Multi-Year Field Study Documents Benefits of Clinical Speech Recognition

A multi-year study on the benefits of clinical speech recognition software in hospital environment has produced some compelling results.

The technology assessed was Nuance Communications’ Dragon Medical platform, which is designed to let healthcare practitioners record patient stories via dictation. Nuance provided the technology about three years ago to Health Quest, a nonprofit hospital network in the Hudson Valley and Connecticut, with the two organizations embarking on a 31-month study to investigate the measurable impact of speech recognition at its Vassar Brothers Medical Center.

The results are very positive. According to a statement from the organizations, 95 percent of healthcare providers said using speech recognition for electronic documentation was “a good idea”, while 81 percent “reported improved documentation quality and completeness. Sixty percent said they spend less time on “answering questions and clarifications,” and 84 percent said they had seen “significant workflow improvements.” And Health Quest ultimately saw a savings of $1.37 million on medical transcription during the course of the study.

It all points to the benefits of speech recognition technologies and virtual assistants, not just in everyday smartphones but in more impactful applications. And with such solutions continuing to evolve with ever more sophisticated artificial intelligence, the benefits are likely to accumulate further.

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August 16, 2018 – by Alex Perala