Dear RIS Insider,
According to their proponents, speech recognition systems impart a number of advantages to the radiology reporting process, including faster turnaround time and better reporting structure and consistency.
On the other side of the coin, there is an initially steep learning curve upon adoption of the technology. Unpredictable errors have been reported by users, and radiologists have experienced an increase in their edit and correction workload.
At the recent Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference, Rania Omar from the Radiology Consulting Group in Boston presented data from a study she conducted on the speech recognition technology being used at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Omar put speech recognition head-to-head against conventional dictation and discovered some interesting results. In an academic setting, she found that many of the advantages of speech recognition were to the department administration, referring clinicians, and patients. The potential disadvantages to the technology are borne mainly by the radiologists, particularly when it comes to editing and correcting reports.
However, with the adoption of macros and templates, she found improved efficiencies in signing and correcting reports. And because of faster report turnaround times, there were fewer interruptions from referring clinicians looking for their study results.
As a RIS Insider subscriber, you have access to this story first. Just click here to read more about Omar's analysis of speech recognition versus conventional dictation in an academic training institution.
Finally, if you have a comment or story to share about radiology informatics, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.
