Dx Medical Abbreviation: What It Means in Healthcare

What Does Dx Mean in Medical Terms?

Dx is a commonly used medical abbreviation for “diagnosis.” Healthcare professionals use it in documentation to refer to a patient’s identified condition, suspected illness, or clinical impression.

Where You’ll Commonly See Dx

You might spot “Dx” in different healthcare settings and contexts, including:

• Doctor’s progress notes
• Initial patient assessments
• Electronic health records (EHR)
• Lab and imaging reports
• Discharge summaries

It’s typically listed alongside symptoms, test results, and treatment plans.

Dx in Diagnoses and Documentation

Using “Dx” helps providers communicate efficiently when tracking a patient’s condition. For example:

• Provisional Dx: A temporary or working diagnosis made before all test results are available.
• Final Dx: The confirmed diagnosis after evaluation.
• Rule out Dx (R/O Dx): A suspected condition that needs to be ruled out through testing.

Medical teams use these notations to guide clinical decisions, treatment, and next steps in care. Research highlights that a clear and accurate Dx improves clinical decisions and patient safety outcomes by guiding better treatment choices and avoiding delays.

Dx vs Other Common Abbreviations

Here’s how Dx compares to similar abbreviations in medical records:

• Sx - Symptoms: What the patient reports (e.g., pain, nausea)
• Hx - History: Past medical conditions or treatments
• Tx - Treatment: Medications, surgeries, or interventions
• Rx - Prescription: Medications ordered for the patient
• R/O - Rule Out: A possible condition the clinician wants to exclude through testing

Each one plays a different role in documentation, but Dx is central because it defines what is being treated.