Dictaphones?

Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.

Hello,

I am just wondering whether anybody uses a dictaphone in their work?

I have been trying to find any guidelines on the use of them as I feel they would
be useful especially during home visits and then at break times you could transfer
them to the paper records..It is just a thought.

 

I use the in-built voice recording feature on iPhone4 then type up notes into private practice software. I'm not aware of any guidelines for dictaphones but I don't think they should be necessary if you delete the voice data soon after. Hope this helps.

 

I used my dictaphone once.... got my foreskin caught in the keypad

 

You can then email the recording to a transcription service in somewhere like India and they will transcribe it and send it back - you print it and add it to the patient records.

 

Thanks for the serious and funny reply....

I think I might just buy a cheap version, not that into all this phone technology, maybe ask my 10 year old for some help.!

 

Ian - "You're better than that"

Craig - Good idea but you would need to be suitably registered with the Information Comissioners Office (UK) for data transfer outside of EU.

 

I don't do any dom visits, all my patients come into my clinic but I use this software from this company for dictation

http://www.nch.com.au/software/dictation.html

It has methods for dictation through many media, I just have a standard headset/microphone costing £20 and I dictate directly into my laptop. The software then encrypts the dictation and packages it into email-able file sizes and I can e mail it for an outsourcing transcription company.

Best thing about it is that I can be looking through referral letters, video footage and reports relelvant to the patient with my hands by using the headset whilst dictating the notes. Definately saves me time and money.

hope this helps

robin

 

All my dictations are done using an Olympus DS-5000 Digital Voice Recorder. I do about 20 dictations per day in my office. Some of the medical-legal evaluations that I do for worker's compensation injuries on Tuesday mornings take about 25-35 minutes of dictation time and are up to 10+ pages in length. All of these digital recordings are done in DSS format, which is a compressed audio file. These are all sent as e-mail attachments to my transcriptionist who lives about 1,500 miles away, in Texas. She e-mails them back to me as MS Word files. I use a headset to help free up my hands and improve voice clarity. I am considering adding a foot pedal to the system which would completely eliminate my need to use my hands when reviewing charts for dictations.

By the way, the word "Dictaphone" is a proprietary name but some people call all voice recorders by the name "dictaphone".

Hope this helps.

 

I use voice recognition a lot (including this note).
With Dragon Naturally speaking (not trying to advertise - I have no link to the company and if you use something else that works - fine) you get a recorder you can use to dictate off-site. They also do a medical version (UK English).
One issue is that you need a fast computer with decent memory for it to work well (the file size can be large) – but once set-up it is great - it looks at your existing letters and files to learn your personal vocabulary.
Some clinicians keep their recorded files (for medico-legal reasons) which seems a bit over the top.
Another thing to remember is patient confidentiality.
In the UK it is more “iffy” to send files to India (or anywhere outside the E.U.) if they contain any identifying info – and of course it would be difficult to keep things matched up without such info.
It obviously can be done but it is fraught with data protection issues.
Also remember that you need to keep the recorder and any recordings as safely secured as your patient notes.
For a few hundred pounds though, this software can change your life - although only a few years ago it was more likely to ruin your life (or Mugabe run yore wife buy loosing thy Wong wards or the Wright Wards out if context).
Good Luck

 

Hi, I am dyslexic and a 'reasonable adjustment' for this condition is the use of a Dictaphone to aid memory recall. On saying that I have tended not to see this as the best way forward so far, although I use it effectively for personal planning of things I need to do, etc.

I would suggest you may well find the British Dyslexia Association offers some guidelines on their use or one of the many companies offering this type of assistive technology.

In general terms it would be necessary to have consent if you are likely to record anything other than your own reflections plus there are then issues under the Data Protection Act about the information only being used for the purpose it was made and consent given. It would then need the same level of security as confidential clinical notes and would require safe systems of storage and access. You may also find the local Caldicott Guardian has a right to know if it is patient information.

Laying aside these issues, using a Dictaphone system like Dragon 10 that has voice recognition would mean the information would be downloadable as text (once you have trained the system in your accent/voice). This would mean you are not put into a situation when you are losing your break time laboriously going through lots of verbal notes.

If you find yourself with a genuine issue where a dictaphone is going to prove beneficial, talk it through with your lecturer or manager. If it is due to a medically diagnosable condition the Health Professions Council have some guidance for registrants (or prospective registrants). HPC will make the assumption that employers are operating within the law, such as the Disability Discrimination Act + amendments and soon including the new Equality Act which brings existing Acts together in new legislation.

I hope this is helpful and not overly dense. At least you are thinking about using technology creatively and how to improve record keeping information. But you need your breaks too. I hope this offers some ideas you can follow up with someone formally trained in this area.

Regards,

Marion A Murray