What's the best voice recognition software for a doctor?

Voice recognition software is an essential tool in almost any medical practice that can assist with medical transcription, direct dictation into electronic health records, and even provide financial advantages due to the rapid speed of dictation and the elimination of expensive typing companies. Professional voice recognition systems will help your practice run more smoothly and improve each patient's experience. If you're looking for speech recognition software that will meet the needs of a busy medical practice, there are several options on the market to consider.

Google Voice

The app from Google Chrome provides voice recognition that can be used for everything from creating basic emails to sending short text messages. This particular system uses Chrome's Web Speech API. The Google app has been integrated with Google Drive and Dropbox which means you can effortlessly move your transcribed text to different online accounts. The big advantage of Google voice is that it is built into many smart phones and android operating systems. It is also free. The disadvantages that you need a good Internet connection as voice recognition is executed in the cloud. Another disadvantage is that you can only dictate for a maximum of about 20 seconds which greatly limits your ability to import lengthy paragraphs. Also, Google voice does not have a medical vocabulary. This makes it extremely limited for medical specialist who may need a complex cardiology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic and so forth vocabulary. Cloud-based voice recognition like this isn’t really suitable for a busy medical clinic. Google voice is great for general dictation while on the go though. It’s also a risky option for medical dictation because you are sending private patient data to an overseas server in an unencrypted manner. This has significant applications for Australian compliance in the medical field.

Microsoft Speech

Microsoft has developed a Windows component for speech recognition that allows voice commands to dictate a variety of text. This includes navigating websites, email functions, shortcuts on the keyboard, and operating the mouse. Microsoft Speech doesn't rely on the cloud for recognition or accuracy but functions on user grammar, context, training sessions, and speech samples. There is a personal dictionary for dictation that enables users to include their own words and expressions. The big advantage this system has is that it is free and built into most versions of Windows. Because it is not cloud-based you do not need an active Internet connection and you are not sending your private patient data to an overseas server. The main issue with Microsoft speech recognition and medical dictation is that the accuracy is significantly lower out-of-the-box than any Dragon Medical product. The Microsoft speech engine is probably at least three generations behind the Dragon Medical practice edition 4.1. This means that it is slower and much less accurate. Additionally the Microsoft speech recognition program does not include complex medical vocabularies. This means it will probably take you a few years to teach it complex medical terms. That’s assuming you learn how to build the vocabulary and are able to store it properly. Very few medical professionals master this capability. Because medical professionals need immediate accurate results within their medical specialty than Microsoft’s voice recognition is almost completely ruled out because the time to get good results will be measured in months, assuming the doctor can get acceptable results at all.

Apple Siri

This particular software is programmed to adapt to each individual's specific use of language and searches. Apple offers different voice commands that were developed to interact with the Siri system. The system responds to certain commands that will take pictures, schedule meetings, report the weather, and help a user navigate traffic. Siri has significant limitations which are similar to the Google voice system. Siri does not have a complex medical vocabulary for medical specialists. And it is cloud-based so you are constantly sending data to an overseas server-again highlighting serious privacy issues for Australian medical professionals and their compliance under Australian law. The speech engine is also less accurate than the Dragon medical speech engine.

Dragon Medical

The new Dragon Medical Practice Edition 4.1 is voice recognition software that is designed specifically for the medical profession. Dragon Medical includes over 60 specialised medical vocabularies that are highly focused on the relevant specialty. These specialised vocabularies have a large impact on accuracy and speed. This is a highly advanced system based on deep learning and artificial intelligence. The Dragon Medical Practice Edition 4 system is faster and more accurate than other systems currently available and even supports a variety of regional accents. The newest edition 4 system is even easier to use than the previous editions. Dragon Medical has a special feature where it can interact with any medical record software. That means Australian doctors are able to dictate directly into Genie, Shexie, best practice, medical director, VIP, blue-chip, Gentu, Helix and any other electronic health record program available in this region. You can also dictate directly into medical record programs that are hosted on the cloud with Dragon Medical practice edition. Dragon Medical does not contact any cloud-based server for speech processing. Meeting your data is encrypted and kept locally on your PC. In terms of Australian compliance this is a very useful feature.

The bottom line is that with Dragon Medical you can install it and within five minutes you will be dictating directly into your medical records software accurately and quickly.

Which is the Best Choice?

While each system has pros and cons, it's important to note that besides the Dragon Medical Practice Edition 4 system, the others are non-medical and often not very accurate. According to TechRadar, Dragon provides the best overall speech recognition on the market. It's extremely accurate and provides a variety of great features.

The primary benefit of other options is that they're free. When running a medical practice, however, it's critical to have the best products possible to deliver quality care to your patients. Dragon Medical Practice Edition 4.1 delivers exceptional voice recognition, accurate medical dictation and transcription, and the ability to maintain high quality electronic health records. All these great features are delivered faster than typing and with high levels of accuracy. The voice recognition software in the Dragon Medical Practice Edition 4.1 is superior to other options, making it the best choice for doctors and other health professionals. 

Dictation Solutions Australia has Dragon Medical experts on hand to answer any questions you might have about integrating Dragon Medical Practice Edition into your daily workflow.

Call 1300 720 709 today or fill out this form and we will get back to you immediately.