Which phrase does N&V represent in medical notes?

• A. Nerve and vascular
• B. Nose and ventricles
• C. Nausea and vomiting
• D. Neural and venous

Answer: (C)

N&V is a common shorthand in medical notes for nausea and vomiting. In clinical documentation, letters often stand for symptoms or conditions, and N and V together specifically signal that the patient is experiencing both nausea and vomiting. This concise pairing helps clinicians quickly understand the patient’s GI symptoms, which can influence assessment and treatment, such as antiemetic use or evaluating potential medication side effects. The other pairings refer to unrelated anatomical terms, so they don’t fit the standard medical note shorthand for this symptom cluster.