Usage of Multilingual Mobile Translation Applications in Clinical Settings

Abstract

BackgroundCommunication between patients and medical staff can be challenging if both parties have different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Specialized applications can potentially alleviate these problems and significantly contribute to an effective, improved care process when foreign language patients are involved.ObjectiveThe objective for this paper was to discuss the experiences gained from a study carried out at the Hannover Medical School regarding the use of a mobile translation application in hospital wards. The conditions for successfully integrating these technologies in the care process are discussed.MethodsiPads with a preinstalled copy of an exemplary multilingual assistance tool (“xprompt”) designed for use in medical care were deployed on 10 wards. Over a period of 6 weeks, approximately 160 employees of the care staff had the opportunity to gather experiences with the devices while putting them to use during their work. Afterwards, the participants were asked to fill out an anonymous, paper-based questionnaire (17 questions) covering the usability of the iPads, translation apps in general, and the exemplary chosen application specifically. For questions requiring a rating, Likert scales were employed. The retained data were entered into an electronic survey system and exported to Microsoft Excel 2007 for further descriptive analysis.ResultsOf 160 possible participants, 42 returned the questionnaire and 39 completed the questions concerning the chosen app. The demographic data acquired via the questionnaire (ie, age, professional experience, gender) corresponded to the values for the entire care staff at the Hannover Medical School. Most respondents (35/39, 90%) had no previous experience with an iPad. On a 7-point scale, the participants generally rated mobile translation tools as helpful for communicating with foreign language patients (36/39, 92%; median=5, IQR=2). They were less enthusiastic about xprompt’s practical use (36/39, median=4, IQR=2.5), although the app was perceived as easy-to-use (36/39, median=6, IQR=3) and there were no obvious problems with the usability of the device (36/39, median=6, IQR=2).ConclusionsThe discrepancy between the expert ratings for xprompt (collected from the App Store and online) and the opinions of the study’s participants can probably be explained by the differing approaches of the two user groups. The experts had clear expectations, whereas, without a more thorough introduction, our study participants perceived using the app as too time consuming in relation to the expected benefit. The introduction of such tools in today’s busy care settings should therefore be more carefully planned to heighten acceptance of new tools. Still, the low return rate of the questionnaires only allows for speculations on the data, and further research is necessary.Trial RegistrationThis study was approved by the local institutional review board (IRB), Trial ID number: 1145-2011.

Standardized, App-Based Disinfection of iPads in a Clinical and Nonclinical Setting: Comparative Analysis

“…They covered nonsurgical as well as surgical specialties. For the clinical setting, the disinfection study was an add-on to a larger trial dealing with various aspects [17] of using iPads on the wards of the Hannover Medical School. Altogether, approximately 160 staff members on the wards had the opportunity to use the devices.…”

“…It was not possible to determine how many different individuals had used the iPads. As mentioned in [17], the return rate for questionnaires dealing with the overall project was approximately 26% (42/160); this can be assumed as the minimum of actual individual users. Regarding age and gender, the demographics of the participants who had returned the questionnaire paralleled the values for the nursing staff at the Hannover Medical School, where, at the end of 2012, 83% out of the total 2596 employees of the nursing staff were female (data obtained from the human resources department).…”

“…We would also like to thank Dr. Marianne Behrends (PLRI) as well as Regina Schmeer, MSc (Nursing Department) for giving us the chance to evaluate the iPads that were deployed as mentioned in [17] with respect to hygiene. The study was financed solely based on institutional funds of the Hannover Medical School.…”

Language Translation Apps in Health Care Settings: Expert Opinion (Preprint)

“…order of words and grammar) and the ability to recognise different accents and dialects (when using free voice input). Previous studies have identified poorer accuracy for the translation of non-Western languages in Google Translate [14][15][16]. However, further research involving experts, health professionals and consumers is required to evaluate the translation accuracy and cultural suitability of other applications and in other contexts.…”

“…Albrecht et al [16] conducted a 6-week trial of a German translation application called "xpromptmultilingual assistance", designed for use in health care settings. The application allowed for pre-set health phrases to be translated and was used for basic conversations.…”