In the past, options for dictation were all tape based.  The old Dictaphone machines were large and stationary.  In the 1960’s came handheld tape recorders, followed by micro and mini-cassette tape recorders.  However, tapes stretch and the recorded quality degrades with time and use, they can’t be indexed or searched easily, and they can easily be lost or misplaced.  The advent of digital recorders brought many advantages over tape recorders, including having different folders for different types of dictations, such as patient notes, urgent notes and medical-legal reports, so a transcriptionist would know which ones need to be transcribed first.  And a new file could be started for each report, making it easy to search to find a particular dictation.

The major advantage of a hand-held recorder, be it tape or digital, was that it was portable.  As long as the physician had their notes with them, they could dictate in the car (as a passenger!), at the cottage, in their office or at home.  Unfortunately, the challenge to it being portable was that the recorder could also be misplaced or stolen.  And the recorder had to be connected to a computer to download the files to be transcribed.  It isn’t as easy as just popping out a tape, putting in a new one, and continuing recording.  Unless of course you purchased a digital recorder with a removable memory card and have a memory card reader attached to your computer.

Telephone dictation systems were first used in hospitals, primarily for physicians to report surgical notes.  With the advent of digital storage media, usage spread.

Today, physicians need to choose between using a digital handheld voice recorder (distinct from digital note takers which are not suitable for dictation) and a telephone dictation system.  Both systems require several factors for optimal usage – low ambient or background noise, clear dictation and knowledge of how to use them.

Top end digital recorders have functions very similar to the older tape models, with slide switches for pausing, rewinding and fast forwarding.  It makes the transition from tape to digital very easy.  Less expensive models have buttons instead of the slide switch, and it can take longer to get use to using them effectively.  Handheld recorders are portable; they can be kept with the physician and notes dictated ‘on the fly’, immediately after a patient has been seen, or at any time and place later.  However, the dictation has to be downloaded to a computer – either through a USB cable or a removable storage disk reader – and uploaded to the transcriptionist’s computer.  And the digital recorder needs to record in a format that is playable in transcription software.  Different manufacturer’s use different file formats (most are a version of .wav file), some of which are highly compressed and are easily downloaded by the transcriptionist.  There is also the issue of security in transferring the files to the transcriptionist, if they are not on-site.

Telephone dictation systems must be accessed from a telephone – and preferably a land-line and not a cell phone for better voice quality.  It restricts their use to when the physician has access to a telephone, so they can’t be used for dictating in a patient examination room (unless of course there’s a telephone).  But it can be any telephone, anywhere – physician’s office or home, cottage, hotel room, or even the physician’s lounge at the hospital.  Once the file is dictated, it is automatically saved.  It does not have to be uploaded to a computer and sent to the transcriptionist.  All file movement is within the dictation system and is done securely.  There’s no delay in uploading files to the computer, as they are automatically saved with the system.

To summarize:

Ultimately, the choice is usually physician preference.  Physicians who used tape recorders often prefer to continue to use a similar style of recorder, albeit digital.  Physicians who learned to dictate using a hospital telephone-based dictation system, often prefer the telephone.  Other physicians make the decision based on which system is more automated, where there is less for them to do.  Telephone dictation systems automatically save your dictation, provide embedded security, and queue your dictation for transcription as soon as you finish dictating.

2Ascribe Medical Transcription is a Toronto based medical transcription company, offering medical transcription services across Canada and throughout the United States.  For more information, please contact 2Ascribe Inc. at www.2ascribe.com or 416/866-503-4003.

1. Olympus DS-5000 Digital Voice RecorderThe DS-5000 is an advanced professional digital recorder, designed to provide easy, flexible and productive dictation. The slide switch operation is easy to use, and for physicians making the switch from a tape recorder to a digital recorder, it’s the most intuitive.  It has programmable buttons which are helpful in identifying dictation types, or for when the recorder is used by more than one physician.  It has external memory cards.  A nice feature is the multi-function cradle which both recharges the Ni-MH battery pack and allows for easy downloading of your files to your PC. You can also automate sending your digital files to your medical transcription provider over your LAN or the Internet, once they are uploaded to your computer.  It uses DS2 (digital speech professional) file format and files may be password protected.
2. Sony ICD-BM1 Digital Voice RecorderThe Sony ICD-BMI has a professional quality sound and high-level functionality.  It comes with a removable 128 MB Memory Stick®, providing 41 minutes of recording at the highest quality level.  It also has a slide control switch operation. Features include a voice e-mail function, user named folders (set using the computer), easy search and priority setting.  It comes with a USB cable for connectivity.
3. Philips Pocket Memo 9600 Digital Voice RecorderThe Philips Digital Pocket Memo 9600 features include voice commands,file encryption and password protection. It uses the .dss (digital speech standard) file format, the international standard for professional speech processing.  Its ergonomic design is user friendly and the controls are fairly intuitive. The 4-position slide switch allows for single-handed operation.  It comes with Philips SpeechExec Pro Dictate which is a network-based dictation software program that helps streamline communication between the user and the medical transcription provider.  It also has both a docking station and USB cable for uploading files and charging the recorder.

2Ascribe Inc., providing you with quality medical transcription – your way!

Check our medical transcription dictation tips next month to learn more.

The advantages of using a digital recorder vs. a tape recorder for your medical transcription are significant.  Voice recorders on tape deteriorate with time, and can be influenced, and corrupted, by magnetic fields.  With digital recorders, each recording can be created in a new file.  If you have a file that needs to be transcribed urgently, the medical transcriptionist can easily move to the selected file without having to fast forward through your entire tape recording.  Digital recorder files can be moved electronically, eliminating the need for pricey couriers, and reducing the turnaround time of your transcribed documents.  And tapes wear out and break.

Considerations for choosing a digital recorder are:

1. Suitability for medical transcription
   When choosing a digital recorder for your medical transcription needs, first and foremost make sure that it is one that is suitable for medical transcription.  Some digital recorders are designed for personal use and only record and playback on the unit itself.  And with some of them, the file types are not compatible for play with medical transcription equipment.
2. Recording time
   While some recorders can store up to 250 hours of recordings, that is not realistic for your medical transcription needs.  And generally, the longer the storage time, the poorer the voice quality.  For medical transcription, you want the best voice quality.
3. Data Storage & Organization
   Does the digital recorder have more than one folder?  This can be handy for different types of dictations – letters, medical-legal reports and patient notes, or for practices where more than one physician will use the digital recorder.  And does it have an eternal storage device (a memory card or stick) or is it internal memory only?
4. Recorder features
   What data is displayed?  What information can you enter to identify folders or physicians?  Does it have a cue/review feature?  How does it feel in your hand?  Are the buttons sizes appropriate for the size of your hand or is it awkward to press them?  Consider whether you want a slide on the side of the recorder to start, pause and stop recording, or buttons.
5. Connectivity
   If you’re going to use the recorder for medical transcription, it must be able to connect to your computer.  The choices are directly through a USB cable or with a docking station.  The docking station stays permanently plugged into your computer and has a footprint on your desk.  The disadvantage of this is that it takes up desk space, and you can only download from the one docking station.  The other option, a USB cable, takes up less space, allows you to download to any computer, but it is easy to either leave the cable behind, or to lose it if you’re moving it from computer to computer.

Your digital recorder is a tool, and you need to choose the one that best supports your medical transcription requirements.  If you need help selecting a particular model, call 2Ascribe for more information.

2Ascribe Inc., providing you with quality medical transcription – your way!

Check our medical transcription dictation tips next month to learn more.