VOICE-DRIVEN PATHOLOGY DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

DATA ENTRY IS A MAJOR BOTTLENECK IN THE COLLECTION OF PATHOLOGY DATA. THIS INCLUDES IN-LIFE ANIMAL DATA COLLECTION WHERE IT MAY NOT BE PRACTICAL TO KEEP COMPUTER EQUIPMENT IN ANIMAL ROOMS; GROSS PATHOLOGY EXAMINATIONS WHERE THE PATHOLOGIST'S HANDS ARE BUSY; AND MICROSCOPIC PATHOLOGY OBSERVATIONS WHERE THE PATHOLOGIST IS OPERATING A MICROSCOPE. ALTHOUGH TRANSCRIPTIONISTS OR PAPER SYSTEMS CAN BE UTILIZED, THERE IS A DISTINCT NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF BETTER METHODS FOR GATHERING PATHOLOGY DATA INTO COMPUTER SYSTEM. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A VOICE-DRIVEN COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR THE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF LARGE VOLUMES OF PATHOLOGY DATA TO SUPPORT CHEMICAL, DRUG, CANCER, OR OTHER TYPES OF RESEARCH. THE INNOVATIVE USE OF VOICE RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY WILL PROVIDE PATHOLOGISTS AND TECHNICIANS WITH HANDS-FREE AND SIGHT-FREE OPERATION DURING ANIMAL HANDLING, NECROPSY, AND MICROSCOPIC EXAMS. USING A WIRELESS HEADSET, THE ACTUAL COMPUTER EQUIPMENT CAN BE STORED IN A CLEAN LOCATION AWAY FROM ANIMAL ROOMS AND OTHER WORK AREAS. IN PHASE I, A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM OF LIMITED SCOPE WILL BE DEVELOPED AND FIELD TESTED. THIS WILL VERIFY THE FEASIBILITY OF THE PROJECT AND PROVIDE A BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPLETE VOICE-DRIVEN PATHOLOGY DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DURING PHASE II.