More often than not, doctors and patients come from entirely different cultural backgrounds, and too often, they are unable to communicate well in each other’s language. This can pose a serious barrier to providing/receiving healthcare. Several new technologies have been developed to help overcome this issue. One of these, Universal Doctor Speaker, is a computer application with a translation services software, that allows primary care physicians to carry out a diagnostic patient interview and prescribe treatment in nine different languages, including French, Chinese, English, German, Russian, Romanian, Urdu, Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese.
An Innovative Translation Software for Patients
This multilingual software is part of a larger project, the Universal Doctor Project, which has been designed to promote intercultural understanding and facilitate communication between healthcare providers and patients from different multicultural backgrounds. Although it does not enable fluency, it does allow the healthcare provider to connect with the patient by providing some simple phrases in the patient’s native language.
In the absence of an interpreting services provider, the advantage of this type of software is that it has been developed by translators. Moreover, the translators who worked on the software have addressed specific cultural issues that might affect patient care. For example, during the month of Ramadan practicing Muslims are expected to fast. However, this fasting may also include not taking medications. The Universal Doctor Project has provided physicians with specific phrases to address this issue.
Other options currently available with the Universal Doctor Project software include methods for recording patient data for patients with diabetes in twenty different languages. In Europe, Universal Doctor is producing a video for the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella trivalent vaccine. This video, available in Spanish, English, and Romanian, brings together fourteen EU countries and Turkey in a unified effort to reduce morbidity and mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases.
In addition to Universal Doctor software, there are currently several other apps available for i-Phones and Blackberries designed for healthcare providers. In cases where communication is poor between healthcare provider and patient, and in the absence of professional interpreters, these communication tools can prove to be quite useful. Despite the fact that they provide very basic and a somewhat limited number of phrases, they help to overcome otherwise impossible linguistic and cultural barriers.
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