What does q.h. indicate?

• A. Every hour
• B. Every day
• C. Every 6 hours
• D. Before meals

Answer: (A)

q.h. indicates quaque hora, Latin for “every hour.” The abbreviation uses que for “each” and hora for “hour,” so the instruction is to give the medication each hour, around the clock. This explains why it’s the correct choice when asked what the notation means.

For context, other common frequencies differ: every day is q.d. (quaque die) or q24h, every 6 hours is q6h, and before meals is ante cibum (ac).