Monday, May 30, 2011

Did You Know - The Evolution of Medical Transcription Jobs Over Fifty Years

Since the inception of the trade in the 1960s, medical transcription jobs have changed a great deal. Anyone who hasn't worked in the industry in many years would have to obtain further training to re-enter into the profession.

How Medical Transcription Was Done

To better understand the importance of the medical transcriptionist, it is important to understand how it became a profession. In years past, physicians had to do many more chores attached to their practice, and many of those are better handled by other employees today.

Based on an examination of a patient or results of tests, the doctor had to make handwritten notes of the prognosis and provide instructions for nurses and other hospital staff.

There are a great many jokes made about the handwriting skills of most doctors, and it was truly a problem before transcriptions became commonplace. As you might imagine, some medical mistakes were made because of misunderstandings or getting facts twisted due to the archaic ways of documentation.

The more times that data is re-entered, the more possibilities there are for errors. Doctors' handwritten notes were often very brief and a nurse who got them from a file to type up for more permanent records would often take the liberty of filling in the spaces or gaps as seen fit to make sense of the reports. The reports were typed on carbon paper to produce two or three copies.

If you've ever used a typewriter and produced an original and carbon copies, you are already aware that any mistakes on the original appear on the carbon copies. Any attempt to correct the original using correction fluid or tape resulted in an even larger mess on the carbons. It was an antiquated process and fortunately, technology has progressed a great deal in this regard.

A single mistake on the part of a nurse often made a great deal of difference in how an illness was treated. As you might assume, a mistake could be the difference in life and death for the patient.

Better Productivity for Doctors

One of the biggest reasons that medical transcription jobs are so important is doctors are freed from time consuming mundane work to do what they are really supposed to do, and that is to treat patients. Every medical transcriptionist is a vital part of the medical community and must be highly responsible in order to preserve the integrity of what doctors dictate to their recorders.

Storage of Medical Transcription Records

The old system of typewritten notes not only left room for error, but storage of files was a tremendous issue because the volumes increased continually. In the event an older case needed updating or the records needed to be pulled to find what actually transpired, it could take days to locate where those records were stored.

A great majority of medical records are kept digitally now, even though some paperwork is still filed. The digital recordings of the doctor are preserved for future cross reference in the event of confusion or questions. Accessing an old medical transcription record usually takes only seconds when the reports and findings are stored on a hard disk.

Medical transcription jobs entail the dedication of intelligent and well trained professionals. The importance of having information entered correctly must be the primary goal of every medical transcriptionist, and the failure to adequately do so provides grounds for dismissal. Anyone with the intentions of attending training to be a transcriber in the medical field should understand and appreciate the responsibility that comes with the position.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6305258

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