Medical Dictation: The future of medical transcription

The act of verbally speaking or dictating medical information with the purpose of transcribing that communication to a written or electronic document is what medical dictation is about basically. However this doesn’t happen with the help of transcriptionist instead its done using state of the art software that automatically transcribes the recording into a written document. Basically all a doctor is required to do is speak into a voice recorder and record his prescription for the patient. He can then connect this voice recorder to his computer and using software available on the net, has his prescription transcribed.

There are two separate ways in which dictation can take place. The first involves dictating into a recording device that later plugs into a computer and transfers the files, dictation over the telephone or using voice over IP (VoIP), or dictation using a microphone directly connected to a computer. This convenience of a separate recording device that later plugs into a computer means that the recording can happen at a remote location away from the computer. The recording device is often easy to use, because it has been built specifically for the purpose of dictation. So most hospitals and services prefer this method of dictation. The second is dictation by telephone, which also offers similar convenience, because it can be, used anywhere a cell phone or VoIP is accessible, and therefore is another popular option.

When picking up dictation software certain things should be kept in mind. Due to the technical nature of medical terminology including coding, prescriptions, and diagnosis, the software must be capable of recognizing these field specific terms. Specialized medical practices and facilities often need to buy specific vocabulary upgrades for their areas of expertise. Along with proper vocabulary, the dictation software also needs to be evaluated for accurate dictation and needs to be capable of incorporating proper punctuation.

Another important aspect of choosing medical dictation software is the software’s relative ease of use. The purpose of medical dictation is to save time and effort in the documentation of medical information. If the software is not user friendly and is too complex, then it defeats the whole purpose.

If you do chose to dictate over the phone then there are separate points you need to keep in mind as well. The Medical dictation software needs to be able to support enough phone lines for the size of the office needing to use the software. The software also needs to allow multiple user profiles to record dictation sessions. It needs to support VoIP and standard analog phone line use, and must offer at a minimum the basic functions of record, rewind, fast-forward, play, and edit which are controlled by the phone’s numeric keypad. The software should automatically send the dictated audio files to the main user’s computer or data storage area either by e-mail or directly through the Internet.

 Its no wonder then that dictation seems like a more popular option, its cheaper, easier to use and it’s incredibly time saving. With the growth of medical transcription, as it is in the last few years, it’s fairly evident that Medical dictation will be a very important element in this whole process.