What To Know About Medical Transcription Reports

By Kathleen Clark


Transcription is whole sub-field within the profession of medicine that deals with converting dictated notes into written form. The notes are usually dictated by medical practitioner such as physicians or doctors. The person doing the conversion produces medical transcription reports from the voice-recorded reports for use in the future. The information may be hand-written or it may be typed.

Evidence of keeping medical records goes back to the beginning of writing. There is evidence indicating that people kept health records in ancient caves in the form of writings. The modern version of the profession began in the early twentieth century, following the need for standardizing medical data for research purposes. Stenographers took the place of physicians in taking shorthand notes from dictations given by doctors.

People who specialize in this profession are referred to as transcriptionists. Over the years, the profession along with the equipment used have evolved a lot. Previously, manual typewriters dominated the field but today they have been replaced with electric typewriters. Later, electric typewriters were replaced with word processors and then computers. Today, speech recognition, abbreviated as SR and also referred to as continuous speech recognition is being adopted at a high rate.

Transcriptionists are also known as medical language specialists also abbreviated as MLS. The equipment used today is referred to as a medical transcriber. The equipment can be any of the aforementioned appliances. There are diploma, degree, and certificate courses that people who wish to become transcriptionists can take. Some hospitals and health facilities also offer on-the-job training. Long distance learning courses are also becoming increasingly available from various learning institutions.

Transcriptionists can undertake several tasks simultaneously because they are trained in several skills. They have proficient command of medical terminology and are capable of simultaneously editing, listening to, and typing transcripts. Among the course students train in include editing, record types, health terminology, anatomy, grammar, record formats, health documentation, punctuation, and typing. Transcriptionists often seek certification and registration with a governing body in most countries although it may not be mandatory.

Certain abilities and skills are necessary for becoming a successful transcriptionist. The job has several duties and responsibilities that specialists need to take up and these skills come in handy. Major skills and abilities needed include above-average memory, spelling, grammar, and communication skills. The ability to check, verify, sort, and count out numbers accurately is also needed. Instructions given need to be followed precisely, which makes it important to be able to follow verbal and written instructions.

The ability to type fast is needed because doctors give dictations very fast. Transcripts made must be kept securely so that they can be used in the future. Maintaining such records requires good record maintenance skills. Skills in operating computing devices like computers are also needed for efficiency and convenience in working.

The demand to document health records is always growing. That has led to many countries outsourcing people with skills in transcribing records. The value of global transcription services market was 41.4 million in the year 2012. It is expected to grow by 5.6 percent all the way to 2019 from 2013.




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