Fifteen highly trained medical transcriptionists at Canberra Hospital, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) claims, will be replaced with an automated voice to text software program (Dragon) when the Digital Health Record goes live in November. 

Maddy Northam, regional secretary of the CPSU, stated that staff at the Canberra Hospital’s medical Transcription area were told three weeks ago that Dragon would replace their jobs.

“This was without any consultation or consideration for patient wellbeing,” Ms Northam said.

“This work is highly complex and sensitive, and the consequences of any errors are potentially life threatening or life altering.”

Canberra Health Services told CW that no medical transcriptionists would lose their jobs, and that voice recognition systems were safer and more efficient.

“The Canberra Hospital has a workforce of 15 women who are highly trained medical transcriptionists, and have decades of specialised experience between them,” Ms Northam said.

“Every day, they translate doctors’ verbal notes into letters that get sent to Canberrans accessing medical services at the hospital. The ACT Government wants to replace this service with an automated software program.

“We know how busy our doctors are. The ACT Government should not be pushing them to do more administration work when there are specialist transcriptionists already on staff.

“Replacing highly trained specialised transcriptionists with an automated software program is risky business. Our members understand medical terms and interactions, and translate this into letters that Canberrans receive every day with critical health information.

“In response to CPSU questioning about not activating this software, the ACT Government has said they cannot turn it off. Regardless of whether that software can or cannot be turned off, medical transcriptionists and the community rely on these services. There is nothing stopping ACT Government continuing the manual process that we know delivers better service.

“The ACT Government must immediately put on hold plans to cut manual transcription services. Our members can tell the difference between ileum and ilium, peroneal and perineal and the difference between hyperthermia and hypothermia. It would be a brave person that suggested a software program can use each of these terms in the right context. The risks of getting it wrong could be life changing or life ending.

“Just because you can replace workers with automated systems, doesn’t mean you should.”

Canberra Health Services informed CW: “No medical transcriptionists will lose their jobs as a result of the Digital Health Record going live.

“CHS will continue to work with affected staff to understand and respond to their concerns.

“Voice recognition systems have already been implemented in some areas of CHS, and have been embraced by clinicians as a safer and more efficient way to record information.”

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