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Excerpted from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Outlook for Medical Transcription: 2010
To
understand and accurately transcribe dictated reports, medical
transcriptionists must understand medical terminology, anatomy and physiolo=
gy,
diagnostic procedures, pharmacology, and treatment assessments. They also m=
ust
be able to translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded
forms. To help identify terms appropriately, transcriptionists refer to sta=
ndard
medical reference materials—both printed and electronic; some of these
are available over the Internet. Medical transcriptionists must comply
with specific standards that apply to the style of medical records and to t=
he
legal and ethical requirements for keeping patient information
confidential.
Experienced transcriptionists spot
mistakes or inconsistencies in a medical report and check to correct t=
he
information. Their ability to understand and correctly transcribe patient
assessments and treatments reduces the chance of patients receiving ineffec=
tive
or even harmful treatments and ensures high-quality patient care.
Currently, most healthcare providers use digital dictating
equipment or telephones to transmit dictation to medical transcriptionists.=
The
Internet has grown to be a popular mode for transmitting documentation. Many
transcriptionists receive dictation over the Internet and are able to
quickly return transcribed documents to clients for approval. Also, because=
of
the popularity of using the Internet to transmit documentation, many
medical transcription departments are beginning to work closely with
programmers and information systems staff to stream in voice communication =
that
provides seamless data transfers through network interfaces.
Another
increasingly popular method uses speech recognition technology, which
electronically translates sound into text and creates drafts of reports.
Transcriptionists then format the reports; edit them for mistakes in
translation, punctuation, or grammar; and check for consistency and any wor=
ding
that doesn’t make sense medically. Transcriptionists working in
specialties such as radiology or pathology, which have standardized
terminology, are more likely to use speech recognition technology, a medium
that will become more widespread in all specialties as it becomes more
sophisticated and is better able to recognize and more accurately transcribe
diverse modes of speech.
In addition to understanding medical terminology, transcrip&sh=
y;tionists
must have good English grammar and punctuation skills and proficiency with
personal computers and word-processing software. Normal hearing acuity and =
good
listening skills also are necessary. Employment of medical
transcriptionists is projected to grow by 11 percent from 2008 to 2018,
about as fast as the average for all occupations. Demand for medical
transcription services will continue to be spurred by a growing and aging
population. Older age groups receive proportionally greater numbers of
medical tests, treatments, and procedures that require documentation. A high
level of demand for transcription services also will be sustained by the co=
ntinued
need for electronic documentation that can be shared easily among
providers, third-party payers, regulators, consumers, and health information
systems. Growing numbers of medical transcriptionists will be needed to ame=
nd
patients’ records, edit documents from speech recognition systems, and
identify discrepancies in medical reports
.
Advancements in speech recognition technol=
ogy
are not expected to significantly reduce the need for well-trained medical =
transcriptionists.Speech recognition technology =
allows
physicians and other health professionals to dictate medical reports to a
computer, which immediately creates an electronic document. In spite of the
advances in this technology, the software has been slow to grasp and analyze
the human voice, the English language, and the medical vernacular with all =
its
diversity. As a result, there will continue to be a need for skilled medical
transcriptionists to identify and appropriately edit the inevitable errors
created by speech recognition systems and to create a final document.
Further information is available at the BLS website.
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