NKDA

Explanation

NKDA stands for no known drug allergies. It means that no allergy to a medicine is known from the information available when the note is recorded. It is a statement about the allergy history, not a test result proving that every medicine is safe.

Does NKDA mean no allergies of any kind?

No. The D refers to drugs, meaning medicines. The abbreviation does not tell you whether a person has an allergy to food or something else. It also does not mean that every medicine has been tried or tested.

What if the allergy history is wrong or incomplete?

Tell the clinician or pharmacist if you remember a reaction that is missing from the record. Explain which medicine was involved, what happened and when. A record of “no known drug allergies” is different from an allergy history that has not yet been established.

Are side effects the same as allergies?

No. Not every unwanted effect of a medicine is an allergic reaction. Allergy information and other adverse reactions are recorded separately, so describing what actually happened helps the clinician assess the record.

Report excerptExplanation

Confusing Medical Report?

BaluMed makes medicine understandable! Our extensive medical report explanation 'translates' complex medical terms from MRI findings and discharge summaries into easily understandable language. With a combination of artificial intelligence and medical expertise, we offer quickly available and reliable information.

  • Extensive. Summary, explanation per section, glossary.
  • Fast & Reliable. Doctor-reviewed, within 24 hours.
  • Privacy. Documents are automatically anonymized.
  • Multilingual. German, English, Spanish or Italian.