Enthusiastic users of acronyms

[nineveh_uk]

I appreciate acronyms are popular: they're useful. But sometimes, people seem really a bit too keen. Like the people who came up with the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test, also know as the (SNOT)22. You can guess what it measures.

This bunch at the University of Southampton medical school seem particularly keen:

2015 – ARCHIE Study, University of Oxford, a paediatric double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial to determine whether treatment with a 5-day course of co-amoxiclav early during an influenza/ILI episode in at risk children reduces the likelihood of re-consultation due to clinical deterioration.

2014 – FAME Study, University of Southampton, A pilot study to inform a future study in the management of short-term (acute) fatigue.

2008 – SNIFS Study, University of Southampton, A primary care randomised controlled trial of nasal irrigation, steam inhalation and a combination of the treatments to ascertain effectiveness in the prevention of sinusitis symptoms.

2008 – TASTE Study, University of Southampton, A primary care randomised controlled trial of probiotics, xylitol and sorbitol for acute sore throat.

2008 - SMILE Study, University of Southampton, A feasibility study to develop a preliminary version of a website to self measure and manage hypertension.

*

TASTE and SNIFS are the clear winners. I'm slightly disappointed that FAME isn't an investigation into how to live forever.

Comments

[white_hart]

You do realise that Classics have a research centre called OCTOPUS, don't you?

[nineveh_uk]

Oh dear. The Oxford Centre for Phoenician and Punic Studies, I see.

[white_hart]

It is somewhat laboured.

My brother maintains that his greatest regret from his days running the Cambridge University Star Trek Society is not being able to think of a good way to expand the name so the acronym became CUSTARD.

[nineveh_uk]

Cambridge University Star Trek and RelateD media.

[legionseagle]

Or, indeed, about spontaneous human combustion.

[nineveh_uk]

I'm gonna learn how to fry!

[caulkhead]

My personal favourite is C-HENS - Chief Heads of European Naval Staff. I like to think it was made up by a junior who had accurately observed their tendencies to lose their heads and run round in circles in a crisis.

[nineveh_uk]

That sounds all too plausible!

[alitheapipkin.livejournal.com]

In my experience, scientists are only second to roleplayers in their desire to make everything into an acronym :)

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

They have to have some outlet for fun I suppose.

[alitheapipkin.livejournal.com]

I may have been involved in projects where coming up with the acronym was the most entertaining bit of the entire affair, yes ;)

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I can imagine...

[alitheapipkin.livejournal.com]

After commenting last night, I may have spent more time than at all necessary trying to remember how we managed to describe our model of land use change and soil impacts in Scotland so we could use 'ECOSSE' as our acronym (the Scottish Government were funding the project) - Google has a far better memory than me, turns out the answer is 'Estimating Carbon in Organic Soils - Sequestration and Emissions' (it also points me at the fact that some poor mugs are still publishing on it, which does not in any way make me regret leaving research!)

[executrix.livejournal.com]

And members of the US Congress, where the FAST Act is Protecting America's Surface Transport and the PATH Act is Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes.

[sonetka.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of a cartoon in one my mom's old copies of Punch (from about 1977): two suit-wearing men carrying a banner for the Coalition Opposing Contrived, Outrageous Acronyms. Looks like it's been a problem for a while :).

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Come to think of it, isn't the use of a fish symbol for Christianity based on a creative acronym?

[auntyros.livejournal.com]

Or even into how to fly, high.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

How well do babies remember names?