Bull's eye

There is perhaps no more important trait in medical transcription than accuracy. The medical transcriptionist produces a document that tells the patient’s story, and accuracy is at the top of that list.

Medical transcriptionists tend to be quite focused on the accuracy of the reports they produce. We stress about it, we wait for that monthly or quarterly quality report from our employers, and if we miss even one thing, we tend to beat ourselves up for days.

In the business world, companies tout their “98% accuracy rate” as if it’s a good thing. Let’s take a look at that for a minute. Just suppose that 98% accuracy is acceptable. What would that really mean?

  • Of the 4,315,000 babies born every year, 86,300 would go home with the wrong parents.
  • Of the 48 million mammograms that are done every year, 960,000 of them would have the wrong results.
  • Of the 193,000 hip replacement surgeries done annually, 3,860 would have a bad result.
  • Of the 92,000 cesarean sections done each year, 1,840 of them would have a bad outcome.
  • Of the 3.8 million prescriptions that are written annually, 76,000 of them would have errors. It is interesting to note that estimates show this percentage could actually be much higher than the 2% error rate.
  • What if our cars’ brakes worked 98% of the time? In the 7,667,066 cars sold every year, that would mean the brakes failed on 153,341 of them!

When you look at the above list, that 98% accuracy doesn’t sound so good, does it?

Accuracy is a critical factor in what medical transcriptionists do. Without it, the reports we transcribe have the potential to negatively impact the patient’s story. Yes, we can only do with what we are given, yet let’s be sure that we make the most of the dictations we are given and stay focused. Don’t let yourself get caught typing “mindlessly” in anything you do. Stay focused and be sure that you can be proud to put your initials at the bottom of each and every document you transcribe.

What tips can you offer for your fellow MTs about staying focused on accuracy?