c/o stands for which phrase?

c/o stands for which phrase?

• A. Complain Of
• B. Complains Of
• C. Complain Of
• D. Complaints Of

Answer: (B)

In medical shorthand, c/o stands for what the patient reports as a symptom. The phrase expanded is “complains of,” because the patient is the subject and the action is the patient’s reporting of a symptom. The form with the -s (complains) matches a singular third-person subject, which is how chart notes describe what a patient experiences. That’s why the correct expansion is “complains of.” The other forms don’t fit: “complain of” uses the base form not aligned with a third-person subject, which is grammatically off for chart notes; “complaints of” uses a noun form, which would describe a complaint rather than the act of reporting; and “complain of” again fails grammar for this context. In practice, you’ll see c/o chest pain written as the patient complains of chest pain.

In medical shorthand, c/o stands for what the patient reports as a symptom. The phrase expanded is “complains of,” because the patient is the subject and the action is the patient’s reporting of a symptom. The form with the -s (complains) matches a singular third-person subject, which is how chart notes describe what a patient experiences. That’s why the correct expansion is “complains of.”

The other forms don’t fit: “complain of” uses the base form not aligned with a third-person subject, which is grammatically off for chart notes; “complaints of” uses a noun form, which would describe a complaint rather than the act of reporting; and “complain of” again fails grammar for this context. In practice, you’ll see c/o chest pain written as the patient complains of chest pain.