Does eClinicalWorks have built-in dictation?

eClinicalWorks does not describe a dictation engine of its own, so you should plan on a third-party product for dictation. Its speech recognition page says that its Scribe tool works with voice-recognition software for dictation ¹. The built-in option it does name is ambient listening through Sunoh, which eClinicalWorks says is fully integrated within its record ². Sunoh turns the conversation into a draft note, so it is a scribe, not a dictation tool. Confirm the dictation product and its integration on your own version before you buy.

The built-in part is ambient listening, not dictation

Dictation means you speak the note and the software writes it. An ambient scribe listens to the whole visit and drafts the note afterward, and the clinician reviews and signs it. eClinicalWorks sells both approaches. Its speech recognition page presents Scribe as a tool for generating progress notes, and it describes Sunoh's ambient listening as an AI-powered way to turn a doctor and patient conversation into documentation. For what these tools do and where their limits lie, see the guide to AI medical scribes and the medical scribe entry.

If you want to dictate a progress note after the visit, the page points you to dictation software alongside Scribe. Scribe is then the note tool that works alongside that dictation product. The page does not name the dictation product it supports, so the choice is yours to check.

The Dragon route is the one with a history

Dragon from Nuance is the dictation product that eClinicalWorks has promoted since at least 2015. A February 2015 Dragon sheet for eClinicalWorks users listed as a key benefit the ability to dictate anywhere in eClinicalWorks ³. That sheet described Dragon Medical Practice Edition, which Philips says reached end of life on December 31, 2021, after which it no longer received updates and was not compatible with new operating systems ⁴. A practice still on that edition is running software that no longer gets fixes, so the 2015 sheet describes history, not a product you can buy today.

The current Dragon line is different. Microsoft's 2025 announcement says Dragon Copilot combines and extends Dragon Medical One and DAX Copilot ⁵. Our search turned up a secondary blog that says eClinicalWorks and another EHR vendor certified their platforms with Dragon Medical One. We did not verify that claim against an eClinicalWorks or Microsoft source, so ask both vendors to confirm any certification in writing. The Dragon Medical One glossary entry explains the product.

It depends on how you write notes

• You dictate after each visit. You need a dictation product that the vendor confirms works with your eClinicalWorks version, and a test in which you dictate into real progress notes.
• You want the visit captured automatically. Sunoh is the built-in option the page names. Check its consent steps and its clinical safety documentation, and read the draft before signing.
• You use a mobile device. Ask the dictation vendor whether its mobile app writes into the eClinicalWorks progress note, because a desktop integration does not always carry over.
• You work with another record system. The integration questions change with the system. The Epic question covers how dictation reaches that record.

What to check before you buy

1. Your version. Get the dictation vendor to show insertion into the progress note field on your exact eClinicalWorks version.
2. Support status. Ask whether the product is still supported, and when its last update came out. A retired edition is a risk to the whole practice.
3. Audio handling. Ask whether audio is processed on the device or in the cloud, where it is stored, and for how long.
4. Corrections. Test with a week of real notes, and count how many words you change in each one.
5. Cost. Ask whether Scribe, Sunoh and the dictation licence are separate charges, and whether integration work is included.

For the general case, the dictation software overview links to every guide on this topic. The wider specialist picture, including the systems used in UK general practice, is in the specialist dictation guide, and the NHS and GP question covers the UK systems in more depth. The custom vocabulary entry explains how to add terms that a general engine will miss.