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Two grammar questions! - Soapy.

Posted: Feb 06, 2014

One of the companies I work for is insisting on two spaces after a period in medical reports. How do you do it? Is this just a personal preference for who you type for? PLUS, is PAST MEDICAL HISTORY correct? Shouldn't it be just MEDICAL HISTORY or PSYCHIATRIC HISTORY? Past means history, right? Just curious how everybody else does it. Thanks!

re - mt

[ In Reply To ..]
PAST MEDICAL HISTORY is a very common heading in medical reports. Every company is different, but my company is two spaces. I have IT which automatically puts in the spaces for me.

Where did you go to shool? - legit question based on initial post. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
`

Deja vu - all over again

[ In Reply To ..]
Didn't somebody just post something exactly like this a few months ago? Argued over past not belonging with medical history because past meant history? I know I'm not dreaming this.

Yes, deja vu ... same question again - Good Memory

[ In Reply To ..]
To answer the OP's question, at this point in your training, it might seem that medical reports are just haphazard collections of information that physicians just do any way they want. In actuality, they are standard, formal documents containing specific information, which is organized into sections that have standard titles.

Past Medical History is a standard heading. It is the PAST history to distinguish it from the CURRENT history, i.e., the History of Present Illness.

Physicians have preferences based on where they were trained. Facilities may also require certain content and section headings.

Your course should have explained what these are and what they contain. You might want to ask them why they didn't.

No, you should not change this.

These are not grammar questions - They are style questions-see msg

[ In Reply To ..]
This has zippo to do with grammar. These are style questions, and only the client/MTSO/instructor can help you with that. To answer the space question, our facility uses 2 spaces after periods.

As to past history/past medical history headings, in general, you just type what the doc said, unless there's some sort of template that doesn't allow changes, or if there is a client preference you were told otherwise.

It's not your place to go on a mission to change past medical history heading to past history because you don't like it. There's all sorts of annoying things in MT that we have to deal with. I certainly wouldn't argue with your superiors over this if that's your intention.

Who do you work for? (sm) - Rose

[ In Reply To ..]
It looks like your questions have been answered. When working for an MTSO you follow the client's wishes for styles, spelling, format, etc. even if it is wrong. Different services have different styles. Which service do you work for?

How I do it - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
My MTSO requires two spaces following a period. I do it by pressing the space bar twice after typing a period. I gave it considerable thought and tried various methods and eventually determined that this was the easiest way to accomplish what was required. After considerable effort and practice, I am now able to do it correctly almost all the time without any difficulty whatsoever.

Even though I usually agree with the saying - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
"There are no stupid questions," I still had to laugh at your reply. Thanks, you injected some needed levity into my day for me. :)

Since the answer seemed to be so obvious, I wonder if the OP instead was trying to figure out how to accomplish the double space in her expander?

My thoughts... - CuriousMT

[ In Reply To ..]
To answer your question, yes, past and history are redundant, but they've been used in medical transcription for over 20 years. Generally, you type what the physician says or use what the template populates.

As far as 2 spaces versus one, if you're getting paid for a 65 character line, generally spaces are included. So by double spacing, you're getting an extra character after every sentence. It is, however, a style thing. I learned in school (high school, college, and then in MT school) to use 2 spaces after a period to end a sentence. I also was taught to use an Oxford comma (comma at the end of a series), but some do not. If your company/account specifies, do what they tell you. Otherwise, again, they're extra characters! My thumbs just know to press the space bar twice when I end a sentence.

Two spaces and "past" - from this MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't mind the Past in Medical History. Been doing it that way for decades.

One thing about history that bugs me is when they say "she HAD a past history of... " when referencing something years ago, like scarlet fever as a child. History cannot be undone. Once you have a history, you always have that history, it doesn't go away over the years. In that case, I type HAS instead of "had." No one has ever noticed and I can sleep at night.

Two spaces always, and my AutoCorrect is set up to change one space to two in any case.

Grammar/style questions - Just me

[ In Reply To ..]
In regard to PAST MEDICAL HISTORY or other headings within a medical report, I think it was something established by Joint Commission years ago to attempt to standardize documents. Also, the Book of Style also probably addresses that. Now, it depends on what the provider dictates or what the employer/client wants, but it is not for the MT determine. Putting 2 spaces at the end of sentences has been standard practice forever, it made documents easier to read. Using one space became the practice when people started doing right margin justification so that sentences would not appear spread out if one line was short. I would also question where the OP attended school or works, it is something that most MTs learn early on.

For companies that don't pay spaces, I give - only 1 space, since I am - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
typing it for free, anyway. For all others, I give 2 spaces. It's easier to read, doesn't look cluttered.

Also, check a preview of your work, if you can. Some programs will put only one space after a period, even if you typed two. If that's the case, might as well just type one.

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