An insight into the history of Medical Transcription

The introduction of electronic health record systems in 1960 led to the emergence of medical transcription services. However, if you are wondering how doctors prior to this discovery used to work, be informed that they had no scribe and had to manage the tasks themselves. They had to take note of the detailed health condition of the patient and note down every progress or deterioration they witnessed on different visits. Hence, depending on the overall patient’s condition, these medical practitioners used to recommend tests or surgery in their own unique notation style.

The need for a change

On certain occasions, deciphering the physician’s handwriting or their abbreviations and notations were not possible. Some took much time and delayed the process of treating patients. Hence, the idea of assisting physicians for medical documentation came into being and medical transcription broke the ice. Of the numerous advancements in the medical field, transcription has been among the prominent ones. No wonder, health organizations look up to medical transcription companies in Canada and elsewhere, to fulfill their transcription related requirements.

The transcription story

Here is quick look at the gradual transformation in the field of medical transcription.

• Medical stenographers: Physicians took help from stenographers in the 1960s. These experts took down dictation from the doctors in shorthand and later used typewriters to document case reports.
• Mini and micro cassette recorder: After recorders came into use in the 60’s the physicians did not require the scribe or shorthand experts to be present in person. They could work on the documentation in a separate room at a different time.
• Word processing machines: 1970s was the period when companies offering medical transcription services started using these machines for editing and rectification of texts, thus making the whole process faster and efficient.
• Other changes: After the 1980’s, changes were more frequent and based on artificial intelligence. The journey was a long one, i.e., from the word processing machines to personal computers, from floppy disks to revolutionary online processors used for interpretation, correction, spell check, etc. Dictation acquired the format of cassette recording, then digital recorders and finally voice recognition at present.

Finding a medical transcription company in Canada

Medical transcription companies in Canada maintain trained professionals who possess the ability to decipher the raw audio files and provide quality transcription documents. If you wish to look a seasoned transcription company for your organization, Totalmed Transcription would be a wise option.