A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Slurred words - Elssa

Posted: Aug 08, 2012

When doctors slur their words so much that they sound like they're dead drunk or on something, do you think they're usually actually drunk, or just being obnoxious? Just wondering...

they are dictating the same thing over and over-sm - just me

[ In Reply To ..]
If they are slurring, they are dictating their normals usually. Save this out for future reference and use. When I worked for one service, the doctor was slurring so bad, it was completely inaudible. I requested a sample (which they did not have and could not understand him), informing them that due to mumbling, it is a normal, which it was. Even QA sent me a note stating she did not know how on earth I could figure out what was he was saying and put me on his account. Extremely profitable, as he was dictating "canned" dictation, the same exact wording over and over. All I had to do was copy and paste for every patient, of course, after listening to ensure.

They're probably really tired - of course

[ In Reply To ..]
It's much more fun to assume the worst and cast them in an unfavorable light.

not necessarily.... - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I transcribed for a doctor that was intoxicated on a regular basis while he was dictating. He usually took the dictations home and doing one after the other of his dictations in a row, I could absolutely tell that he was getting more and more intoxicated, with wine being his preference. I heard him fall asleep or pass out while drinking/dictating, snor, be pulled over the police, as he often dictated in his car, as well. I know for a fact he was mostly drunk while he was dictating, so don't think it is not possible to have them do this. It happens more often than you think. Not all slurred words are coming from canned text or being tired. Actually the drunkeness became pretty disgusting after nearly 10 years of listening to it!

Slurred dictation - just me

[ In Reply To ..]
At the beginning of my career, I transcribed for a pain management physician's office connected to our surgery center account, who made so many mistakes that I emailed the MTSO owner. Turns out he had suffered a stroke, affecting his speech.

While you might have the rare exception, I can tell you from my vast experience of transcribing millions of dictators (and numerous clients who I interface with personally), they are simply in a hurry and do not realize they are slurring through normals. Even the best dictators can do this. I have a hearing impairment they are aware of (not to mention charge extra for bad dictation), and they kindly redictate, despite the fact I know what they are trying to say. Some even have "dictating" phobia, some being terrible dictating into a microphone and others on the phone, one even being a professional speaker. Nobody is perfect. However, if you have a dictator that slurs during certain portions of the report, IN MY EXPERIENCE, it is because these are normals they dictate every day and assume you have this info on hand.

Give somebody the benefit of the doubt. Possibly, they might have medical conditions, ill-fitting dentures, in a hurry, or simply bad dictation etiquette.

yup - 1mt

[ In Reply To ..]
I also had a doc who would dictate drunk and actually fall asleep while dictating. The MTSO I worked for even confirmed it.

They are just exhausted. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Do you actually think that many doctors are drunk or that they conspire to slur their speech? "Hey! Let's have fun every day by slurring!"

They are just exhausted. You might not be aware but some doctors work very long hours. Residents work horribly long hours--36 hour shifts used to be the norm but rules limiting that came into effect recently. It is still unreasonably long, though. Specialties like surgery are the worst.

They do not do it to be obnoxious. In fact, they are often very grateful that you are so good as to understand them in spite of it, because they have no choice but to dictate when they are exhaustd.

Yawners & Gobblers - Morgan

[ In Reply To ..]
I had one yesterday that yawned all day. She must have seen the tons of blanks left by inaudible dictation due to yawns, so what does she do today? She eats while dictating - all frickin day! Then she brings in her toddler who is so loud it covers the dictation.

I think they are just inconsiderate - JMO

[ In Reply To ..]
I work for a teaching hospital and I find residents are actually the most considerate.

It's the regular doctors who just figure we'll clean it up, even though it takes an hour to get a 1-page report right and totally screwing up line count/pay for the day or sending to QA, some MTs getting penalized for too many QA.

I bet they can pull it together and have a conversation with their buddies or their family after a long, hard day.

I know they aren't conspiring, but they just aren't being considerate.

Sometimes I want to scream... can you just OPEN your mouth a little???

Most annoying is when you struggle over a sentence or a word and then you hear them break away to talk to someone that is a "real" person on the phone or wherever they are, and I can understand EVERY WORD!!! What's up with that?

I understand completely your rationale, but I just think some of these guys and gals should recognize our role in the medical food chain and stop gobbling us up!!

slurred words/mumblers - Elssa

[ In Reply To ..]
They're not dictating normals, so it's very frustrating, especially since I'm learning a new account. Sounds like they've got a big wad of peanut butter or something in their mouths (geez, maybe they do). I realize they're not all drunk, just sounds that way sometimes. :p

yeah, and that's another thing - JMO

[ In Reply To ..]
I save to a "normal" just about every op note and PE I do, because doctors, good or bad dictators, do repeat as a rule, but new MTs on accounts really struggle, even if they have access to previously dictated reports. And the dictator never is faced with that reality because QA has taken care of business.

In the meantime, not only does the new MT have to struggle with everything else that goes with a new job, but he/she has the burden of being frustrated over something that shouldn't be an issue.

When this guy's in the OR, does he mumble to the new tech a needle, or a clamp, etc.? Again, I understand we are on the bottom of the patient care food chain in their eyes, but in the eyes of our bosses and the client, we are held to a very high standard, not to mention we are paid on production (a biggie). I just wish the guy or gal on the other side of the phone would appreciate that.

new acct and normals - Schnauzer Mom

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with you. I just got kicked off a new acct because I just could not hear what they were saying. It was a combination of their normals and bad voice file. Even the sample reports were incorrect. It was so stressful I am almost glad though still insulted because it was not my fault.

Slurring - Leaving MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I had an account once for a small, rural hospital that was mostly ER reports. The docs had 24-hour shifts in the ER, and you would not believe how degraded their dictation got at around hour 22 or 23. They could barely put a sentence together, slurred, sounded drunk, etc., but it happened with every single ER doc, and I believe they were just exhausted. It kind of made me wonder what the quality of their doctoring was at hour 22 or 23. I agree, though, that most of the slurring I hear is in the parts of the reports that are repetitive. I also transcribe residents a lot, and I agree that when they get it together they are the better dictators. Our residents have to have a staff or attending sign off on the report, so that may be why.

Slurring - Elssa

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, with this account I am able to look at prior reports.. More often than not they have a lot of blanks, so even though they're not always too helpful, makes me feel a little better that it's just not me who can't understand the doctors. :p A lot of these doctors do over a dozen different types of operations, so I have to paw through a lot of their prior reports until I find the same or similar current operation to see if he uses the same terms and phrases. It's better than nothing, but often just not enough help. If the doctor is using a cell phone, it's impossible.

Yeah, I sympathize with tired overworked residents (who I agree are usually better dictators even so), not so much for the attendings, who I assume don't have to work such long hours, unless they really want to (make a lot of money). If they're mumbling, I think most of them are just thoughtless (and/or drunk).

Well, continuing to muddle through here.. Thanks again for all the helpful feedback.

Similar Messages:

Oct 16, 2009

I am wondering on clean void urine culture, do I need to put a slash in between clean and void? Then when I have to write grade II, do I capitalize the word Grade? I have this sentence I am trying to get too. Conization was repeated and showed benign e_____ cervical p_______? The words start with them but I can not find anything, the last word sounds like polarization? If anybody has a isea, that will help. Here is another on too, The pateint was _____ and fever resolved? It sounds like defe ...

Oct 19, 2009

This is a Op Note for a AAA surgery . .. 1. . . we used the glide catheter to exchange the Terumo wires to the s/l "lun-di-cris" wires. 2. We were able to pass a 16 sheath on the right and had to bare back the left limb using an s/l "An-u-rex" 16 x 115 mm contralateral limb. ...

Oct 20, 2009

does not have a history of migraines, tics, or 'paramyoconus' no varus or valgus angulation of the 'os calculus' ...

Dec 10, 2009

s/l rim plassage-type procedure (for Hill-Sachs lesion) s/l Hill-Sachs lesion on his ray vast in MRI findings "Ray vast" and "rim plassage" are the words that I can't figure out. My orthbook hasn't arrives yet so I'm struggling to figure out what these words are. Any help you can offer is much appreciated. ...

Jan 04, 2010

CHEST: There is exclusive _____ coronary discomfort withmyofascial trigger point and two infrascapular point.The first word for the first blank it sound like pulseso. If you can help. I want to say thanks in advance. I have slow her voice downand I am still unable to figure what she is saying. Oh, I guess that the reasonI do not know what she is saying is because she have an accent. Love andpeace. ...

Apr 30, 2010

I have a word I just can't get. context is: bilateral inferior turbinates were very large all the way back to the s/l culinae? no clue, please help. thanks. ...

May 27, 2010

Patient denies any melena changing bowel habits. Medicature(???- no clue what that would be) hematemesis. Patient denies any syncope, vertigo, hemiparesis or parastitious( ????-no such word found, but I am hearing that way) except for the feeling of numbness in his feet. Please help! ...

Jun 03, 2010

Complete blood count (CBC) which revealed white blood count of 12,400 with 45 poly's, 12 fans (not able to make out the word), 32 lymphs, 5 monos and 6 atypical lymphs. Stool cultures were negative. The Rotosan (unable to make out the word) was still pending at this time. Please help. ...

Aug 19, 2010

I have little experience in OB/GYN but I find myself having to type a couple tonight. Procedure: D&C Word sounds like "Owl" Stirrups and "retro" speculum was used. (Is there a common type used because I could be hearing this "retro completely wrong since he is speeding through it.) Thanks for any feedback fellow MT's! ...

Sep 18, 2010

What in the world do you think this is? Any help would be appreciated!! On S/L propap day no. 1 the patient was without complaints. The patient suddenly became confused, agitated, and delusional. Thanks ...

Sep 26, 2010

3 words I cannot for the life of me figure out!!! Any help would be appreidated A (s/l gore disease) that show (s/l mememorially) of normal appearance. Tubules are not remarkable. Interstitial tissue showed no noteworthy change. (s/l Pelbees) are not remarkable.Thanks in advance ...

Mar 17, 2011

I am doing a dictation report in Urology and in the list of impressions, the doctors dictates: Hyponatremia, probably secondary to hyperglycemia. (sounds like he says "transficate" artificial and "transficies" amd Zarololyn. These words beginning with "t" have me stumped and in all my time of transcribing, cannot comprehend what is actually being dictated relating to the condition. Can anyone help me out? Thanks in advance. ...

Sep 16, 2011

Just a comment . . . if doctors are going to just make up their own words, they should spell them for us. Who's with me? ...

Dec 14, 2011

The numbers speak for themselves: 2010: $31,960.00 2011, year to date: $14,368.00 WTF ...

Jan 17, 2012

Doctor dictates: 1. I showed the patient (s/l Drebbit's) slide on model of difficulty with paralimbic function and difficulty with hot cognition. 2. He does not have a (s/l visual fold) deformity in the small joints of the hands. Thank you so very much for your help!! ...

Mar 30, 2012

DICTATED: Checked the patient's glucose meter ASR: Clicked patient's cocoa smear. New lab test??? LOL ...

May 29, 2012

does anyone on here remember a while back someone was posting about words being left in asr or inserted after making corrections to the report and then getting ready to upload the report? ...

Oct 24, 2009

Has anyone heard of the words subcyclic position or sufflolaterally ...

Nov 05, 2009

The patient underwent a ("LALEASE") of the left knee. Postoperative day 1, the patient went without complaints. The patient suddenly became confused, agitated and delusional. Psychology was consulted and the patient. Lortab, Lorafen, and Phenergan were e.c. S/L lalease, also I am not sure if I have the post-op part right. Thanks for any help! ...

Dec 30, 2009

Man, I can see the changes in the transcription industry (admittedly negative changes) have really gotten us down and we're stuck in a mire of complaints, bad feelings and feeling tired and fed up! I feel the same way, and I feel that greed and the economy are to blame. But sometimes you just need to hear a positive word to make it through the day, or through the week. Here is mine - I am thankful that I do not have to spend money on work clothes and ga ...

Sep 09, 2010

This is going to be long and I apologize in advance, not wanting to cause a long discussion, just giving some facts. I was one who was included last week in the RIF letter from Webmedx. I have applied to about 25 different companies, most of which were advertising on one board or another, major job search sites, etc. I have found that most of them will not even acknowledge receipt of a resume. I have spent 6-8 hours on the computer every day, just searching every web site imaginable. I have re ...

Sep 24, 2010

Can't find it anywhere-- anyone got any ideas?? Focal area show marred disarray of the myocardial fibers. Inflammatory cells are not seen. Some of the myocardial fibers show only a thin shell with a s/l "A/O" vacuolated cytoplasm. Thanks in advance ...

Oct 27, 2010

Is it acceptable to flip the word order for sutures to avoid starting a sentence with a number? If "quarter percent Marcaine" is dictated at the beginning of a sentence, I would transcribe "Marcaine 0.25%." Can I extend this rule when "zero Dexon" starts the sentence to transcribe "Dexon 0"? ...

Jan 11, 2011

Is nonformulary hyphenated or not. I am finding it both ways. Unable to find a good reference point. ...

Aug 13, 2011

I'm back to tell you about my experience leaving MQ and to give you support, suggestions and a new life. CA-MT here to say I left the Q last month to work for a major pharmaceutical company (don't know if I can mention the name or not). My resume was posted on a job-finding website (don't know if I can mention the name) as a "Medical Word Specialist." I've found people out there really under-estimate us transcriptionists. Someone from Manpower saw ...

Oct 31, 2011

The introitus and vagina were prepped and an indwelling Foley catheter inserted to the urinary bladder to _____ (enclose with some???) drainage bag. The words in the brackets is what I'm hearing but it doesn't make sense to me - please help. Thank you Lisa ...

Mar 29, 2012

I just started with an orthopaedic group. I am having a heck of a time finding this test. He says "Negative (open can). Negative drop-arm test." I know there is such a thing as Empty can test but it sounds nothing like "empty can". Sounds like "open can". Is there such a thing? Also, is it post injection, post-injection or postinjection. I see it written all 3 ways online from medical manuals, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ...

May 30, 2012

Has anybody noticed that the VR on Nuance is missing more and more words lately? Not little ones, but 3 or 4 in a row on the Extex/transnet program? I'm finding that it's really starting to impact my production negatively. Now wondering if it's deliberate? or am I just being paranoid these days? ...

May 31, 2012

Does anybody know if it is xcel or excel trocar. ...

Jul 25, 2012

I am doing a Neurosurgery OR where they are doing a laminectomy with screw placement in C3 to C6. The resident just said "Due to obfuscation by the shoulder the x-ray was oblicklafied (sp?) Maybe he means oblique x-ray but just made up a new word like obliquelified? ...