There is a free medical translation iOS app named MediBabble that potentially can avoid the use of third-party translators.
“Also in a multicultural area, patients speaking these languages could be assured they would receive high-quality medical care,” which could generate new patients for a healthcare facility, says Scott Lorenz, president of Westwind Communications, a medical marketing firm in Plymouth, MI. Lorenz does not represent the company behind MediBabble.
“The patient can hear the translation of the healthcare provider’s question and see it on the app at the same time,” he says. The patient can respond “yes” or “no” to the questions. “The pre-recorded questions cover practically everything a doctor could ask a patient, including general medical questions, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, neurologic, and many more,” Lorenz says. “The questions include family history, medicines a patient might be taking, and dozens more.”
The languages covered by the app from the provider include English, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese-Mandarin. The patient’s languages include those languages as well as French, German, Haitian Creole, and Chinese-Cantonese. (To read more, go to http://medibabble.com. To read about other helpful apps, see these stories in Same-Day Surgery: “Three apps that could help improve patient safety,” July 2015; “FDA launches drug shortages mobile app,” June 2015; and “Nurses text, send images from the OR with new app,” April 2015. Do you have a favorite app? Contact Joy Dickinson, Executive Editor, at [email protected].)
