What is medical transcription?
Medical transcription is the process whereby one accurately and swiftly transcribes medical records dictated by doctors and other medical professionals. The material transcribed includes, amongst others, patient history and physical reports, clinic notes, office notes, operative reports, consultation notes, discharge summaries, letters, psychiatric evaluations, laboratory reports, x-ray reports and pathology reports and other similar kinds of medical records. Medical transcription may be carried out for any medical professional operating out of a small clinic or a large hospital. These transcribed records are used for purposes of archives, reference or for serving as a legal proof of medical advice.
The American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) defines a medical transcriptionist as a medical language specialist who interprets and transcribes dictation by physicians and other health care professionals regarding patient assessment, workup, therapeutic procedures, clinical course, diagnosis, prognosis, etc., in order to document patient care and facilitate delivery of healthcare services.
By it’s simplest definition, Medical Transcription is the process whereby voice dictation is converted to a typewritten (hard copy or electronic) format. Of course, to truly understand the nature of Medical Transcription, a more detailed explanation is in order. Consider that each day in hospitals all over the country, thousands of patients are admitted and discharged. Examinations are conducted, procedures are performed and recommendations are made. It is not uncommon for multiple physicians to be involved in a simple procedure for a single patient. Radiologists, Pathologists, Anesthesiologists, Surgeons, and a host of other medical specialists must all coordinate their efforts to ensure that patient care is both adequate and appropriate. Underpinning all of these activities is a complex web of medical and patient information. Each patient-related activity and procedure must be meticulously documented and then added to the patient’s permanent record.
The simplest definition of Transcription is conversion of voice to electronic text form. Medical Transcription is an IT enabled service that requires specialized skills in utilizing Information technology in converting the voice data of the doctors who are in the US, consisting of patient history and medical advises into electronic documents.
