If Doctora's transcriptions are missing words, mangling clinical terms, or producing garbled output, the issue is almost always related to audio quality or microphone setup. Work through the steps below to diagnose and fix the problem.
1. Check Your Microphone
Make sure your microphone is actually working and that Chrome is using the right one.
- Open chrome://settings/content/microphone in your browser.
- Confirm that the correct microphone is selected (not a virtual device or unused input).
- Use an online mic test or Chrome's built-in test to verify that audio is being captured.
If you recently plugged in a new microphone or headset, Chrome may not have switched to it automatically. Select it manually and reload the Doctora extension.
2. Check Microphone Permissions
Both Chrome and the Doctora extension need microphone access.
- In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Site Settings > Microphone and make sure microphone access is allowed.
- Click the Doctora extension icon and verify that it has microphone permission. If it was previously denied, you may need to remove and re-grant the permission.
Without proper permissions, the extension may record silence or fail to capture audio entirely.
3. Reduce Background Noise
Background noise is the most common cause of poor transcription accuracy. The transcription engine is optimized for speech, but it struggles when competing with:
- Equipment fans, air conditioning, and ventilation systems
- Conversations in adjacent rooms or hallways
- Music, televisions, or overhead paging systems
- Keyboard typing and mouse clicks near the microphone
Close the exam room door during recordings. If your environment is consistently noisy, consider a directional microphone that focuses on your voice and rejects off-axis sound.
4. Microphone Positioning
Where your microphone sits matters more than you might expect.
- Too far away (more than 2--3 feet): Your voice will be quiet relative to room noise, and the transcription engine will miss words.
- Too close (within a few inches): You may get distortion, plosive pops, or clipping that degrades accuracy.
- Sweet spot: Position a desktop USB microphone roughly 12--18 inches from your mouth, angled slightly off-axis to reduce plosives.
If you use a lapel mic or headset, keep the microphone element a consistent distance from your mouth throughout the exam.
5. Speak Clearly
The transcription engine handles natural conversational speech well, but a few habits help:
- Enunciate clinical terms clearly, especially drug names, anatomical structures, and abbreviations.
- Avoid speaking into equipment or away from the microphone when dictating findings.
- Pause briefly between distinct sections of the exam (history, findings, assessment) so the AI can segment the content accurately.
You do not need to speak slowly or use a robotic tone. Normal clinical conversation works well as long as the audio is clean.
6. Multiple Speakers
Doctora uses speaker diarization to distinguish between doctor and patient speech. For best results:
- Keep the microphone in a consistent position throughout the encounter. Moving it mid-exam confuses the diarization model.
- If multiple staff members speak during the encounter, be aware that the AI may occasionally misattribute a line of dialogue.
- A single desktop microphone that picks up both speakers works better than passing a mic back and forth.
7. Accents and Dialects
The transcription engine handles a wide range of accents and dialects well. However, highly specialized or uncommon medical terminology may occasionally be misrecognized. If you notice consistent errors on specific terms you use frequently, let us know--we can look into whether custom vocabulary adjustments would help.
Still Having Issues?
If accuracy remains low after working through these steps, contact support at support@doctora.io with the following details:
- What microphone you are using (make and model, or built-in)
- A description of your audio environment (room size, noise sources)
- Whether the issue affects all encounters or only certain situations
- Any specific terms or phrases that are consistently wrong
This information helps us diagnose whether the issue is environmental, hardware-related, or something on our end.