On the Road to Better Dictation Practices

It might be easier than you think to get that difficult dictator to shape up .

By Lynn Jusinski

One of the physicians Donna Brosmer, CMT, FAAMT, NREMT-B, transcribed for in the past dictated numerous reports from the bathtub—water running, splashes, echoes and all. Many MTs are privy to all of the sounds that go along with eating—dictators sucking on straws, chewing on food and gulping down drinks. And MTs have also grown unhappily accustomed to the classic dead air, when the physician gets distracted and forgets to push that critical "pause" button. Of course, there are also the fabled stories floating around the MT world of the dictator who just had to dictate his reports from the comfort of his convertible, top down, wind blowing, cars racing by.

These practices don't bode well for patient care, and bad dictation causes headaches to MTs, medical transcription service organizations (MTSOs) and HIM directors as well. Rather than just plugging along as the dictation gets worse, speak up—as an MT, an MTSO or an HIM director—and make the offending dictator aware of the problem. Tools exist to help your case, and a little effort may be all it takes to get that dictator off the path of inaccuracy and inefficiency and on the road to good dictation—convertible optional. More...