| The evolution of Medical transcription dates back | | | | filing cabinets in the medical records department. |
| to the 1960s. The method was designed to assist | | | | Whenever the need arose to review the records |
| in the manufacturing process. The first | | | | of a specific patient, the patient's file would be |
| transcription that was developed in this process | | | | retrieved from the filing cabinet and delivered to |
| was MRP, which is the acronym for Manufacturing | | | | the requesting physician. To enhance this manual |
| Resource Planning, in 1975. This was followed by | | | | process, many medical record documents were |
| another advanced version namely MRP2. But none | | | | produced in duplicate or triplicate by means of |
| of them yielded the benefit of medical | | | | carbon copy. |
| transcription. | | | | In recent years, medical records have changed |
| However, Medical Transcription equipment has | | | | considerably. Although many physicians and |
| changed from manual typewriters to electric | | | | hospitals still maintain paper records, there is a |
| typewriters to word processors to computers | | | | drive for electronic records. Filing cabinets are |
| and from plastic disks and magnetic belts to | | | | giving way to desktop computers connected to |
| cassettes and endless loops and digital recordings. | | | | powerful servers, where patient records are |
| Today, speech recognition (SR), also known as | | | | processed and archived digitally. This digital format |
| continuous speech recognition (CSR), is | | | | allows for immediate remote access by any |
| increasingly being used, with medical | | | | physician who is authorized to review the patient |
| transcriptionists and or "editors" providing | | | | information. Reports are stored electronically and |
| supplemental editorial services, although there are | | | | printed selectively as the need arises. Many MTs |
| occasional instances where SR fully replaces the | | | | now utilize personal computers with electronic |
| MT. Natural-language processing takes "automatic" | | | | references and use the Internet not only for web |
| transcription a step further, providing an | | | | resources but also as a working platform. |
| interpretive function that speech recognition alone | | | | Technology has gotten so sophisticated that MT |
| does not provide (although MTs do). | | | | services and MT departments work closely with |
| In the past, these medical reports consisted of | | | | programmers and information systems (IS) staff |
| very abbreviated handwritten notes that were | | | | to stream in voice and accomplish seamless data |
| added in the patient's file for interpretation by the | | | | transfers through network interfaces. In fact, |
| primary physician responsible for the treatment. | | | | many healthcare providers today are enjoying the |
| Ultimately, this mess of handwritten notes and | | | | benefits of handheld PCs or personal data |
| typed reports was consolidated into a single | | | | assistants (PDAs) and are now utilizing software |
| patient file and physically stored along with | | | | on them for dictation. |
| thousands of other patient records in a wall of | | | | |