Today I received a question from a Vetanswers Member:
I’m looking at improving the accuracy/efficiency/detail of my clinical notes but I’m a bit of a slow typer. I’ve already looked into a few options regarding dictation applications but am struggling to choose so I was wondering if you have any experience with this or know anyone that uses dictation for notes? We use ezyvet for our PM.
I had a vague recollection of some information on dictation applications from Dr Diederick Gelderman (long time Vetanswers Business Member & supporter) so I sent him an email and he responded with two suggestions:
- Talkatoo – “excellent and has vet capability” https://talkatoo.com
- Dragon Naturally Speaking – “now also with vet/medical/nursing-specific language” https://www.nuance.com/healthcare.html
According to Diederik, both are very good, learn as you use them and are compatible with all software. Dragon costs around $2k but then you own it, whereas Talkatoo is a monthly subscription. They can both be used on multiple devices, for example, the computer at work and your home laptop.
Diederik also commented that a number of his coaching clients use them and they’re especially useful for large animal vets as they can do their records whilst driving, email them back to the office and the receptionist then cuts and pastes them into the patient’s file and generates an invoice. This is a huge time saver and a similar set-up also works well for small animal practices.
So over to you the Vetanswers Community Brains Trust ….Share your expertise in the Comments section below
- Do you use a dictation app in your practice for writing up clinical notes?
- What product do you use?
- What tips would you offer to a new user?
We’ve just started using Talkatoo. Apparently the founder came out of Dragon??? maybe. There’s a very good podcast on Uncharted where they talk with the marketing guy/owner (yes it’s been a while) https://chartable.com/podcasts/the-uncharted-veterinary-podcast/episodes/85152653-uvp-123-interview-with-shawn-wilkie-of-talkatoo
As a finance and business adviser after every meeting I have with clients I dictate the conversations I have.
The best app I have found has been ‘Dragon’. It needs a little bit of setup work but it has made my life so much easier.