How can elimating abbreviations reduce errors
OK here are three examples
IPA can stand for?
Iodoplatinic acid (used in chemistry to show up amines on chromatography plates)
India Pale Ale
Isopropyl alcohol
I once had a student who sprayed chromatography plates with India Pale Ale because he had got no result when he had sprayed the plate with isopropyl alcohol after I had told him to use IPA. I had meant iodoplatinic acid.
If you look here:
http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/IPA
There are loads of examples what IPA could stand for!
Thus by not using abbreviations, errors like mine above can be avoided.