Research consistently shows that the most dangerous errors in medical transcription aren’t necessarily the most obvious misspellings, but rather the subtle sound-alike words that can completely change medical meaning while still appearing to be legitimate medical terms.
Commonly misspelled words include: abscess, adolescence, hemorrhoid, humerus, syncope, and syphilis
Additional frequently misspelled terms:
- accommodation – note the two c’s and two m’s
- ascites – sounds like “uh-sight-ees”
- auscultation – sounds like “oss-cull-tay-shun”
- asymmetry and symmetry WikipediaImgflip
Dangerous Sound-Alikes (Homophones)
Homophones are abundant in English medical terminology. A common example: “ilium” and “ileum” are commonly mistaken. Ilium is a part of the hip bone, while ileum is part of the intestine.
The ilium/ileum mix-up is particularly dangerous – any error with these in medical transcription can lead to a surgeon digging through a patient’s guts instead of their pelvic girdle.
Other problematic pairs:
- afferent vs efferent
- aphagia vs aphasia
Additional sound-alikes that cause transcription errors:
- dysphagia vs dysphasia
- claustrum vs colostrum
Abbreviation Errors
Abbreviation mistakes can be particularly dangerous. For example, “QD” (every day) can be misheard or mistyped as “QID” (four times a day).
Why These Errors Matter
Improper spelling can cause confusion and even can lead to improper care or life threatening mistakes. A proper treatment is dependent on a proper diagnosis, and a proper diagnosis is always at stake due to certain words that sound similar.
Common Error Patterns
Common habits involve writing in the manner we speak and spelling words the way we pronounce or hear them. These are honest mistakes; everybody does it.
Common causes of misspelling include:
- Complex Medical Jargon: Rare or specialized medical terms might be misunderstood or misspelled
- Misinterpretation: Transcriptionists may misinterpret homophones or similar-sounding terms
- Speech Recognition Software Errors: Automated transcription tools may misinterpret words, especially in the presence of accents or poor audio quality
The research consistently shows that the most dangerous errors in medical transcription aren’t necessarily the most obvious misspellings, but rather the subtle sound-alike words that can completely change medical meaning while still appearing to be legitimate medical terms.
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