In this interview, Sebastian Menne, deputy head of the elderly care department at Caritas Stuttgart, and René Stolz-Hoppmann, facility manager at Haus St. Barbara, talk about their experiences with the introduction of voize's voice-assisted documentation system.

Mr. Menne, Mr. Stolz Hoppmann, how important is documentation in care work?

René Stolz-Hoppmann: The documentation of our care work is a very important part of good care. Recording information on care services, medication, input and output quantities, vital signs and much more ensures that carers, medical staff and relatives have a good overview of the patient's health and care status at all times.
Nevertheless, the bureaucratic processes associated with care documentation are often still paper-based and correspondingly time-consuming to implement.

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If a caregiver suddenly remembers a piece of information on the sofa in the evening after work that has not been documented, this causes additional stress.

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What were the documentation processes like in the past?

René Stolz-Hoppmann: The previous procedure was as follows: after caring for the patient, the nursing staff had to return to the duty room to complete the documentation at an inpatient workstation. In between, special features and changes were also recorded on slips of paper.
There was a risk that important information would not be included in the documentation, for example because it was forgotten in the sometimes hectic daily routine. If a caregiver suddenly remembers information that has not been documented while sitting on the sofa in the evening after work, this causes additional stress.

How did you come up with the idea of introducing voice-supported care documentation?

Sebastian Menne: Some time ago, we were asked by the startup "voize" whether it would be possible to gain an insight into everyday care in our facilities as part of an internship, with the aim of aligning their digital solution with the needs of practice in the best possible way. This approach set us apart from providers of other innovations for the care sector. We were then happy to support the further development as a reference facility and provide our practical knowledge.

How did the process of introducing voice-supported care documentation work?

Sebastian Menne: The introduction of the "voize" voice assistant coincided with an institution-wide changeover of the care documentation software to the Connext Vivendi system. The introduction of new software always means an organizational and training effort. In this context, it was important for us to exploit synergies from the outset and to combine the introduction of both systems.
We also made sure that the two systems were compatible with each other. The data that is documented using the voice assistant is automatically sent to Vivendi via an interface and assigned. This means that daily documentation can only be carried out via the smartphone, i.e. via the app.

What challenges did you encounter or should you be aware of during the introduction?

Sebastian Menne: As already mentioned, there are a few aspects to consider when introducing such a solution. Firstly, an investment must be made in hardware and software. There should also be a certain level of network coverage (WLAN), at least in the ward rooms.
Once these requirements have been met, employees must be trained and "taken on board" early on during the new introduction. voize offers its own training materials such as videos and a test mode in the software, which facilitates the introduction and explanation of operation for employees.
The introduction of voice-supported care documentation naturally also changes organizational processes. This means, for example, that the quality management manual must be adapted accordingly with regard to the changed processes.
Last but not least, relatives must of course also be involved and it must be ensured that the digitization of care documentation is not accompanied by a loss of transparency.

What does the use of the voice assistant look like in practice?

René Stolz-Hoppmann: To use the voice assistant, we use newly purchased smartphones on which the voize app has been installed. A cord is attached to the smartphones. The care staff can then either hang it around their neck or stow it in their coat.
This solution means that documentation can now take place directly at the point of care with the residents. Handwritten notes are therefore no longer necessary.
Voice input is intuitive via a single button with a microphone symbol. Reports or values can then be spoken in. The artificial intelligence (AI) converts the speech into text and can assign the information directly to the resident and also recognize whether it is a care report, blood pressure value or drinking quantity. If an entry is incorrect, the system can be given direct feedback via another button. The AI is constantly learning and the more often a carer uses voize, the better the voice and content are recognized.

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We carried out internal measurements and were able to show that at least 30 minutes per shift could be saved per nurse in terms of documentation work.

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Can you already draw a first conclusion from the pilot operation?

René Stolz-Hoppmann: We carried out internal measurements and were able to show that at least 30 minutes per shift per carer could be saved in terms of documentation work, for example because the carers no longer had to leave the living area as often or the follow-up of the service took less time.
In addition, we quickly noticed an improvement in care documentation, firstly in terms of quantity - more is now documented, but quality has also improved. Our staff, for whom German is not their first language, sometimes struggled here and were inhibited. The language assistant is a great help here. Especially as the language is often spoken better than written expression and spelling. The AI also understands accents and dialects over time and converts them into standard German.
In my opinion, the fact that the AI still has the odd stylistic bloom at the beginning is negligible, as you can see how the system is constantly evolving.
Younger employees and trainees in particular tell us that they find it an attractive, modern workplace where you can keep up with the times. But our older employees also enjoy working with the voice-supported care documentation.

What next steps are you planning for the future?

Sebastian Menne: " The experience we have gained so far in the pilot operation has encouraged us to continue along this path. In the near future, Vivendi and voize will be introduced in all five inpatient care facilities of Caritas Stuttgart with a total of over 530 care places. We are also examining whether and how other areas, such as wound documentation, can be digitized or documented with voice support.

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The interview was conducted by Kirsten Heiland and Jesse Berr from the Baden-Württemberg State Competence Centre for Care & Digitalization as part of the 5th PflegeDigital@BW symposium.

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