Soodia reduces radiology wait times by operating during off-hours. Previously, patients needing interpreters were often sent home if none were available. Now, with Care to Translate, Soodia can immediately communicate with non-Swedish-speaking patients, improving efficiency, safety, and patient satisfaction.
Soodia, which stands for Sooner Diagnostics, is a healthcare company aiming to reduce the waiting time for diagnostic radiology examinations in Sweden. Their business idea is to offer examinations when the equipment is often not used by other healthcare providers, e.g. during evenings and weekends.
Soodia describes themselves as a “queue shortening company” that aims to cut waiting time in the most qualitative and cost-effective way possible. The company was started in 2018 by radiology nurse and CEO, Christian Lind, together with his partner, Sofia Rannberg, also a radiology nurse. Today, they work in approximately 14 hospitals and performed 27,000 radiology examinations last year. So far this year (September 2022), they have performed 31,000 examinations.
For Soodia, communication is vital and it is important for them that the patient understands the safety measures, and what treatment they will receive.
Previously, when a patient was referred to Soodia from health centers or other clinics, it was not always clear whether the patient spoke the language, or had brought a relative or interpreter to their previous visit. If Soodia received this information beforehand, the region could provide them with an on-site interpreter.
Problems arose when a patient came for the appointment, did not speak or understand the language and no interpreter had been booked. To solve this, the staff started trying to get telephone interpreters, but it was difficult with such short notice. Using tools like Google Translate was not an option as there was too high of a risk for mistranslations. These situations became especially problematic in regions with long queues and with a very limited time for each patient.
"It is not only important for the patient to get their examination, but also for the entire region and other patients. If you miss a booked appointment, that time cannot be used to examine someone else." says founder and CEO Christian Lind.
Christian Lind is a person who loves innovative solutions and when he heard about the app on social media, he realized that Care to Translate had found a new way to solve an existing problem. Just like his own company Soodia.
What made Soodia choose Care to Translate was the quality of the app content. Not only was it specifically adapted to healthcare, but also ready to be used in radiology. The large phrase library gave them the opportunity to choose which department or in which context they wanted to use it. Christian even used it in a private situation helping a cyclist who had been involved in an accident. He could use the emergency section in the app to ask how the person is doing, where it hurts, etc.
All phrases in the app are also validated by healthcare professionals, so the translation is guaranteed to be accurate.
"The phrases and terms are actually used in healthcare, not only arbitrary translations," says Christian.
Something that he mentions as particularly beneficial is the possibility to create their own playlists with phrases that they use within their business. This enables them to communicate around security procedures that are unique for Soodia.
Soodia staff mainly use the app for non-Swedish-speaking people who have had an examination with them before and are back for a return visit. In theory, they can carry on, but in practice, they cannot ensure that the patient has not had an operation in between examinations. If that is the case, they should not carry out a radiology examination.
Care to Translate is mainly used for asking these important control questions before the examination, but also for communicating after the examination. For example, to inform patients that the examination is complete and when the patient will receive the results. In some cases, the app is also used during examinations to communicate that the patient must lie still, breathe in, hold their breath, etc.
"I want to highlight the importance of a patient actually being allowed to do an examination, which they otherwise would not have been allowed to do. If the app can enable a single patient to have their examination, that's reason enough to use the app.” Christian Lind
According to Christian, the app is signalling to the patient that they have taken a few extra steps to communicate with them. They now have a tool to use if a patient comes in urgently or they did not know that a patient needed an interpreter. They can introduce themselves, their business, what they will do and how the examination will be conducted. It makes the patients feel seen and heard and makes them feel better before starting the examination.
They are also very grateful. They understand that they wouldn't have been able to do the examination if it hadn't been for the app.
“Many people are so grateful that they want to come up and give me a hug, even though we haven’t been allowed to hug during the pandemic”.
It also makes the job easier for employees as they don't have to spend time and energy trying to find translators. "My employees think that the app is great!" says Christian.
For Christian, it is a given to use the Care to Translate app. It improves efficiency and reduces costs while increasing patient safety and patient satisfaction.
" For me, it's a no-brainer," says Christian, referring to the fact that more healthcare organizations should implement this solution.
We are delighted to have Christian with Soodia as a client and to help improve communication with their patients. Thank you Christian and Soodia for the trust, we look forward to a great collaboration in the future! Together we can break down language barriers in healthcare - one translation at a time.
Watch this webinar with Christian Lind to hear more about how they work with translations before, during and after radiology examinations.
Get in touch to explore how you can trial our medical translator in your radiology department. Request a demo here.
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