia
MHFA means Mental Health First Aid, training that helps people recognise, respond and support someone experiencing a mental health problem or crisis.
MMI
MI Meaning: Myocardial Infarction and Heart Attack Language
MI means Myocardial Infarction, another medical term for heart attack.
MMIST
MIST Handover: Mechanism, Injuries, Signs and Treatment
MIST is a compact trauma handover format: Mechanism, Injuries, Signs and Treatment.
MMSDS
MSDS Meaning: The Older Name for Safety Data Sheets
MSDS means Material Safety Data Sheet, an older term many people still use when they mean SDS.
N
NO HARM
NO HARM First Aid: What to Avoid After a Soft-Tissue Injury
NO HARM is the caution label often paired with RICER in sports injury care.
NNSI
NSI Meaning: Needlestick Injury First Aid and Reporting
NSI means needlestick injury, a puncture from a needle or sharp that may need urgent washing, reporting and medical advice.
O
OHCA
OHCA Meaning: Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
OHCA stands for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, the emergency where fast bystander action can matter enormously.
OOPQRST
OPQRST Meaning: Pain Assessment Questions in First Aid and Handover
OPQRST is a pain and symptom assessment acronym: Onset, Provocation, Quality, Region, Severity and Time.
P
PAD
PAD Meaning: Public Access Defibrillation
PAD means Public Access Defibrillation: making AEDs easy for ordinary people to find and use during cardiac arrest.
PPCBU
PCBU Meaning: The WHS Term Behind Workplace First Aid Duties
PCBU means Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking, a key Australian WHS term for workplace safety duties.
PPE
PE Meaning: Pulmonary Embolism and Emergency Warning Signs
PE means Pulmonary Embolism, a blockage in an artery in the lungs, often caused by a blood clot.
PPEACE & LOVE
PEACE & LOVE Meaning: A Modern Soft-Tissue Injury Recovery Acronym
PEACE & LOVE is a newer soft-tissue injury framework that covers early protection and later active recovery.
PPEP
PEP Meaning: Post-Exposure Prophylaxis After HIV Exposure Risk
PEP means post-exposure prophylaxis, medicine that may reduce HIV risk after a possible exposure if started quickly after medical assessment.
PPFA
PFA Meaning: Psychological First Aid After Crisis or Disaster
PFA means Psychological First Aid, practical and compassionate support for people affected by crisis, disaster or trauma.
PPIC
PIC Meaning: Poisons Information Centre and 13 11 26
PIC means Poisons Information Centre, the 24-hour Australian advice line for poisoning, bites, stings and toxic exposure.
PPIT
PIT First Aid: Pressure Immobilisation Technique for Australian Bites
PIT stands for Pressure Immobilisation Technique, often used for serious Australian snake and some venomous bite risks.
PPOLICE
POLICE Meaning: Protection and Optimal Loading for Soft-Tissue Injuries
POLICE means Protection, Optimal Loading, Ice, Compression and Elevation, an injury-care acronym that evolved from PRICE.
PPPE
PPE Meaning in First Aid: Personal Protective Equipment
PPE means personal protective equipment: gloves, eye protection, masks or other gear that reduces risk while helping.
PPQRST
PQRST Pain Assessment: A First Aid Question Framework
PQRST helps make pain questions specific enough to be useful.
PPRICE
PRICE Meaning: Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation
PRICE is a soft-tissue injury acronym that adds Protection to the older RICE approach.
R
RICE
RICE First Aid: The Simple Soft-Tissue Injury Acronym
RICE means Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, a shorter cousin of RICER.
RRICER
RICER First Aid: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and Referral
RICER is the classic Australian sports first aid acronym for early soft-tissue injury care.
RRID
RID First Aid Acronym: Rest, Immobilise and Direct Pressure for Bleeding
RID is a short bleeding-control reminder: Rest, Immobilise and Direct Pressure.
RROSC
ROSC Meaning: Return of Spontaneous Circulation After CPR
ROSC means Return of Spontaneous Circulation, the moment signs of circulation return after cardiac arrest care.
S
SAMPLE
SAMPLE First Aid History: The Questions Worth Asking
SAMPLE helps first aiders gather useful information while help is coming.
SSBAR
SBAR Meaning: Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation
SBAR is a communication acronym for Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation.
SSCA
SCA Meaning: Sudden Cardiac Arrest and What Bystanders Can Do
SCA means Sudden Cardiac Arrest, a life-threatening emergency where the heart suddenly stops pumping effectively.
SSDS
SDS Meaning: Safety Data Sheet for First Aid and Chemical Exposure
SDS means Safety Data Sheet, the workplace document that explains chemical hazards, first aid and safe handling.
T
TBI
TBI Meaning: Traumatic Brain Injury and First Aid Red Flags
TBI means Traumatic Brain Injury, an injury to the brain caused by an external force such as a blow, fall or crash.
TTIA
TIA Meaning: Transient Ischaemic Attack and Stroke Warning Signs
TIA means Transient Ischaemic Attack, sometimes called a mini-stroke, but it should never be treated casually.
TTOTAPS
TOTAPS First Aid: The Sports Injury Assessment Acronym
TOTAPS helps first aiders assess a sporting injury in a calm, step-by-step way.