I'm inputting phrases like crazy and already running into conflicts were I need to stop and "look" at my IT advisory window. This actually slows me down, I know. I love IT, but I know that I'll actually work better with a dedicated system.

I was reading a topic here regarding using the first 3 letters on the first word and first letter of each subsequent word. Has anyone been using this and how do you like it? How do you deal with duplicates.

Like:
admtth = admitted to the hospital
admtth = admission to the hospital

or when the last word starts with same letter but different ending?

Just need to pick some brain before I start making changes.

Ellen

Hello, Ellen.

Well, I've definitely been using it and love it, I mean love it. However, I don't use it for the majority of my phrases, because A - I started years ago with others that are now embedded in my brain and they work for me, and B - I still don't use it all the time, just with certain ones that my brain seems to instantly signal me, would be perfect for it.

It's my opinion that with any system, if we input enough phrases, sooner or later duplicates will arise. It's just inevitable. You might want, for your example, to have admtthd and admtthn, something like that. Or, just put any different ending letter for your short form. I love IT for the ease of doing this and not having to think about it. Of course, at the same time, I understand exactly what you are saying, about preferring to never have to look. Lots of paradoxes, and I think we all get it, doing this kind of work! Often, not necessarily with this system but anything, I now will put the whole last word in the short form, knowing I won't have to type it out. Like, hmmm, say I have an entry for std and now I want secondary to dehydration in there. Well, I just quickly put stdehyd or something like that, even the whole last word.

I might add that, in doing this, I can have phrases that at one time, I'd never have dreamed of putting in! So I may look, but I have it there, and really, learning to take the time to look at your advisories can actually save you lots and lots of keystrokes, as you catch your continuations and even manual phrases you have put in.

But, I would think a system could be made for that. Even maybe just a z ending for one and an x ending for another. Or x, y, and z if you have three! I'm sure that you would remember which was for which phrase, very soon.

How about it out there, other ideas?

I devised my original short system in a vacuum, so it doesn't follow what most people use (one reason I rarely contribute shorts here, and when I do I usually edit them to a more standard abcz first).

However, for what it's worth, some duplicates are quite predictable. Those starting with or containing verbs that will occur in different tenses is one of them, so I always indicate that in my short. Try using addtth or admdtth, adztth or admztth, etc. (I use z, not j, for sion/tion words). If you want to avoid a lot of duplicates, it may pay you to add a letter or two to your shorts to cover these kinds of conflicts since you will have to type an extra character anyway if you need to pick out of a list.

Another point to consider is that very frequent words in English are likely to show up in a lot of phrases. Consider using the word in full or unique shorts for all of those very common words that start with the same letter and use the entire word/short even when that word occurs inside a phrase. For a start on that, here is a list of the 100 most common words in English, although I would suggest you might want to extend your analysis for this to the 500 or even 1000 most common words, and also consider unique universal shorts for very common words in medical phrases.

100 Most Frequently Used Words in the English Language
about after all am an and are as at back be because been big but by came can come could day did do down first for from get go going got had has have he her here him his I if in into is it just like little look made make me more my no not now of off on one only or our out over said saw see she so some that the their them then there they this to two up very was we well went were what when where which who will with would you your

Hi,
I have switched over to the "grow" method for the most part. To "grow" I use the single word abbreviations I had "learned" and grow on them.....

For your admitted to the hospital and admission to the hospital examples I have.....

admdtth = admitted to the hospital (I took the "admd" I use for admitted and grew from there)
admntth = admission to the hospital
admg = admitting

I do agree with Harrie on sooner or later you will run into conflict with your sentences. I find the most conflict is with the gender sentences. For example, I use wudltshai = would like to see her again in; wudltshmai =would like to see him again in (I added the letter "m" to distinguinsh between her and him, "hs" in a sentence will give me "his").

I hope this helps

Babs, I just loved that! LOL!

Great ideas! Thank you. Gives me a good plan of where I am heading. I love your idea for his and her Babs. I think I'll convert to that too. Very easy to remember. I need something distinguishing between them.

Thanks again!

Ellen