The c/f medical abbreviation most often means concern for, a quick way for a clinician to say which condition they are worried about or want to rule out. In symptom lists it can also mean chills and fever, so the words around it decide the meaning.
Patients reading notes through a portal often stop at lines like "c/f infection" and wonder whether it is a diagnosis. Usually it is not. It marks a possibility that the team is checking. Below are both meanings, sample lines decoded word by word, and the shorthand that looks similar.
At a glance
Stands for
Concern for (most common in clinician notes)Other meanings
Chills and fever in symptom listsWritten as
c/f, C/F, c/f/Where you see it
Assessment and plan, progress notes, consult requests, imaging ordersDo not confuse with
Specialty
Hospital medicine, emergency care, radiology requests
C/F medical abbreviation as concern for
In hospital and emergency notes, c/f almost always means concern for. A clinician writes it when the facts so far raise a specific possibility. It shows their thinking and explains why a test, consult or treatment is being ordered. For example, "c/f DVT" explains why a leg ultrasound was requested, and "c/f sepsis" explains why blood cultures and fluids were started quickly.
Concern for is weaker than a confirmed diagnosis and is often part of a differential diagnosis, the list of conditions still being considered. Once test results come back, later notes may say the concern was ruled out, or the condition may move to the diagnosis line.
C/F as chills and fever
In a list of symptoms, especially in a review of systems, c/f can mean chills and fever. You may see it written as "denies c/f" or "+ c/f x 2 days". Here it describes how the person feels rather than what the clinician suspects. Some writers use F/C for fevers and chills instead, which avoids the clash with concern for.
A simple test helps: if c/f is followed by the name of a condition, it means concern for. If it sits among other symptoms or after the word denies, it likely means chills and fever.
Reading c/f in real notes, piece by piece
| Line in the chart | Meaning of c/f | Plain reading |
|---|---|---|
| CT head ordered, c/f bleed | Concern for | The scan checks for bleeding in the head |
| ROS: denies c/f, N/V | Chills and fever | No chills, fever, nausea or vomiting reported |
| c/f UTI, UA sent | Concern for | A urine test checks for a urinary infection |
| Pt reports c/f overnight | Chills and fever | The patient felt feverish with chills during the night |
A consult request: "Please evaluate, c/f appendicitis, CT pending." The emergency doctor is asking the surgeon to see the patient because appendicitis is possible. Nothing has been confirmed yet.
Shorthand that looks like c/f
Slash abbreviations are easy to mix up when read quickly. These are the near neighbors.
| Shorthand | Usual meaning |
|---|---|
| C/O | Complains of, what the patient reports |
| C/W | Consistent with, a finding that fits a condition |
| C/B | Complicated by |
| R/T | Related to |
| CF | Cystic fibrosis, written without a slash |
The difference between c/f and c/w is worth knowing. Concern for raises a possibility; consistent with means a test result supports it.
What patients can do with a c/f line
Seeing a serious condition named after c/f can be frightening, but it usually means the team is being careful, not that they found it. If a note in your portal lists a concern and you are not sure whether it was ruled out, ask at your next visit or send a message to the care team.
More shorthand that shows up in progress notes is collected in the chart notes section.
This page gives general meanings for a chart abbreviation. What a particular line in your own record means is best explained by the clinician who wrote it.
Frequently asked questions
What does c/f mean in medical notes?
It most often means concern for, used to name a condition the clinician suspects or wants to rule out. In symptom lists it can mean chills and fever.
Does c/f mean I have the condition?
Not necessarily. Concern for means the possibility is being checked. Later notes or test results usually show whether it was confirmed or ruled out.
Can c/f and c/o be used interchangeably?
They cannot. C/O means complains of and records what the patient says. C/F usually records what the clinician is worried about.
What does denies c/f mean?
In a symptom review it means the patient reported no chills and no fever. Here c/f describes symptoms, not a suspected condition.