Calm and reassure patients in their own language. Communicate with relatives and gather informed consent. This is how our app can help healthcare professionals working in anesthesiology, post-op and intensive care overcome language barriers.
2024-10-21
Blog
Going to the emergency room or waking up in the ICU can be an overwhelming experience. And language barriers can add an extra layer of uncertainty to an already scary situation. Care to Translate is designed to address these issues, providing a vital tool for healthcare professionals to calm and reassure patients in their own language, thereby enhancing patient care and safety.
Language barriers can lead to misunderstandings, increased anxiety, and even compromised patient safety when critical information is not accurately conveyed. Care to Translate was developed to bridge these communication gaps. Our app facilitates clear, concise, and empathetic communication between healthcare providers and patients across different languages.
Here’s how it can be used in anesthesiology, post-op and intensive care.
In the high-pressure environment of an emergency room, every second counts. Our app allows healthcare providers to quickly register patients, ask for identification, and give essential instructions, such as where to wait or go next. This ensures that even in moments of chaos, communication remains effective and patient flow is maintained.
“It’s very useful in triage and good for situations when we need quick answers. We have a 10 minute limit for these sessions so it’s very quick.”
Intensive care nurse at the Ullevål ER in Oslo, Norway
Patients in the ICU often have limited means of communication due to sedation or intubation. Using our app, healthcare providers can ask yes/no questions, provide explanations about ongoing procedures, and offer reassurance. This is crucial, as continuous communication helps patients feel less isolated and more informed, even when they cannot respond verbally.
“The app worked very well to wake up a patient who had been sedated. It seemed like we could calm him.”
The ICU at an emergency hospital in Stockholm, Sweden
Safe surgery requires accurate collecting of information. Make sure all patients can give their informed consent to procedures. Ask important yes/no questions before and after surgery. Use standardized checklists and make sure all patients get the same information, no matter what language they speak. Ask about pain and gather important medical history. Give postoperative care, provide instructions and explain medication.
"It gives a sense of control to the patients, in the few minutes they are awake with us, that we notice can make a big difference."
Nurse anesthetists at Oslo University Hospital, Norway
From the moment a patient is admitted to the hospital, our app can assist in gathering important medical history, explaining upcoming procedures, and providing postoperative care instructions. For example, it can help patients understand how to position themselves for examinations or explain how medications will be administered. This continuous communication helps reduce anxiety and ensures that patients are well-informed throughout their hospital stay.
“Now we have the possibility to communicate in situations where we did not have any help in communicating due to language barriers before.”
Assistant nurse at post-op at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden
Relatives often play a crucial role in patient care, especially when patients cannot advocate for themselves. Our app allows healthcare providers to communicate effectively with relatives, keeping them informed about the patient’s condition, the progress of procedures, and any necessary instructions for care. This not only reassures the family but also ensures they are equipped to support the patient’s recovery.
Effective communication in critical care goes beyond basic instructions. It involves addressing patients’ emotional needs, especially in high-stress environments like the ICU. Our app helps in calming patients by providing clear and empathetic communication in their native language, which is especially important when they are affected by medications or other factors that may impair their cognitive functions.
We can’t really know how much a patient can perceive when being sedated. That’s why continuing to communicate about what is going on around them is so important. With the app you can explain what is happening and reassure the patient, even if they are unable to respond.
Language should never be a barrier to receiving high-quality health care. Our app empowers healthcare professionals to provide better, safer, and more compassionate care by overcoming language barriers.
Whether in anesthesiology, post-op, or intensive care, our app ensures that every patient can understand and be understood, enhancing both the efficiency of medical procedures and the overall patient experience.
For more information on how Care to Translate can support your healthcare unit, book a tailored demo here.
An for more information on how the app can be used in other medical fields, learn more from our case studies.
