[WildRose]

I was wondering if any of you cats has any experience with voice recognition technology. Specifically, has the software become very accurate? The reason I'm interested is that I have been working in a field which I think will be rendered obsolete by this software in the near future.

I work in health records administration as a career medical transcriptionist (for the last 26 years), and I now am involved in editing and training new transcriptionists. We are the people who produce medical documents from physicians' dictation (everything that happens to you when you have a hospital admission, clinic visit, etc.). We were told last week at our annual professional development meeting that voice recognition software will be implemented this summer in our hospital, starting with the diagnostic radiology section of our workload (MRI reports, CT scans, x-rays). We were told that jobs won't be lost but that 25% of our transcriptionists will become editors. So, 25% of us will become editors, and that's just with the implementation of voice recognition software for about one-sixth of our total workload.

So, I wanted to see if anyone can report that the software itself is very accurate, or if they know of places where it's now in use, so that I can get a better picture of whether the "writing is on the wall", so to speak, for my profession. I figured that, once the software is really reliable, a physician could dictate a report and edit it at the same time, eliminating the need for transcriptionists and editors.

Most of the people I work with seem satisfied with the idea that jobs won't be lost and don't seem to realize the implications of these changes. Personally, I can't recommend to any young person that this is a good time to enroll in this training at any college or technical institute, since it appears that their employment in this field could be very short-lived.

[EndOfSewers]

Editing isn't really a doctor's job is it? I can't see offloading administrative work to physicians being acceptable to either the doctors themselves or whatever union the administrative staff is in.

[AirlinePilot]

I need only point to the last time I called an automated phone system. As much as I HATE them, they are getting much better.
That is one area directly using VR technology. As computers and software get faster this will only get better.

[WildRose]

That's true, EndofSewers, if the physician couldn't see the report when he or she is dictating it. However, if the report is appearing on a computer screen as the physician is dictating it, the editing could be done easily right then and there, providing the software is really accurate and programmed for all the intricacies of the person's enunciation. That's why I'm concerned about how good this software is - when it's really reliable, I can imagine many doctors and hospitals using it, thereby eliminating the need for transcriptionists to type the reports.

[WildRose]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AirlinePilot', 'I') need only point to the last time I called an automated phone system. As much as I HATE them, they are getting much better.
That is one area directly using VR technology. As computers and software get faster this will only get better.

[SchroedingersCat]

It is much better than it was a few years ago. It still works best for people who know how to dictate properly. That skill is as rare as stenographers these days, I think. Dictation is very different than just talking.

If doctors dictation is anything like their handwriting you have a job for life!

[WildRose]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SchroedingersCat', 'I')f doctors dictation is anything like their handwriting you have a job for life!

[grabby]

wether you loose your job from computer transcription or from peak oil, I think the timing is about the same, so it won't really matter.

[Benzin]

I currently work in sales and people like talking to a real person - whether it be face-to-face or on the phone. It's just how a lot of people are. Baring any sudden catastrophe, I don't think that will be changing in the near future. Now whether or not those jobs will be staying in the USA is another issue. However, I also have found that your average American appreciates listening to someone they understand and identify with. Not quite the same effect talking with Samir from India.

Also, my cellphone has voice-recognition commands. It's come a long way.

[WildRose]

I'm thinking that if I can determine that the voice software has come a long way and can now take the place of a transcriptionist, I should expediate my plans for some kind of new training or education. I'd like to investigate holistic medicine or maybe something in agriculture or the environment. Those areas would be of value as we get into the post peak descent, I think.

I have googled voice recognition technology and all I get is the companies that are selling the software but no information about places where it has been implemented.