Note Taking – A lost art?

Note taking is a straightforward administration task used in a range of scenarios and professions. Mastering the skill of taking notes can help in several ways including improving recall, whilst at the same time keeping you organised, informed and knowledgeable of particulars. For doctors, who often have in depth discussions with patients that contain a lot of detail, efficient note-taking is absolutely essential. This week, we explore how note taking is a valuable skill and how technology is changing how we undertake this activity.

Why do we need to take notes?

Note taking can be particularly useful in improving accurate recall. Research has found that taking notes significantly improves the amount of information we retain, and that by not taking notes we can be prone to overestimating our abilities to retain details within large amounts of information.

Depending on the situation, or type of communication you are engaged in, there are different approaches to note taking. Most commonly, note taking is used for verbal exchanges, to summarise or record key information which may need to be recalled at a later date. For convenience, most are documented by hand, but increasingly technology plays a part in the accurate recording of events.

Keeping clear, concise and accurate notes is key for doctors, who often encounter a high volume of information throughout their working day. Accuracy in note taking is a significant factor when making informed decisions, or formally documenting events within clinical letters.

5 Tips to help improve our note taking:

1. Consider what information is noteworthy – In a verbal interaction, it is important to stay focused on the key pieces of information, or particular details you are likely to forget.

2. Write in your own style –The most important thing is that your notes make sense to you. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar and instead ensure that you can make sense of it when reviewing at a later date.

3. Consider utilising technology such as Wetype VoiceMaster App if you routinely struggle to keep on top of the key points in meetings.

4. Highlight key pieces of information – Remind yourself of important pieces of information by underlining or circling them in your notes.

5. Don’t worry about writing down every word, transcription and note taking aren’t the same thing! Be attentive to key points and ensure to note those down. Leave the transcription to the team at WeType!

“The only thing faster than the speed of thought is the speed of forgetfulness” – Anonymous