What type of microphone is required?
Most programs include a high-quality microphone as part of the package. Check the vendor’s website to confirm that their microphone is compatible with your sound card. This is particularly important before installing the program on a laptop computer. What about digital voice recorders? These portable recorders are the latest gadgets in the field. The user dictates into the device and later transfers the recording to the computer. One informal report suggests that this causes a small, but acceptable, drop in accuracy. These may prove to be a very useful tool for physicians who need to dictate reports at the bedside. How accurate is the software? A review in PC Magazine (October 20, 1998) rated the accuracy of NaturallySpeaking at 91 percent, and ViaVoice at 81 percent. My personal frustration is with errors in small words (e.g. a, an, and, the), despite repeated efforts to train the computer to my voice. It is very easy to miss these small errors when proofreading. Dr. Robert Patterson
