Customer Reviews

Medical Phrase Index: A Comprehensive Reference to the Terminology of Medicine

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a new medical transcriptionist coming from a completely different background, this book has proved to be more valuable to me than almost any other book in my library. If you can only catch part of a phrase or know what the word or phrase is related to, you will, almost always, find what you are looking for! The only other book that would be in my library is the "sounds like" book-set up exactly like this one!

If you're a medical transcriptionist and can only purchase one reference, make it this one -- a comprehensive, interdisciplinary compiliation of the words and phrases you're likely to hear in medical dictation. This reference really shines when only a portion of a phrase can be determined due to poor quality dictation, and can save the practitioner much time and effort.

Unlike other references, this one is all alphabetical, you do not need to know which type of specialization in which to find the term you need. Abbreviations are also included. It is very comprehensive and current in listed terms.

There is much help here for the medical transcriptionist, but based on my experience I'd expect this is of more help to those only needing general help and not specific, detailed, intense assistance in deciphering the ever-changing world of medical terminology. The volume is the size of a good, stout English dictionary, and contains well over 1000 pages of words and phrases that the MT must know, but I can't tell you how many times I've been frustrated by searching for a term in this book only to find that I need to instead turn to a Stedman's specialty book (GI/GU, Orthopedics, Oncology, etc.) and find it there after a fruitless search of the MPI. There are a handful of instances it's worked the other way around, but in my three-plus years as an MT I've learned that I'll rarely find help here and that I should always go to Stedman's first.

HOWEVER, having said that, not everyone is able to invest a few hundred dollars in a set of Stedman's medical word books. While "you get what you pay for" is definitely true in this case, if you're in a situation where you have experienced co-workers who can help with the more specialized phrases you won't find here, this may suffice. It's not bad by any stretch, but if you need to work independently, this is insufficient.

Being in the medical transcription field having to look up new words and decipher dialects, this is one book every transcriptionist should have. To look up a word by disease and/or symptom is a lot faster than a flashlight without batteries in the dark! I highly recommend this book to medical transcriptionists whether a beginner, intermediate or experienced one.

This latest revision - 4th edition (10/15/01) is even easier to use and more comprehensive (250,000+ entries) than previously. This is truly THE medical phrase resource. Nothing else comes close! We use it dozens of times a day.

When one hears one word in a phrase but is not sure of others, this resource is invaluable. Of all my resources for medical transcription, this is one of the few I use every day. Can't live without it.

I work with four other transcriptionists for a group of neurologists, and this book has been used quite a bit (there is tape holding the binding together). The Stedman Word books are also excellent, but if you are looking for a phrase, more times than not, you will find it in this book. For instance, the doctor dictated "wall motion abnormality". None of us ever heard of this before, but I was able to find it in this book. I highly recommend it, and I hope to soon be able to get the new 2004 edition.