Medical transcription has become a common term today. Technological advances have slowly changed and always defined the medical transcription industry and it still continues to be so. The latest development of voice recognition software and its evolution may some day totally automate and even remove the human element in the medical transcription process. As of now, the traditional medical transcriptionist (MT) is happy to become an editor who has to just edit the documents produced by the VRS (Voice Recording Software) as its technology is still crude and has a long way to go.
Looking back into the past, all hand written medical records were highly abbreviated and written by the physician who actually treated the patient. Files kept in filing cabinets, that consisted of collections of handwritten notes/scribbles along with typed documents had to be physically retrieved from shelves every time the physician wanted to have a look at them. Further development just involved the duplication of medical records /documents using carbon paper. (I remember doing it myself)
While talking about the history of Medical transcription systems one remembers that various systems had started evolving right from the year 1960. The second generation computers evolved at this time replacing vacuum tubes with transistors. However, all the systems of that period were primarily designed to help the manufacturing process. The very first transcription that was developed happens to be MRP (Medical Resource Planning) in the year 1975 closely followed by MRP2 and referred to the Manufacturing Resource Planning. These systems were yet not useful enough to be used in transcribing records in the medical / health sector. It is only much later in the early 90s that the actual medical transcription, as we know it today, came into existence.
Today when we talk of medical transcription it automatically encompasses the speedy desktop, the Internet, digital transmission, information systems, PDAs, dictation systems, foot pedals, headphones and more. The evolution toward the electronic patient record and HIPAA compliance is forcing everyone to catch up with technology and there is no looking back. Globalization has enabled the medical transcription professional to even sit at home and work for clients who may be located anywhere else on the globe or beyond. As cutting edge technology evolves it would not be wrong for us to say that one can only wait and see how the distant future of this industry is going to be. One can however expect transcription to become a much easier process.
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