Introduction
The assigned paper examines the possible application of speech recognition (SR) technology to improve the efficiency and quality of nursing documentation. SR software enables nurses to use voice commands to enter paperwork into the electronic health record (EHR). Regarding patient safety, this technology brings both opportunities and concerns (McCartney, 2013). Potential patient safety hazards derived from the article include flaws in transcription due to misinterpretation of spoken words, variations and dictation style affect variances ng accuracy, and potential errors in the final documented text (McCartney, 2013). These concerns can jeopardize patient safety by resulting in erroneous information in the EHR, miscommunication among healthcare practitioners, and potential adverse events.
NPSG Goals:
The following goals can be addressed based on the 2022 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) to alleviate the possible patient safety concerns connected with the usage of speech recognition technology:
- a) Goal 1: Improve patient documentation accuracy: This goal guarantees that correct and complete patient information is documented in the EHR. By addressing this goal, healthcare institutions can reduce the likelihood of transcription errors caused by misinterpretation of spoken language.
- b) Goal 2: Improve healthcare provider communication: Communication is critical for patient safety. Healthcare organizations can limit the hazards associated with variation and dictation style by invariances cementing ways to improve communication when employing SR technology and guaranteeing precise and accurate information flow among healthcare practitioners.
Strategies:
Healthcare institutions can use the following ways to meet the identified NPSG goals:
- a) Education and training: Provide complete SR technology training to healthcare providers, including accurate enunciation and dictation skills. Training programs should highlight the necessity of clear and succinct speech to achieve proper transcribing.
- b) Quality assurance and monitoring: Create a method to monitor and assess the accuracy of the transcribed documents regularly. This can include auditing and reviewing SR-generated content regularly to find any discrepancies or inaccuracies. Healthcare practitioners should be given feedback to help them improve their dictation abilities and solve any reoccurring concerns.
- c) Integration with EHR: Collaborate closely with informatics teams to ensure that SR software is seamlessly integrated with the EHR. Real-time transcribing, automatic formatting, and standardized templates should all be included in this integration. These features can help improve the accuracy and consistency of nursing documentation.
- d) Ongoing improvement and updates: Stay informed about improvements in SR technology and interact with manufacturers regularly to investigate new features and enhancements. Conduct continual research and review of the literature to identify best practices and share experiences with the use of SR for nursing documentation. This strategy for continuous improvement will ensure that technology advances following patient safety goals.
By employing these practices, healthcare organizations can limit the possible patient safety risks connected with using SR technology for nursing documentation. These measures aim to increase accuracy, boost communication, and ensure quality assurance. By resolving the hurdles and optimizing the potential benefits for patient safety, it is critical to maintain a balance between the benefits and hazards of SR technology.
Conclusion
Finally, the future application of speech recognition technology for nursing documentation offers prospects to improve speed and quality. However, it also raises patient safety risks due to transcription errors and communication difficulties. Healthcare organizations can avoid these hazards and improve patient safety in SR technology by addressing the defined NPSG goals and applying tactics like training, monitoring, integration, and continuous improvement.
References
McCartney, P. R. (2013). Speech recognition for nursing documentation. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 38(5), 320. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMC.0b013e31829c0ae0
National Patient Safety Goals® Effective January 2022 for the Hospital Program (n.d.). https://www.jointcommission.org/-/media/tjc/documents/standards/national-patient-safety-goals/2021/npsg_chapter_hap_jan2021.pdf
