Okuzeka
Medicine vocabulary · Prescriptions and Medication

Stat

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/stæt/adverbAdvanced term

In medicine, stat means: Immediately and without delay; used in orders for a medicine, test or review that must happen right now.

In Turkish: hemen, acilen, derhal

How it is used

From the Latin 'statim'. On drug charts a 'stat dose' is a single dose given at once. In speech it is common in US hospitals ('Get me a CBC, stat!') and is also used informally outside medicine.

Example sentences

  1. Give a stat dose of IV antibiotics and then start the regular regimen.

  2. I need a portable chest X-ray, stat.

Common collocations

  • stat dose
  • give stat
  • order stat
  • stat labs
  • PRNShort for the Latin 'pro re nata', meaning 'as needed': a medicine given only when the patient needs it, not at fixed times.
  • doseThe amount of a medicine taken or given at one time, for example 500 mg, often stated together with how often it is taken.
  • twice dailyTaken or given two times every day, usually in the morning and evening; one of the standard ways of writing how often a medicine is used.
  • emergency departmentThe hospital department, open 24 hours a day, that treats people with sudden illness or injury who need urgent care.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Prescriptions and Medication

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.