As MTs, we know where to go to check the spelling and meaning of arcane medical terminology. But how's your basic grammar? Making grammatical errors can affect the meaning of what is being transcribed. This month's column is a mini-refresher on the proper use of punctuation with some pet peeves from my proofreader thrown in.

Commas
Commas are notoriously overused. However, a well-placed comma sets off a clause and breaks up a long sentence, places emphasis on a key point and generally makes  text easier to read. Too many commas will do the opposite. While the laws governing commas are not as hard and fast as other grammatical rules, bear in mind that less is more. Proofread your work and ask yourself if the commas are helping readers or slowing them down. 

Semicolons
Semicolons are perhaps the most misunderstood of all punctuation marks. Use a semicolon to separate two clauses:

She has never had a renal ultrasound; we will need to check her for evidence of occult obstruction.

A good question to ask yourself when sitting on the semicolon fence is: Can you substitute a period? If the answer is yes but the two clauses are closely related, you can feel secure in your semicolon placement.

Colons
Colons can also separate two distinct clauses, particularly when the second expands on or illustrates the first. Colons can also be used to precede a list of items or, as in this sentence, to introduce an example:

The patient is currently on the following medications: Prozac 40 mg daily, Norvasc 5 mg daily and levothyroxine 25 mcg daily.

The AAMT Book of Style is a must for new MTs or those getting back into the field. The Gregg Reference Manual is also a leading authority on grammar, style, usage and formatting. You can purchase a copy at http://www.mhhe.com/business/buscom/gregg/. If you have a quick grammatical question, try typing it into Google. You'll likely have your answer in seconds.

Abbreviations
While grammar can be our nemesis, some basic medical mistakes still haunt the error logs. Topping the list are abbreviations that are easy to misread. While it may be faster to abbreviate, the following abbreviations are far too easy to confuse:

QID, QD, QOD        Can be mistaken for each other. Type "four times a day," "daily" or "every other day."

IU                            Can be mistaken for IV. Spell out "units" instead.

D/C                         Can be mistaken for discontinued. Type "discharge."

HS                          Can be mistaken for half strength. Type "evening."

< / >                       The symbol for "greater than" can be mistaken for the number 7 and "less than" for the letter L. Type "greater than" or "less than."

@                          Can be mistaken for the number 2. Type "at."

What's in a Name?
One error I tend to see repeatedly is MTs not spelling out the name of referring physicians. Simply noting "cc: Dr. Johnson" is not enough information. If the medical professional has not provided you with a full name, it's good practice to bold the name so she will know there is something missing. Depending on how you work with the client, you may be able to change the name yourself, if you know you are 100 percent correct and have data to back you up.

Header & Footer
Microsoft Word has a convenient tool for formatting headers and/or footers. It's located in the drop-down menu under View. I urge you all to use the Header/Footer tool as it will help you with consistency and save you time too. Questions? Go to the Word Help icon on your toolbar.

Bullets
Bullets can also be formatted in Word and doing so will give your transcription a more polished and professional look. Right click and select Bullets and Numbering from the window that appears. Highlight the bullet template you wish to use. While this feature is on, every time you hit enter a new bullet will appear. When you have completed your list, backspace once to exit and the formatting will return to normal.

Track Changes
While we're on the subject of Microsoft Word, if you're an editor and you're not using the Track Changes feature, you're wasting time. Track Changes is located on your Word toolbar under Tools or keyboard shortcut: Control-Shift-E. Why take the time to transcribe your edits in an e-mail (which might be overlooked) when you can use this feature, which highlights changes in red?

Lastly, a note on capitalizations. Brand names, like Tylenol, are capitalized. Generic names, like acetaminophen, are not.

Happy transcribing.

Kate Meyers-Coyne is president of Brown & Meyers, a transcription and document management service firm.