Diagnosis in 80 Languages
A CANADIAN family physician has developed a system that makes it possible for a doctor to “diagnose and treat patients in 80 languages without the need for an interpreter,” says The Medical Post. The system is called MIGS (Medical Information Gathering System). It consists of a kit of 20-page manuals, a manual for each language. Each manual “describes over 200 medical symptoms,” using everyday words and expressions.
The initial step is to show the patient the same sentence in the various languages until he identifies his own. The sentence tells him to point to that language so the doctor will be able to select the appropriate language manual.
Next follows use of the manual in that language, utilizing a series of 15 questions to help determine what the patient feels is his problem. This helps identify the general nature of the illness. If the patient identifies, for example, a gastrointestinal problem, then he is directed to a section with “about 15 multiple choice questions specifically relating to the gastrointestinal system.”
The colloquial language of the system also takes into account the variations resulting from differences in education and culture. As an example, the article says that “a Canadian might describe nausea by saying ‘I’m sick to my stomach,’ while a Jamaican would likely say: ‘I got the bad feeling.’”
There are Braille versions of the system for blind persons. And Dr. Victor Kumar-Misir, the developer of the system, is now at work on a version that would address the needs of the illiterate patient requiring the services of a physician.
It would seem that MIGS would be a boon to physicians and patients in more and more large cities of the world as such cities become increasingly multicultural and multilingual. In some cases the situation with a seriously ill or injured person has been made more critical by the inability of the doctor and patient to communicate.
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The Clinical Center—NIH