ORLANDO, Fla. -- Doctors are putting their patients in danger with medical dictation so bad that professionals can’t even understand them, according to a Problem Solvers investigation.

Medical transcriptionists said they have been dealing with sloppy physician records for years. A transcriptionist transcribes the doctor’s diagnosis and treatment for the patient’s medical record.

Holfeld reported that sometimes, transcribing becomes an impossible task.

“We should be held accountable for quality, but it’s difficult to be held accountable for quality when the challenges on the dictation are pretty overwhelming,” medical transcriptionist Brenda Hurley said.

Hurley is a former president of the Florida Association of Medical Transcriptionists. She and her colleagues are joining a national campaign to expose the potential side effects of bad dictations.

“If it takes multiple levels of quality assurance review, it’s going to take longer to get back to the patient's chart,” Hurley said.

“So, ultimately the patient is the loser?" Holfeld said.

"Well, ultimately yes." Hurley said.

Joyce Peck was just days away from kidney surgery when she met with us two weeks ago. She caught a mistake before her surgery.

“Potentially they could have taken out the wrong kidney and then I would have been left with no kidneys," Peck said. “I caught it,” Peck said.

“You caught the mistake," Holfeld said.

"I caught the mistake," Peck said.

"And what was the mistake?" Holfeld said.

"One place it's left kidney and the next place it's right kidney," Peck said.

The diagnosis of a renal malignancy -- cancer -- was caught in a radiologist's apparent flubbed dictation.

"Whew," Holfeld said. “What did you think at that point?"

"I didn't know what to think -- who was right?” Peck said.

In fact, MRI scan confirmed it was the right kidney and not the left.

“I've heard reports where a patient came in for a cholecystectomy which is gall bladder removal and what was on the report was a colostomy," Peck said.

“Sound a like procedure and sound alike drugs, like Cerebyx for seizures and Celebrex for pain create medical transcription land mines," Holfeld said.

Dr. Virgil Dawson is considered one of the best at presenting clear and concise medical dictations.

He said the pace of the profession may force doctors to make recordings on the fly.

"I have heard other physicians dictate places such as the hospital. I recognize it's difficult to understand what they say," said Dawson.

Peck is recovering from kidney surgery. She shared her story as a personal public warning.

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