Blog

How To Use Dragon Medical Practice Edition

Getting The Most Out Of Dragon Medical Practice

Learning how to use Dragon Medical Practice Edition ensures practitioner’s get the most out of their practice by dictating information in their own words.

The world of speech recognition software has drastically improved in the last few years, and Dragon Medical Practice Edition is at the forefront of this technology with a 99% recognition rate.

Once you learn some of the basic functions, the software can save you a significant amount of time by dictating your spoken words to text.

The software performs 3 main functions:

  • Turns spoken words into text.
  • Allows navigation with voice commands
  • Uses macros to reduce repetition of multi-step tasks

Right out of the box, the software boasts an unprecedented recognition rate. After going through the 6 minute training session, it improves to almost 100%. To get the most of your software, start with the training session and then begin to create macros to simplify repetitive tasks.

Creating a User Profile

When you first start using the program, make sure to create a user profile for each person that plans to use the software. This will help the voice recognition software become tailored to your voice.

If you’re using a mic, make sure to complete the volume check portion of the setup process.

Adjusting Volume

As you walk through the tutorial, you’ll be asked to select an audio source.

Once you select the audio source you’re going to move on to the audio setup wizard. Aim to keep the blue bar between a quarter and one-third of the entire length.

This ensures that you’re speaking clearly and not clipping or causing distortion when you speak.

The Training Wizard

On the training wizard screen, choose the “Talking to Your Computer” option. Completing this option gives you basic information about how to use Dragon, while preparing your computer to recognize your voice.

Once you finish the wizard, you can let the program analyze any documents or emails you’ve written. This will help the program learn to recognize your speech patterns, and tailor the program to your needs.

Using Dragon in Practice

When you use the program, don’t over-enunciate or speak unnaturally. The program will learn to recognize your voice.

As long as you keep the microphone at a reasonable distance from your mouth, you shouldn’t experience any issues with the system recognizing your words.

When speaking, make sure to dictate all of your punctuation. Simply say the word for the punctuation you want to use. For example, “comma, period, new line or new paragraph.

Assigning Hot Keys

A few carefully planned hot keys will help you improve your experience with the system.

Assign a key to turn your microphone on and off without having to issue a sleep command. Use a key that is easily reachable, and preferably large, so that you don’t have any problem hitting it.

Another good hot key to assign is the “Correction” hot key. This can make it easier to bring up the Dragon correction screen that allows you to fix any word you place your cursor on. This is only useful for people who use their mouse to navigate.

Setting Correction Options

In the Correction tab on the Option window there are several options you can select.

Make sure to select the “Automatically Add Words to Vocabulary” and “Automatic Playback on Correction” option.

Both of these options will allow you to preview what you actually said in the event of a correction. From there, you can determine if you spoke unclear, or if this is a word or phrase you’re going to need to follow the correction process with. Only use the correction process if the software itself made the mistake.