What do I have? Initiative translates incomprehensible findings

Online platform: Students translate incomprehensible physician findings
About every fourth German does not understand his doctor. This resulted in a study from the year before last. The problem has been around for a long time, but according to experts it is not tackled consistently enough. A Dresden initiative has been doing something about it for five years now. On an online platform, patients can "translate" free incomprehensible physician findings.
Many patients do not understand their doctor
Years ago, Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe demanded that physicians should be better trained in dealing with patients. At the time, he said it was also a matter of respect that patients "explain their illness and how they should be treated". But the problem persists: far too often doctors express themselves to their patients not understandable enough. For example, one or the other concerned will panic when he hears from the physician that he has been diagnosed with arterial hypertension. For doctors, the expression is self-evident, but patients often do not know that this is not a rare disease, but elevated blood pressure. In a message from the news agency dpa is reported on a Dresdner initiative that helps patients to understand what the doctor actually wanted to tell them.

Volunteers translate incomprehensible diagnoses
"When it comes to medical findings, it quickly happens that patients only understand the filler words from the entire text," said the Dresden medical student Elisabeth Vinis to the news agency. The young woman is one of 167 volunteer translators of the Dresdner online platform "What do I have?". Patients who submit their findings there anonymously usually find out within a week what medical word truths actually are. The service of "What do I have?" Are free. The portal financed by donations and cooperations is unique in Germany. Three permanent employees and the three founders are paid. It was founded five years ago by the Dresden medical students Anja and Johannes Bittner and the computer scientist Ansgar Jonietz. In the meantime, the students have turned physicians and the idea into a social enterprise with over 40,000 monthly online visitors. On the occasion of the fifth birthday in January, the founders have many visions for the platform. "But of course it would be best if it did not have to give us more," according to Jonietz dpa. The interpreters are very busy. Since 2011, the platform has been accessed 860,000 times by patients.

Even students benefit from their help
Most of the volunteer translators are prospective doctors. The activity is also of great benefit to them. With each translated finding, the medical students from 41 faculties throughout Germany learn. "That's the sustainable component," said Jonietz. The Sächsische Landesärztekammer praised "What have I got?". "The project has positive effects for both sides," said a spokesman. It is a good supplement to medical education and school medical students in communicating with patients. The students, who have to be at least in the eighth semester, are supported by numerous medical specialists. According to the statements, they are only allowed to translate with the blessing of their supervisor and at the earliest from the fifth translated report. Elisabeth Vinis has reached this status and has been there for around six months. She had come to the portal via a course of the Dresden University of Technology. Since 2014, Medical-German is offered there for students. "The desire to help people is still there for us medical students," says Vinis.

Findings are not interpreted
The Dresden student finds it particularly convenient that volunteering is so flexible. From a translated three-sided findings at night could also quickly be ten pages. "That can take four to six hours," explained Vinis. She takes her information, but sometimes also extra time. "My last finding was from a young woman with breast cancer diagnosis. Of course, I pay particular attention to how I express something. "Through the platform, patients also have the opportunity to give their translators feedback. "In the case of the young woman, I did not expect that," Vinis explained. Therefore, she was the touched thanks - including a declaration of war on cancer - the more agitated. However, it is said that the feedback feature also causes problems. "Patients take confidence and then want to be judged," says Jonietz. However, the portal can not and does not want to interpret the findings.

Perfected communication between doctor and patient
Around 150 anonymous findings translate the volunteers weekly. So far, there are more than 25,500. Although this is a great success, but only a drop in the bucket, said Jonietz. Therefore, the team is currently working on a new model. As part of the pilot project "Patient Letter", "What did I do?" Aims to quickly and partially automatically translate all discharge letters from clinics into individual languages ​​using individualized text modules. Two more doctors will be hired after the birthday party in January. Eventually, Jonietz's vision of a perfected communication between the doctor and the patient could eventually materialize. According to his own statements, he would be happy if the platform eventually becomes superfluous - for a good cause. (Ad)