Speech Recognition no Panacea to Change Work Habit

Study published at RSNA 2008 and reported on in Auntminnie: SR Technology no panacea for reporting work habit change (registration required) reviewed the implementation of speech recognition technology at University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill. This was not a review of the effectiveness of Speech Recognition overall since:

It's a well-known fact that implementing speech recognition (SR) technology can revolutionize report turnaround time and dramatically enhance the workflow efficiency of radiology departments.

But the question for this study was "can it improve the work habits of individual radiologists?". Not surprisingly technology does not change work habits. Radiologists who were slow to report before the implementation of speech were slow to report after the implementation of speech. Installing technology that speeds up the overall process does not change reporting behavior. Rank order of turnaround times by radiologists did not change pre and post implementation

The learning point - using technology to change behavior tends not to be successful. Technology should adapt to individual behavior rather than trying to change the behavior. Providing tools and technology that does not require a change behavior is more likely to be successful. Often behavior has been refined over the course of time that is optimal for that individual and circumstance - change is not always better or more efficient.