What does the abbreviation DX (dx) stand for?

• A. Diagnosis
• B. Diagnostics
• C. Diagnoses
• D. Doctor's X-ray

Answer: (A)

dx stands for diagnosis—the identification of a disease or condition after evaluating symptoms, history, and tests. In medical notes and resident charts, that label tells the care team what condition is being treated, so they can plan appropriate care and medications. You’ll often see it after a colon, like “dx: hypertension” or “dx: type 2 diabetes.”

Other options don’t fit this shorthand: “diagnostics” refers to the process or tools used to determine a diagnosis, not the diagnosis itself; “diagnoses” is the plural form of diagnosis; “Doctor’s X-ray” isn’t a standard meaning of dx.