Speech recognition interface to a hospital information system using a self-designed visual basic program: Initial experience

Abstract

Speech recognition (SR) in the radiology department setting is viewed as a method of decreasing overhead expenses by reducing or eliminating transcription services and improving care by reducing report turnaround times incurred by transcription backlogs. The purpose of this study was to show the ability to integrate off-the-shelf speech recognition software into a Hospital Information System in 3 types of military medical facilities using the Windows programming language Visual Basic 6.0 (Microsoft, Redmond, WA). Report turnaround times and costs were calculated for a medium-sized medical teaching facility, a medium-sized nonteaching facility, and a medical clinic. Results of speech recognition versus contract transcription services were assessed between July and December, 2000. In the teaching facility, 2,042 reports were dictated on 2 computers equipped with the speech recognition program, saving a total of US $3,319 in transcription costs. Turnaround times were calculated for 4 first-year radiology residents in 4 imaging categories. Despite requiring 2 separate electronic signatures, we achieved an average reduction in turnaround time from 15.7 hours to 4.7 hours. In the nonteaching facility, 26,600 reports were dictated with average turnaround time improving from 89 hours for transcription to 19 hours for speech recognition saving US $45,500 over the same 6 months. The medical clinic generated 5,109 reports for a cost savings of US $10,650. Total cost to implement this speech recognition was approximately US $3,000 per workstation, mostly for hardware. It is possible to design and implement an affordable speech recognition system without a large-scale expensive commercial solution.KEY WORDS: computer, speech recognition, picture archiving and communication systems, interface, composite health-care system THE EFFORT to improve patient care by .1 collapsing the diagnostic and therapeutic timeline has driven computer applications development in a variety of areas. Tremendous improvements in hardware and software over Journal of Digital Imaging, Vol 15, No 1 (March}, 2002: pp 43-53 the last decade have stimulated this progress. With picture archiving and communication system (PACS) technology, images are available immediately throughout the health care system, but there continues to be a lag in the transmission of the corresponding completed radiology reports. 1,2 The purpose of this report is to relate our experience with the development and integration of an off-the-shelf speech/voice recognition application into a hospital information system (HIS) using a graphical interface program developed by one of the authors.Speech recognition in the radiology department setting decreases overhead expenses by reducing or eliminating transcription services or as a means to improve patient care by reducing report turnaround times. 2 ,3 Significant problems can arise in facilities that attempt to integrate a speech recognition system into the HIS. 4 This can be difficult particularly in the setting of a training program...

Methods of Radiology Reports Generation and Patterns of Associated Musculoskeletal Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Center Study

“…This technical difficulty could explain why radiology residents do not usually prefer this method for report generation. However, several studies have reported that speech recognition technology reduces the documentation time and cost and report turnaround time [16][17][18].…”

Medizinische Spracherkennung im stationären und ambulanten Einsatz – Eine systematische Übersicht

“…Die Mehrheit der Studien, welche mögliche zeit-und kosteneinsparende Eigenschaften der medizinischen Spracherkennung un-tersuchten, weisen auf eine signifikante Reduktion der Bearbeitungszeit für die medizinische Dokumentation [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16] [19], [20] oder es konnte kein signifikanter Effekt gemessen werden [21], [22]. Die Kosten und Zeitersparnisse bei Verwendung der Spracherkennung konnten hier lediglich im Vergleich zum Diktat, durch den Wegfall der Notwendigkeit einer Schreibkraft, identifiziert werden [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18]. In den Studien, in denen die Spracherkennung mit der Texteingabe verglichen wurde, war kein [22] oder ein negativer Effekt des Einsatzes der Spracherkennung zu beobachten [19].…”

Einfluss eines PACS-/RIS-integrierten Spracherkennungssystems auf den Zeitaufwand der Erstellung und die Verfügbarkeit radiologischer Befunde

“…Nur wenige Autoren gehen aber auf den spezifischen Workflow des Befundungsprozesses in Lehr-und Universitätskrankenhäusern ein [15,17]. Innerhalb einer krankenhausweit implementierten KIS-RIS-PACS-Umgebung beinhaltet die RTT im Wesentlichen die Latenz zwischen Untersuchungsende und Befunderstellung (PACS Workload Queue), die Dauer der Befunderstellung sowie die Latenz zwischen Ende des Befundungsvorgangs (fertig gestelltes Diktat) und im RIS/KIS verfügbarem, korrigiertem radiologischen Befund (Transcription Queue) [15].…”

“…Die durchschnittliche RTT fällt auf ein Drittel bis ein Viertel des Ausgangswertes[15,19].Befundverfügbarkeit nach Einführung des SES. Der für CR und CT festzustellende Shift der kumulativen Befundverfügbarkeit zugunsten der ersten Stunden nach Untersuchungsende (Maximum der verfügbaren Befunde in der 2.…”