May 2004

UKRC 2004: Philips to show entire range of digital dictation and speech recognition technology for efficient radiology reporting

Vienna, Austria and Colchester, United Kingdom, 6 May 2004 - Philips Speech Processing will present the entire range of its digital dictation and speech recognition technology at this year's UK Radiology Congress (Stand 620), to encourage radiologists to choose digital and replace their analogue dictation devices. Creating radiology reports with digital dictation and speech recognition is, on average, 50% more efficient than using analogue devices. This leads to significantly faster report turnaround time, reduced documentation costs and improved service to patients and referring doctors.

In a live set-up, UKRC visitors can dictate radiology reports using mobile dictation devices like the Philips Digital Pocket Memo 9350. The recorded sound file is then transferred to a PC and automatically converted into written text by the speech recognition software SpeechMagic. Finally, the generated report is reviewed by a secretary before it is returned to the author for final approval. Alternatively, the author can review the report themselves directly on screen.

"Radiologists often dictate on different workstations and change locations between dictations. With mobile input devices from Philips, physicians are no longer tied to a rigid workflow, but have the freedom to do their work anytime, anywhere", says Sally Adams, Regional Manager - UK, Ireland and South Africa for Philips Dictation Systems.

Gary Williams, UK Business Area Manager, Philips Speech Recognition adds, "In today's cost-sensitive environment speech recognition has become an essential cost-saving tool for hospitals. We are proud that at UKRC the major medical IT companies are presenting reporting solutions that are powered by SpeechMagic."

Radiology applications based on SpeechMagic and using Philips dictation input devices can also be seen at the booths of the following exhibitors: AGFA, G2Speech, Kodak, Siemens Medical, Torex and WinScribe.

About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of EUR 29 billion in 2003. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 165,300 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, semiconductors, and medical systems. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

About Philips Speech Processing
Philips Speech Processing, a business unit of Royal Philips Electronics, is a pioneer and global leader in speech-to-text document creation and speech recognition, with 50 years experience in the development and marketing of speech products. Philips Speech Processing offers a broad portfolio of speech technology for dictation software and dictation hardware. With more than 6,000 installations in hospitals, medical practices and legal firms, Philips Speech Processing is the market leader in professional dictation software. More information can be found here:www.speech.philips.com.