Cellular Phones

Some doctors have developed the questionable habit of using cellular phones (whether at home, in their cars, or on airplanes) to dictate charts while away from the office. What they tend to forget is that cellular technology broadcasts the user's speech over the air waves at certain radio frequencies.

When dictating on a cellular phone, a doctor's words are publicly broadcast to anyone who happens to hear the dictation. This constitutes a clear violation of the confidentiality inherent in the physician/patient relationship. The poor sound quality is an added burden for medical transcriptionists.

Doctors using cell phones often forget that their connection may be dropping out, especially if they are trying to dictate charts while seated in a car that is traveling through a tunnel!

"I transcribed 370 lines the other day while the doctor had some classical music blaring in the background louder than his dictation voice," a frustrated MT complains.

"When this same doctor dictates on the road I hear the car radio, the swishing of his tires, the heater or air conditioning blower and, of course, the other traffic."

[Consciousness Raising Exercise #27]

Next: Sending Work Overseas

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