Surg

Surg, short for surgery or surgical, is a common abbreviation used in medical writing and hospital documentation. It is not a formal term but is widely encountered in patient records, scheduling notes, and bibliographic references. The abbreviation can indicate the field of operation, a specific surgical procedure, or the surgical department, depending on context. In many hospitals and clinics, notes may read “postop care under surg.” or “General Surg.” to designate service lines; in other contexts, “surg” may appear as part of shorthand labels in charts or scheduling systems. Because abbreviations vary by institution, the form with a trailing period (surg.) is often used to reduce ambiguity, but both forms are encountered.

In formal writing, the full terms “surgery” or “surgical” are preferred. Abbreviations like surg are generally avoided in lay publications and in reader-facing documents to ensure clarity, though they remain common in internal records and dictation-friendly notes. The abbreviation does not denote a person; surgeons are described as doctors specializing in surgery, and the field is subdivided into subspecialties such as general surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and plastic surgery.

In coding and documentation systems, surgical procedures are described using standardized codes (for example CPT or ICD-10-PCS), which specify the actual operation rather than relying on generic abbreviations. Surg, therefore, serves as a shorthand marker within workflows rather than a formal descriptor of medical practice.