Text processing by digital voice recognition.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate digital voice recognition in free text mode.


METHODS
A standard medical text (182 words and punctuation marks) was dictated four times each by six people using a commercially available voice recognition system.


RESULTS
The time used, including the time needed for making corrections, decreased from a median of 14.5 (6.3-18.8) minutes in the first session to a median of 6.7 (5.1-15.7) in the fourth session. the number of corrections necessary in the last session was a median of 20.5 (15-97)-i.e., 11% of the number of words in the text. All users described working with the system as highly strenuous. Dictating the same text with a dictaphone took median 1.4 (0.9-1.6) minutes and about five minutes of typing and correction time.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the total time was about the same with the two methods, the time for the pathologist increased fourfold when using the voice recognition system. To obtain acceptable input speed, an appropriate template module is essential.
Meijer
G A
GA
Department of Pathology, Free University Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Baak
J P
JP
van Diest
P J
PJ
van Hattum
A H
AH
van der Linden
H C
HC
Koevoets
J J
JJ
D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D013997:Time Factors; D014831:Voice