APIII - Advancing Practice, Instruction & Innovation Through Informatics

Presented at the 1998 APIII Conference                        Return to 1998 Abstract Index

Albany Medical Center
Albany, New York
Michael W. Riben, MD

Health care pressures continue to challenge pathologists to improve their business practices, including their information processing, in an environment of decreased resources and increased productivity demands. In addition, there has been a call for data standardization within pathology in order to facilitate improved data analysis. Though touted as an empowering technology for efficient, cost-effective and “smart” data acquisition for pathology, voice recognition has failed to meet the expectations and goals of potential users. However, recent improvements in the technology underlying these systems have made Voice Recognition a viable alternative to current practices. In addition, Voice Recognition is an interface technology capable of parsing information for rapid acquisition into useful data storage units, meeting the formidable task of data standardization.

Anticipating that pathology will soon embrace this technology, the Voice Recognition for Pathology Web site has been created for pathologists wishing to learn more about this technology and how to incorporate it into their practice. The Web site includes industry news, vendor and product profiles, a voice recognition tutorial, tips on implementing this technology, information about voice as enabling technology for structured data entry, a FAQ page, and an extensive bibliography on Voice Recognition in Medicine. The site should facilitate information gathering, serving as a complete resource for pathologists exploring this technology.