Document Extension in Dictation-Based Document Generation Workflow

• US 20120323572A1
• Filed: 06/19/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Health Information Systems (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: MModal IP LLC (3M Company)
• Inventors: Koll, Detlef, Fritsch, Juergen, Finke, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,781,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

An automatic speech recognizer is used to produce a structured document representing the contents of human speech. A best practice is applied to the structured document to produce a conclusion, such as a conclusion that required information is missing from the structured document. Content is inserted into the structured document based on the conclusion, thereby producing a modified document. The inserted content may be obtained by prompting a human user for the content and receiving input representing the content from the human user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by at least one computer processor, the method comprising:

(A) applying automatic speech recognition to an audio signal to produce a structured document representing contents of the audio signal;

(B) determining whether the structured document includes an indication of compliance with a best practice to produce a conclusion;

(C) inserting content into the structured document, based on the conclusion, to produce a modified structured document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (C) comprises:

(C)(1) prompting a human user to provide the content;

(C)(2) receiving input from the human user representing the content; and

(C)(3) inserting the content into the structured document.

3. The method of claim 2:

wherein (C)(1) comprises displaying a structured input element; and

wherein (C)(2) comprises receiving input from the human user in the structured input element.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the structured input element comprises a form field.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein (C) comprises:

(C)(1) obtaining the content from a data source without human input; and

(C)(2) inserting the content into the structured document.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein (B) further comprises:

identifying a type of the structured document;

identifying a best practice associated with the identified type; and

determining whether the structured document includes an indication of compliance with the identified best practice to produce the conclusion.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining whether the structured document includes an indication of compliance with a universal best practice.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein (B) further comprises determining whether the structured document includes an indication of compliance for each of a plurality of best practices to produce the conclusion.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating a first indication that a user should provide additional input of a first type to conform the structured document to a first best practice in the plurality of best practices; and

generating a second indication that the user should provide additional input of a second type to conform the structured document to a second best practice in the plurality of best practices.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating a first indication that a user should provide additional input to conform a first portion of the structured document to a first best practice in the plurality of best practices; and

generating a second indication that the user should provide additional input to conform a second portion the structured document to the first best practice in the plurality of best practices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein (B) further comprises:

analyzing a data source relating to an event to which the structured document relates; and

identifying the best practice based on the analysis of the data source.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing a conclusion that information is missing from the structured document.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing a conclusion indicating a user should provide input to the structured document.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an indication that a user should provide additional input to conform the structured document to the best practice.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a prompt for additional input, based on the conclusion, the prompt rendered separately from a rendering of the structured document.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving input representing the content; and

removing the rendered prompt.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a prompt for additional input, based on the conclusion, the prompt included in a rendering of the structured document.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving input representing the content; and

removing the prompt from the rendering of the structured document.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving input representing the content; and

maintaining the prompt in the rendering of the structured document.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein (C) comprises:

(C)(1) obtaining a version of the content from a data source without human input; and

(C)(2) inserting the version of the content into the structured document with an indication that the version of the content is an estimate of the content.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein (C) comprises:

(C) inserting, into the structured document, an indication that the content is missing.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein (C) comprises:

(C)(1) obtaining the content from a data source without human input; and

(C)(2) inserting the content into the structured document with an indication that the content was automatically generated.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising inserting, into the structured document, a request for review of the automatically generated content.

24. The method of claim 2:

wherein (C)(1) comprises displaying a structured input element;

wherein (C)(2) comprises receiving input from the human user in the structured input element.

25. The method of claim 3, wherein the structured input element comprises a text field.

26. The method of claim 3, wherein the structured input element comprises a check box.

27. The method of claim 3, wherein the structured input element comprises a drop down list.

28. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying a label with the form field to guide the user in providing input.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein (A) comprises applying automatic speech recognition to a first portion of the audio signal to produce a structured document representing contents of the first portion of the audio signal, during generation of a second portion of the audio signal.

30. A system comprising:

an automatic speech recognition system applying automatic speech recognition to an audio signal to produce a structured document representing contents of the audio signal; and

a structured document analyzer determining whether the structured document includes an indication of compliance with a best practice to produce a conclusion and inserting content into the structured document, based on the conclusion, to produce a modified structured document.

31. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are executable by at least one computer processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

(D) applying automatic speech recognition to an audio signal to produce a structured document representing contents of the audio signal;

(E) determining whether the structured document includes an indication of compliance with a best practice to produce a conclusion;

(F) inserting content into the structured document, based on the conclusion, to produce a modified structured document.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein (C) comprises:

(C)(1) prompting a human user to provide the content;

(C)(2) receiving input from the human user representing the content; and

(C)(3) inserting the content into the structured document.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 32:

wherein (C)(1) comprises displaying a structured input element; and

wherein (C)(2) comprises receiving input from the human user in the structured input element.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 33, wherein the structured input element comprises a form field.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein (C) comprises:

(C)(1) obtaining the content from a data source without human input; and

(C)(2) inserting the content into the structured document.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein (B) further comprises:

identifying a type of the structured document;

identifying a best practice associated with the identified type; and

determining whether the structured document includes an indication of compliance with the identified best practice to produce the conclusion.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 36, further comprising determining whether the structured document includes an indication of compliance with a universal best practice.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein (B) further comprises determining whether the structured document includes an indication of compliance for each of a plurality of best practices to produce the conclusion.

39. The computer readable medium of claim 38, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a first indication that a user should provide additional input of a first type to conform the structured document to a first best practice in the plurality of best practices; and

generating a second indication that the user should provide additional input of a second type to conform the structured document to a second best practice in the plurality of best practices.

40. The computer readable medium of claim 38, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a first indication that a user should provide additional input to conform a first portion of the structured document to a first best practice in the plurality of best practices; and

generating a second indication that the user should provide additional input to conform a second portion the structured document to the first best practice in the plurality of best practices.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein (B) further comprises:

analyzing a data source relating to an event to which the structured document relates; and

identifying the best practice based on the analysis of the data source.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 31, further comprising producing a conclusion that information is missing from the structured document.

43. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises producing a conclusion indicating a user should provide input to the structured document.

44. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises generating an indication that a user should provide additional input to conform the structured document to the best practice.

45. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises generating a prompt for additional input, based on the conclusion, the prompt rendered separately from a rendering of the structured document.

46. The computer readable medium of claim 45, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving input representing the content; and

removing the rendered prompt.

47. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises generating a prompt for additional input, based on the conclusion, the prompt included in a rendering of the structured document.

48. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving input representing the content; and

removing the prompt from the rendering of the structured document.

49. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving input representing the content; and

maintaining the prompt in the rendering of the structured document.

50. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein (C) comprises:

(C)(1) obtaining a version of the content from a data source without human input; and

(C)(2) inserting the version of the content into the structured document with an indication that the version of the content is an estimate of the content.

51. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein (C) comprises:

(C) inserting, into the structured document, an indication that the content is missing.

52. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein (C) comprises:

(C)(1) obtaining the content from a data source without human input; and

(C)(2) inserting the content into the structured document with an indication that the content was automatically generated.

53. The computer readable medium of claim 52, wherein the method further comprises inserting, into the structured document, a request for review of the automatically generated content.

54. The computer readable medium of claim 32:

wherein (C)(1) comprises displaying a structured input element;

wherein (C)(2) comprises receiving input from the human user in the structured input element.

55. The computer readable medium of claim 33, wherein the structured input element comprises a text field.

56. The computer readable medium of claim 33, wherein the structured input element comprises a check box.

57. The computer readable medium of claim 33, wherein the structured input element comprises a drop down list.

58. The computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein the method further comprises displaying a label with the form field to guide the user in providing input.

59. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein (A) comprises applying automatic speech recognition to a first portion of the audio signal to produce a structured document representing contents of the first portion of the audio signal, during generation of a second portion of the audio signal.