Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts

Saturday, 5 July 2008

National Hospital Week

May 7-13 is National Hospital Week. This week is set aside to recognize hospital employees everywhere for their dedication to health care and their compassion for the patients they treat.

Working in a hospital environment can be very challenging, but it is also very rewarding. There are many different aspects to patient care that must be upheld with the patient's satisfaction in mind. Every employee who comes in contact with a patient has a vital role in maintaining the high quality standards of health care that every person deserves and expects. Be it the switchboard operator who answers the patient's phone calls, the employee who registers the patient, the nurse giving direct care, the doctor examining the patient, the medical transcriptionist transcribing the reports, the billing clerk filing the patient's health insurance claims or collecting payment for the hospital bills, or any other employee in between; every employee is a part of the team that ensures patient satisfaction.

There is nothing that compares to the feeling of satisfaction you get in return as a hospital employee when you really go that extra mile to ensure that a patient feels like he/she is truly receiving the best medical care possible. There are occasions when patients will come back to the hospital just to say, "Thank you". Other times, patients call or send a card expressing their gratitude and satisfaction with these things. Those, to me, are the best parts about working in the health care field. I love knowing that the patients are truly receiving health care that they can rely on.

So, I hope each of you has a wonderful National Hospital Week! Thank you for helping to make the difference in health care!

Tuesday, 11 March 2008

Recognizing Heart Disease

Lately it seems that there are an increasing number of news stories related to heart disease. Medical transcriptionists should be aware of this disease in particular as it has increasing risks for individuals who lead sedintary lifestyles. Medical transcriptionists often spend several hours at a time working at their transcription stations.

Although February is actually American Heart Month, it is a sound idea to become educated about such prominent health concerns no matter what month it is. Cardiovascular disease is America's top cause of death. Sadly, many of these deaths could have been avoided if there was a greater awareness of the symptoms of this killer.

The main symptoms to watch for include:

  • Chest pain/discomfort
  • Upper body pain/discomfort (particularily the arms, back, neck, jaw, and/or stomach)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Cold sweats
  • Nausea/vomitting
  • Lightheadedness