Case Study: Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Foundation Trust achieves zero dictation backlog and 40% productivity gain with BigHand

Princess Alexandra Hospital increases efficiency & reduces overtime costs by eliminating the document back-log to zero with BigHand Voice Productivity Software

Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (PAH), a major tertiary hospital in Queensland and part of the Metro South Health Service District, faced an urgent documentation challenge: outdated tape and mixed dictation methods produced poor-quality recordings, a seven‑day transcription backlog and inefficient, geographically separated admin workflows. To address this, PAH selected BigHand and its BigHand Voice Productivity Software (BigHand for Healthcare) to modernise dictation across its Oncology departments.

BigHand implemented a centralised digital dictation, speech recognition and workflow solution (initially rolled out to 54 authors and 18 support staff), enabling shared work between sites and smartphone/telephony dictation options. Within four months BigHand reduced the Oncology dictation backlog from seven days to zero (the original goal was two days), increased secretaries’ output from 10,000 to 14,000 words per week (a 40% productivity gain), and cut overtime costs—savings that were reinvested into clinical care.

Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Will Wentholt

Project Manager