Digital Dictation Changes The Way Transcription Is Carried Out | The Communication Blog

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Digital Dictation Changes The Way Transcription Is Carried Out

By Richard Gray


There have been huge steps made in technology arena over the past decade which in turn has seen the dictation industry undergo a massive shift in how work is carried out. In this ever changing mobile world, professionals of any type can both send and receive messages and work remotely from any place at any time.

20 years ago, both the legal and medical professions will have recorded their dictations onto magnetic tape using analogue systems. When finished, they would be collected and sent via post where they would be transcribed.

Digital dictation has totally transformed the dictation industry in a way which mirrors how digital photography changed the photographic industry. Voice files are stored on a media card similar to those used by digital cameras. The digital dictation device can be plugged into a pc or a docking station and the files can be sent securely over the internet.

Adopting the digital process rather than using the traditional process will see a reduction in the chance of a file being damaged or lost in transit. It also means that the turnaround from dictation to transcription is reduced meaning it can be done in a matter of hours as opposed to days. Encrypting the files also allows companies to restrict access to the files so no matter where the dictation is carried out, the files remain secure.

When a file is received by a transcriber, they are alerted straight away - and like with any digital document it can be stored in an organised folder system meaning workflow can be managed far more effectively.

Previously, once a tape had been dictated, they would tend to be blanked and used again - whereas digital technology allows companies to archive all their original dictations. This is a key advantage when upgrading to digital dictation - they can be saved for an indefinite amount of time and take up less physical space than tapes.

Another massive advantage of digital dictation over analogue tape is the sound quality that is produced. This means that a dictation takes less time to complete - in that it is far better due to the eradication of background noise, meaning first time results are far more accurate and the need to rewind the tape is massively reduced.

Because of the technological and digital progress that has been made with regards dictation, it is little wonder that this is now becoming the default standard for dictation, particularly where the medical and legal sectors are concerned. The timeliness, accuracy and enhanced process that digital offers now mean analogue tapes are fast becoming a thing of the past.




About the Author:



The Communication Blog
Bookmark and Share

No comments:

Post a Comment

 

The Communication Blog Copyright © 2009