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

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, 2042 reports were dictated on 2 computers equipped with the speech recognition program, saving a total of US dollars 3319 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, 26600 reports were dictated with average turnaround time improving from 89 hours for transcription to 19 hours for speech recognition saving US dollars 45500 over the same 6 months. The medical clinic generated 5109 reports for a cost savings of US dollars 10650. Total cost to implement this speech recognition was approximately US dollars 3000 per workstation, mostly for hardware. It is possible to design and implement an affordable speech recognition system without a large-scale expensive commercial solution.