The Role of Natural Language Processing in Medical Documentation

Nalongo Bina K.

Faculty of Medicine Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT

Natural Language Processing (NLP) has emerged as a transformative technology for medical documentation, addressing challenges such as data complexity, interoperability, and errors in record-keeping. This paper explores the fundamental principles of NLP, its applications in healthcare, and its role in automating and improving the accuracy of clinical documentation. Key focus areas include the extraction of unstructured data, real-time transcription, and sentiment analysis, as well as the ethical and privacy considerations critical to maintaining patient confidentiality. The future of NLP in healthcare holds promise for personalized medicine, predictive analytics, and real-time decision-making, despite challenges like budget constraints and system interoperability. Through advancements in NLP, healthcare providers can unlock valuable insights and optimize patient care delivery while ensuring ethical compliance.

Keywords: Natural Language Processing (NLP), Medical Documentation, Clinical Data, Healthcare Technology, Patient Privacy, Ethical Considerations.

CITE AS: Nalongo Bina K. (2025). The Role of Natural Language Processing in Medical Documentation. Research Output Journal of Biological and Applied Science 5(1):11-14.https://doi.org/10.59298/ROJBAS/2025/511114