With the assistance of medical transcription services, any patient encounter can be recorded and transcribed. Voice recording aids in the documentation of a patient's medical history, treatment plan, and other details of a doctor's visit, as well as ensuring that the patient understands the complex diagnosis and treatment protocols. It is useful when the doctor is unable to take proper notes during the patient interview due to frequent interruptions, a busy schedule, or other factors.
Professional medical transcriptionists listen to physicians' dictations and create accurate medical records, which are critical when it comes to providing patients with the proper care and attention.
Apart from providing additional information to patients and protecting patients and clinicians in the event of misunderstandings or legal action, such recordings can also be used to educate healthcare professionals; recordings of medical and nursing students' patient talks can be used for training purposes; these records can also be used for quality, safety, and performance improvement, as well as research and abuse case documentation.
Why do doctors use medical transcription services for accurate documentation?
1. To Ensure Patient Adherence to Medications:
According to a 2016 study published in The American Journal of Medical Sciences, medication adherence rates are at an all-time low of 50%. While many doctors assumed that the low rates were due to a lack of availability (think high costs), the study discovered that the problem is more nuanced.
Indeed, communication was identified as a major stumbling block in the paper. Patients are less likely to take a medication if they do not understand why it will benefit them. Professional transcription services can create medical transcripts that provide patients with a written record of why and how they should take their medication each day.
These medical transcripts can also be shared with family members to ensure that patients receive the best possible care.
2. A Sense of Control:
The most difficult aspect of a doctor's job is breaking bad news. When a patient is informed of his or her serious medical condition, he or she may become overwhelmed. They might have questions like, "How do I get better?" or "Are there successful treatments for my condition?" They may want to know what happens next, which expert to see, what to expect, what different outcomes might look like, and so on.
Having a recording and transcription of the patient encounter allows the physician and care team to have a clear picture of the patient's health condition. They can also clear up any doubts they may have.
3. Collaboration in Health Care:
Good family involvement is frequently associated with positive medical outcomes. According to a 2018 study published in the Chest Journal, patients who underwent cardiothoracic surgery and had family members involved in a family support program, for example, were significantly less likely to be readmitted to the hospital. Patients require the assistance of their families for a variety of reasons, not just surgery.
For better or worse, your family knows you best. The ability to share appointment recordings and transcripts ensures that everyone in the family is aware of any potential side effects from medications or progressing symptoms.
When a transcript is made available, it enables someone in the family with a higher level of medical literacy, such as a nurse or pharmacy technician, to assist in explaining things to other family members who may not understand.
4. Raise the Bar:
Doctors are constantly confronted with questions. Patients who keep track of their appointments frequently call with follow-up questions. Responding to these phone calls can be aided by recording and transcribing patient encounters.
It's no longer about re-answering the same questions a few days later, but about responding to intriguing, insightful follow-ups. It demonstrates that patients are becoming more aware of their interactions and, as a result, are better prepared to take their health seriously in the future.
5. Protecting Your Reputation:
Recordings can be useful in demonstrating everything a doctor did correctly. Recording and transcribing the patient encounter brings everything out into the open, which is preferable to a patient secretly taping your conversation.
From the above-mentioned reasons, it is clear that recording and transcribing patient encounters with the assistance of a reputable medical transcription company allows physicians to keep accurate medical records and provide better patient care. Above all, the transcripts serve as evidence in the event of a lawsuit. It also provides patients and their families with a clear understanding of the patient's health condition, ongoing treatments, the effectiveness of treatments, and so on.