Immediate and sustained benefits of a "total" implementation of speech recognition reporting

Speech recognition reporting was introduced in our institution to address the significant delay between report dictation and the appearance of a typed report on the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). We report our experience of a "total" implementation of a speech recognition reporting (SRR) system, which became the sole means of radiology reporting from day 1 of introduction. Prospectively gathered Radiology Information System (RIS) data were examined to determine the monthly mean reporting times and completion times for all studies from January 2004 to February 2006 (11 months before introduction of SRR and 15 months after introduction). Studies were grouped for analysis according to referral source (casualty, general practice, inpatient or outpatient). A large, sustained reduction in time to completion was noted in all referral groups at both hospital sites within our institution (6.79 +/- 0.92 days pre-SRR and 2.20 +/- 0.78 days post-SRR, independent two-sample Student's t-test, p<10(-11)). Workflow was maintained following the introduction of SRR: numbers of reports per month and mean times to report were unchanged. SRR eliminated the delays associated with report transcription and subsequent authorisation, dramatically reducing report turnaround times. Resistance to change has perhaps led to suboptimal implementation of SRR in some other institutions, such that benefits have not been fully realised. Our experience demonstrates the dramatic impact that a well-planned, organisation-wide implementation of SRR can have on radiology service delivery.