Official Expert Answer
There is no single official list, and that is exactly why it feels endless. Two things help:
• Learn the small closed set that appears in almost every letter first: Z. n. (Zustand nach), V. a. (Verdacht auf), a. e. (am ehesten), DD (Differentialdiagnose), i. v., p. o., o. B. (ohne Befund), Z. Zt., Th. (Therapie), St. p. Those cover a surprising share of what confuses people.
• Everything beyond that is house specific. Every department has its own shorthand, and the fastest route is a running notes file plus asking a colleague once rather than guessing.
One warning that matters clinically: never guess an abbreviation in a medication or dosing context. Ask. Nobody will think less of you, and it is the one place where a wrong guess is dangerous rather than embarrassing.
• Learn the small closed set that appears in almost every letter first: Z. n. (Zustand nach), V. a. (Verdacht auf), a. e. (am ehesten), DD (Differentialdiagnose), i. v., p. o., o. B. (ohne Befund), Z. Zt., Th. (Therapie), St. p. Those cover a surprising share of what confuses people.
• Everything beyond that is house specific. Every department has its own shorthand, and the fastest route is a running notes file plus asking a colleague once rather than guessing.
One warning that matters clinically: never guess an abbreviation in a medication or dosing context. Ask. Nobody will think less of you, and it is the one place where a wrong guess is dangerous rather than embarrassing.