Dictation tips for doctors: get a clean transcript first time

What room setup gives the cleanest transcript?

The cleanest transcripts come from a quiet room with as little background speech as possible. Speech recognition finds it harder to separate your voice from other voices than from steady noise such as a fan.

If you share a reporting room, try to sit away from colleagues who are also dictating, and close the door if you can. Soft furnishings reduce echo, while hard, empty rooms tend to make speech less clear.

Notifications and phone calls also interrupt your flow. Silencing them for the few minutes you are dictating makes it easier to finish a report in one go.

• Choose the quietest space available.
• Sit away from other people who are dictating.
• Reduce echo where you can.
• Silence notifications while dictating.

Where should the microphone be?

The microphone should be close to your mouth, in the same position every time, and slightly to one side so your breath does not hit it directly.

A headset or a dedicated desk microphone with a fixed stand keeps a constant distance from your mouth, which keeps recognition steady. If you use a laptop microphone, sit squarely in front of it and avoid turning your head away while speaking.

Before a reporting session, do a quick test: dictate a short sentence and check the result. If it is poor, adjust the microphone before you start on real reports.

• Keep it close and at a constant distance.
• Place it slightly to the side of your mouth.
• Prefer a headset or desk microphone to a built-in one.
• Test with a short sentence before you start.

Why plan the report before you start speaking?

Planning before you speak gives you a cleaner transcript because you stop and restart less often. False starts, hesitations and corrections spoken aloud all end up in the text and then need removing.

A plan does not need to be written down. Take a few seconds after reviewing the images to decide what you will say in each section and in what order. Many reporters find it helps to decide the conclusion first, then describe the findings that support it.

Following the same order for each type of study makes this almost automatic over time.

• Review first, then dictate.
• Decide the conclusion before you start.
• Use the same order for each study type.
• Avoid thinking aloud into the microphone.

How fast should you speak?

Speak at a steady, natural conversational pace in complete sentences. Speaking very slowly, word by word, often makes recognition worse rather than better, because the software uses the surrounding words to work out what you said.

Equally, rushing tends to blur short words together, and short words such as no, not and left matter a great deal in a report. Aim for clear, even speech, with a brief pause at the end of each sentence.

If you notice the transcript struggling, slow down slightly and articulate the ends of words rather than speaking louder.

• Natural pace, complete sentences.
• Do not speak word by word.
• Pronounce short words clearly.
• Pause briefly between sentences.

Should you say section names aloud?

Yes. Saying section names such as indication, findings and conclusion aloud makes the structure of your dictation clear, both to you and to any tool that organises the text afterwards.

In Medicate, naming sections helps the structuring step place your words in the right part of the report. It does not add anything: it only reorganises what you said into Indication, Findings and Conclusion.

Clear section names also make the raw transcript easier to read if you need to refer back to it during review.

• Say the section name before its content.
• Keep each section's content together.
• Avoid jumping back to a previous section.

How should you dictate numbers and measurements?

Dictate numbers and measurements clearly, always with their units, and in a consistent format. Saying the unit each time removes ambiguity for both the software and the reader.

For measurements with more than one dimension, say each value with a clear separator, such as by. Pause briefly before and after a number so it is not merged with the words around it.

Always check numbers during review. They are among the easiest details to mishear and among the most important to get right.

• Always say the unit.
• Use a consistent format for dimensions.
• Pause briefly around numbers.
• Check every number during review.

What about abbreviations and unusual terms?

Full terms are generally recognised more reliably than abbreviations, and they are easier for referrers to understand. If an abbreviation is widely known, it may be fine, but local shorthand is best avoided.

Unusual terms, names of rare conditions or local place names may be misrecognised at first. Note which words cause trouble and say them carefully, or type them during review.

Keeping a short personal list of words that often go wrong helps you know where to look first when checking a transcript.

• Prefer full terms to abbreviations.
• Avoid local shorthand.
• Keep a list of words that often go wrong.

How do you keep your voice fresh through a long list?

Keep your voice fresh by taking short breaks, drinking water and sitting comfortably. A tired voice becomes quieter and less clear, which shows up as more recognition errors later in a session.

If you notice the transcript getting worse towards the end of a list, it is often a sign to pause for a minute rather than a problem with the software.

• Take short breaks between groups of reports.
• Keep water nearby.
• Sit upright with the microphone in its usual place.

How do you fix mistakes quickly?

Fix mistakes quickly by finishing the dictation first and correcting afterwards, rather than stopping mid-sentence to fix each error. Constant stopping breaks your train of thought and adds more hesitations to the text.

In Medicate you can correct the structured draft by typing or with simple commands such as replace moderate with mild, optionally followed by in findings to target one section. Commands only change the words you name, so they cannot invent content.

After corrections, read the report through once more from start to finish before signing.

Medicate structures dictated text; the physician reviews and signs every report. It is not a diagnostic tool.

• Finish dictating, then correct.
• Use typed edits or simple voice commands.
• Target a section when a word appears more than once.
• Read the whole report again before signing.

Frequently asked questions