Abstract
Innovative strategies that preserve nursing time for direct patient care activities are needed. This study examined the utility, feasibility, and acceptability of voice recognition (VR) software to document nursing care and patient outcomes in an electronic health record in a simulated nursing care environment. A phase 1 trial included 5 iterative experiments with observations and nurse participant feedback to allow enhancements to the speech detection capabilities and refinement of the technology, software, and processes. Utility ratings improved over time; however, interference on nursing care remained a concern throughout. Nurse participants favored keyboard entry electronic health record, largely due to software and technical issues, but also relative to the culture shift the new technology brings to nursing practice. Successful adoption of VR technology by nursing will be dependent on receptiveness of the nurses and perceived benefits, timely access to education and training, and minimization of barriers to using the software.