[Usability of an app to overcome language barriers in paramedic care].

Background

Communication with foreign-speaking patients in emergency medical situations can be challenging. In contrast to the inpatient setting, adequate interpreters are often not readily available in emergency services. At the same time, however, emergency situations require rapid assessment as the basis for any treatment.

Materials and methods

A smartphone app that enables basic communication in 18 languages using 600 different phrases was piloted over a period of 6 months in four emergency medical service stations. Finally, the usability of the app was evaluated by the whole rescue service staff in a questionnaire study using the System Usability Score and the AttrakDiff questionnaire.

Results

The response rate was 48.5% and

Discussion

Given that the app studied is a complex work tool, its usability and attractiveness were rated as overall good, and paramedics who had already used the app rated it even more positively. This could indicate a hesitancy by some paramedics to use a complex digital tool in complex situations that are already characterized by language and cultural barriers.

Informations de copyright

© The Author(s) 2021.