Audit results reveal digital dictation benefits
An audit that has pitched the performance of a digital dictation software platform directly against a traditional tape-based dictation system in a modern medical practice has revealed some startling improvements in efficiency and document turnaround times.
Lexacom, a leading developer and supplier of digital dictation software in the UK, recently teamed up with the Appletree Medical Practice in Belper, Derbyshire to complete the audit. The time taken to perform certain operational tasks using both dictation platforms was recorded during the course of a month and the figures were then collated and used to draw an accurate conclusion about the efficiency of both dictation platforms in a busy working environment.
The audit revealed that the average time taken to process urgent patient information within the month took 31 hours, 42 minutes with the tape-based dictation system, but the Lexacom digital dictation software reduced this average turnaround time to 1 hour, 7 minutes.
When analysing the time taken to process routine patient information at the Appletree Medical Practice, the tape-based dictation system took an average of 98 hours, 17 minutes, compared to an average turnaround time of 26 hours, 48 minutes using Lexacom’s digital dictation software.
These results clearly show that using a digital dictation platform over a tape-based dictation system dramatically improves general efficiency, document turnaround times and encourages immediacy among doctors that are recording dictations and secretaries that are processing the information afterwards.
Lexacom Managing Director, Dr Andrew Whiteley, a practicing GP himself, said: “We believe this is the first time such a detailed audit has been carried out between two types of dictation systems and the results clearly illustrate what can be achieved when dictation technology is upgraded.
“The audit proves that a tape-based system is very one dimensional and lacking in any kind of flexibility, but a digital dictation platform brings a new level of immediacy to the practice, brings greater visibility to the workload, allows people to prioritise jobs and generally helps to improve efficiency and all-important turnaround times.
“There is still a massive number of medical practices in the UK that are battling against the limitations of a tape-based dictation platform and that will have a detrimental effect on operational efficiency when it comes to delivering effective healthcare.”
Lianne Burke is the IT/Data Manager at Appletree Medical Practice and she agreed that moving to a digital dictation platform has brought a significant improvement in efficiency and staff morale.
“I think if I was to tell the staff that we are going to take Lexacom away, they would all hand their notices in the following day. That’s how much of an impact digital dictation has had on their jobs.
“The staff are so much happier because they know they have better control over what’s going on and they are safe in the knowledge that they can turn the urgent information around much faster because they’re not having to spend a long time searching for dictations.”
ENDS
To see the full breakdown of the Appletree audit results, please visit the case study page on the Lexacom website at www.lexacom.co.uk or telephone +44 (0) 1295 738011.
Lexacom is the UK's leading supplier of digital dictation software solutions to various organisation and businesses that are seeking an improvement in workflow management efficiency.
