How can elimating abbreviations reduce errors

Answer 1

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.