LWBS

Medical abbreviation · Emergency Medicine

LWBS
Stands forLeft without being seen
CategoriesMedical

LWBS stands for Left without being seen, an emergency medicine abbreviation.

Emergency department disposition for patients who leave after registration or triage but before being evaluated by a physician or other provider. It is a quality and safety metric.

Example: LWBS after 6-hour wait; callback attempted, message left.

Usage notes

High LWBS rates indicate crowding and long waits. Some patients who leave have serious conditions, so departments may call them back. Related categories include leaving after evaluation but before treatment is complete and leaving against medical advice.

More emergency medicine abbreviations

  • IFT – Interfacility transport
  • IHCA – In-hospital cardiac arrest
  • ISS – Injury Severity Score
  • KED – Kendrick Extrication Device
  • lac – Laceration
  • LSB – Long spine board
  • MARCH – Massive hemorrhage, airway, respiration, circulation, hypothermia
  • MCC – Motorcycle crash
  • MCI – Mass-casualty incident
  • MOI – Mechanism of injury
  • MOLST – Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment
  • MOST – Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment

See all 97 emergency medicine abbreviations →

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.