BackgroundTo undertake a systematic review of existing literature relating to speech recognition technology and its application within health care.MethodsA systematic review of existing literature from 2000 was undertaken. Inclusion criteria were: all papers that referred to speech recognition (SR) in health care settings, used by health professionals (allied health, medicine, nursing, technical or support staff), with an evaluation or patient or staff outcomes. Experimental and non-experimental designs were considered.Six databases (Ebscohost including CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE including the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, OVID Technologies, PreMED-LINE, PsycINFO) were searched by a qualified health librarian trained in systematic review searches initially capturing 1,730 references. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were retained.ResultsThe heterogeneity of the studies made comparative analysis and synthesis of the data challenging resulting in a narrative presentation of the results. SR, although not as accurate as human transcription, does deliver reduced turnaround times for reporting and cost-effective reporting, although equivocal evidence of improved workflow processes.ConclusionsSR systems have substantial benefits and should be considered in light of the cost and selection of the SR system, training requirements, length of the transcription task, potential use of macros and templates, the presence of accented voices or experienced and in-experienced typists, and workflow patterns.

Goal-setting is a very satisfactory activity for the team but to be as successful for the patient their needs must be acknowledged. People with mild disability and a short inpatient stay have different needs to those with acute onset severe permanent disability and those with chronic or progressive disability admitted from the community. Comparison of both process and outcome effects of different types of goal-setting is an area for future study.

The benefits of this automation include storing all information; making the drafts available and accessible almost instantly to everyone with authorized access; and avoiding information loss, delays, and misinterpretations inherent to using a ward clerk or transcription services.

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One set of patient information, verbally generated at handover delivering electronic documentation within one process, will transform international nursing policy for nursing handover and documentation.