There can be many reasons why things don’t always go to plan when you’re working through the transcription process. A common issue can be the quality of a recording – if the sound quality is not quite up to scratch, it will of course mean that the transcriber can’t clearly make out what has been said. Good, reliable recording equipment is key. Recording an important symposium on a mobile device for example, is not to be recommended!
If the transcriber isn’t an industry specialist then they may not have the proper knowledge of the specific terms, which could lead to misinterpretation.
This is particularly true within the medical transcription arena – think for a minute of all those medical terms and you’ll know just what we mean! Medical transcribers should never just rely on guesswork, they need to have a keen awareness of what the medical terms are so that they can provide an accurate transcription.
We’ve found some real classic bloopers out there of mistakes people have made when transcribing notes from doctors.
Here are just a few examples where something is quite clearly amiss:
- “The baby was delivered, the cord clamped and cut, and handed to the pediatrician, who breathed and cried immediately”.
- “The lab test indicated abnormal lover function” (you must mean liver?!)
- “49 year old occasional male”(Should that be Caucasian male?!)
- “On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared completely”.
- “History of sick as hell disease” (sickle cell)
These may be amusing, and indeed they are, but the underlying fact remains that getting it right can be a matter of life and death in the medical world. It’s an arena in which mistakes could jeopardise the lives of patients. There’s no room for error.
FSTL have an unrivalled reputation of not just providing an accurate service with a fast turnaround, but also demonstrating a detailed understanding of the medical environment and terminology. We have decades of experience working with the NHS, multi-national pharmaceuticals and private practitioners, and we are well practiced in providing transcripts for medical writers and healthcare PR agencies. We also have the resources to record your meeting or interview. There is no doubt that having a good quality recording helps produce an accurate transcript.
At FSTL we always ensure our transcripts use the correct terminology and of course, we maintain patient/client confidentiality throughout.
Getting it right is what we do.