Voice Recognition And Medical Transcription

Let’s dig a bit deeper into voice recognition.

As you already know, doctors are busy people. This is never more obvious then when they’re dictating their notes. It’s understandable they’re busy, and as their MT, I can surely forgive them but will the latest voice recognition software be as forgiving as me?

Not likely.

As a transcriptionist you will have typed through background noise, patients moaning, doctors eating their lunch, personal conversations (oops they forgot the recorder was on) and other incomprehensible noise. Not to mention, ESL doctors with heavy accents and very tired ER doctors after a long shift!

At this time there is no voice recognition software which can handle this type of voice recognition. It is impossible for the software to determine actual speech from mistakes in conversation, background noise, heavy accents, etc.

So what does this mean for our future?

Rumors of MTs being out of r a job have been around long before I became an MT. Eight years later, there are still no real advances in this field.

Can voice recognition ever replace transcriptionists?

Sure it can.

If a doctor is willing to sit down and take the sufficient time to train his voice recognition software to recognize his voice and speech patterns (this takes time and is not done automatically), yes it is possible.

If the doctor thereafter dictates very clearly, using proper punctuation in his speech (stopping for periods, pausing for commas) without any background noise or interruptions. Yes, it is possible.

Will the document be 100% accurate?

No.

Remember medical records have to be in compliance with a number of very strict regulations. Most doctors, will not trust voice recognition enough to send these records through without at least a quick glance through.

Even under the best dictating circumstances the report will still need to be proofread and edited. So, yes under the “perfect” circumstances, voice recognition can replace a transcriptionist.

Is it likely? Not unless every physician out there is willing to take the time, energy and ongoing effort to train their voice recognition software and maintain a certain standard of dictation.

I don’t see that happening any time soon. Doctors are busy people, remember? ;)

If anything, us MTs should embrace voice recognition and use it as a tool to help us in our MT careers. If applied properly, it can be a time-saving tool. So why not use it for our purposes?

As with any business to stay ahead of the game you have to adapt to change and technology. Learn how to use it to your advantage instead of being frightened by it. That’s the only way to stay ahead of the competition…. Voice recognition or otherwise.

Source : http://online-medical-transcription-course.com/

Comat gets into medical transcription training

Comat Technologies, a player in e-governance and information communication technology development projects, has launched a training programme in medical transcription for the rural youth.

The course will be conducted from a studio, which will be beamed to Comat's Nemmadi kendras across Karnataka, using VSAT technology, a satellite communication system.

According to the company, the training course would be of 4-6 months duration covering subjects like science (human anatomy), English grammar, English typing and American accent training.

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Transcription Tips

TIPS FOR GETTING HIGH QUALITY COURT/INTERVIEWS/ FOCUS GROUPS TRANSCRIPTS

1. First of all do a test of the equipment and all microphones and play it back to ensure the equipment is hooked up properly and that you are getting a clear recording. Check your recorder for hums, faulty microphones, bad connections or loose wires. Make sure the tape is recorded on the correct speed.
2. Use high quality tapes. They are less likely to jam, break or distort voices. Do not use a tape twice.We can also transcribe digital files, DVD’s, CD’s, i.e. MP3’s, WAV files, etc.
3. Always use an external microphone, and if possible use an individual microphone for each person.If there are no microphones, have anyone speaking sit close to the recording device.
   
4. Please instruct everyone at the hearing/interview or focus group to speak loudly and clearly into the microphones or position the person(s) in front of the recording device. If they do not speak into recorder or microphone the tape will not be clear. If necessary, remind them again during the session.
5. For legal proceedings, please have each person (attorneys, clients, etc.) introduce themselves and spell their names, when introducing themselves. Ask that only one person speak at a time and remind them again during the hearing/interview if necessary. Try to eliminate side conversations. It will also help greatly if people do not interrupt each other. (It makes it very difficult to transcribe when more than one person is talking at the same time.)
6. Beware of background noise (fans, air conditioners, sirens, ruffling papers, open windows and doors, etc) in the room that creates extraneous noise and can affect the quality of your audio.
7. If someone in the room has a persistent cough, ask him/her to turn away from the microphone or recording device when coughing, so the other people’s words are not overshadowed and the transcriber’s ears don’t burst. (Just a little joke on the ears.)
   

Source : http://www.wordtechsecretarialservice.com/

Nuance to acquire eScription

Speech and imaging solutions firm Nuance Communications has signed an agreement to acquire eScription, a leading provider of computer-aided medical transcription technology.

By uniting the strengths and resources of Nuance and eScription, the combined organisation can deliver scalable, highly productive solutions, as well as accelerate future innovation to transform the way healthcare provider organisations document patient care.

Spiraling costs across the healthcare industry, a shrinking pool of domestic medical transcriptionists (MTs) and mounting regulations for electronic clinical documentation are driving healthcare provider organisations to re-evaluate the way they create and manage medical reports.

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