Over the course of three days in June 2018, the ZeroUI Hackathon took place in Berlin. As well as Devacon GmbH, five other companies took part in the event, each dealing with the same three challenges. Put together by BeMyApp for Sanofi, the hackathon's challenges involved the use of speech recognition solutions in the healthcare system. Each part was designed to highlight how such software can facilitate better workflows and to increase efficiency and productivity in the sector.
In the first challenge, a language assistant was used to make verbal searches. Our software was designed to simplify the often tedious search methods used to obtain specific information. In our case, the search term was entered using voice dictation. The type of medical information sought - for example, suggestions on the right dose of medication, insurance details or side effects - was then relayed back in the correct language. In this way, health care workers could see they could get the right information in a timely manner.
For the second challenge, a tool had to be created that allowed a doctor to summarise a patient's consultation in an effortless way. The cost of producing written documentation in the health sector is growing and voice-based systems are an important way of producing notes without exceeding existing budgets. In addition to the medical notes needed for consultations, the software had to cover other administrative procedures which might also need paperwork to be produced. Our speech-to-text assistant was found to facilitate these tasks automatically and also help with sending case notes to all the appropriate stakeholders.
Finally, the third challenge was to develop a digital assistant that can be used to order medicines and other medical consumables by voice commands alone. A speech-based virtual assistant for both doctors and pharmacists was shown which helps to keep track of inventories, to fill in application forms automatically and to place orders where necessary. Overall, our system was seen as one that allows healthcare professionals to free up time and to concentrate on more important tasks.
Participating in the hackathon was an interesting opportunity to test our existing systems against the ever-changing needs for speech recognition solutions in the healthcare sector for Devacon. If you have any questions about speech recognition solutions, then do not hesitate to contact us.
