James Stapleton, Head of Operations at G2 Speech recently spoke with EHI Reporter, Fiona Barr about the increasing demand for structured reporting in healthcare and about our plans to lead the way with our solutions.
James told Fiona how adding structure to letters is definitely a hot topic for our customers at the moment. G2 Speech has developed a system that uses a template with relevant headings that automatically slots information under those headings named by the dictating clinician.
He said our SpeechReport system is already being used in orthopaedics departments, where the demands of the business rules fit the format well. He said three or four trusts are also looking at using it more widely for outpatient letters.
He added: “GPs want the data in a certain format, patients want it like that, and the trusts themselves want to make more use of their data in a structured format.”
For example, at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, G2 Speech has worked to add structure to reports, using speech recognition integrated with the hospital’s orthopaedic information system.
Coded headings are in place when the clinician dictates, and these are translated to a standardised structure in the final report. Prompts are in place to advise the user if any mandatory fields are missed, and the report will only be created if those fields are completed.
James said junior doctors are taking to the system most readily but he believes others will follow as they see the benefits. “It will come in on a case by case basis, with individual doctors rather than setting a policy saying everybody must do it,” he predicts.