Real-Life Communication
Being a medical transcriptionist requires you to keep up-to-date
on medical terms or look up information or terms you don't understand. Below
you will find a sample of a few words you can pronounce but don't understand.
The
doctor has asked you to transcribe a dictation for him. You have done that
below, but there are a few words in bold type that you have made stand out
so you can look them up to try to understand what they mean in the context
of the material.
Patient's name: Bob Robinson. Mr. Robinson
has been complaining of pain and diminished hearing capacity and balance in
the ears, which I have determined to be a lack of endolymph in the cochlea.
The
lack of endolymph has caused problems with the basilar membrane. The
liquid and the membrane should be vibrating with the occurrence of sound in
a normal fashion, but because of the diminished liquid it is not vibrating
normally. When tested with the decibel system, it was found that indeed
Mr. Robinson did have a diminished hearing capability.
Mr. Robinson's
balance problems and dizziness are directly related to the cerebellum.
Upon further investigation of the inner ear area, an acute inflammation was
discovered that was causing the patient's discomfort. This is to be treated
with a penicillin-based antibiotic.
As for the membrane, and lack of
liquid thereof, I suggest exploratory surgery in order to determine if there
is any damage to the Eustachian tube.
Definitions:
endolymph:
A watery fluid contained in the inner ear, which helps to maintain balance.
cochlea:
The tube of the inner ear, shaped somewhat like a snail shell. It contains
the sensory ends of the nerves used to hear sounds.
basilar membrane:
A thin membrane that lies along the walls of the cochlea which supplies thousands
of tiny nerve links to the cochlea. Responsible for creating messages about
sounds sent to brain.
decibel: The unit system used for measuring the
intensity and impact of sounds. On a scale of zero to 120, zero is quiet and
easy on the ears, 120 is loud and painful on the ears.
cerebellum:
The part of the brain that coordinates muscular activity and is involved with
the maintenance of posture and balance.
Eustachian tube: The canal
or passage that equalizes air pressure on the inside of the eardrum with the
atmospheric pressure on the outside.
Now you must write a reader-friendly
report to go into the patient's permanent file. How would you rewrite the
doctor's dictation to make it easier to understand?