NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/misc/emergse/4640

Text File | 1992-11-17 | 1.7 KB | 35 lines

Organization: Masters student, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Path: sparky!uunet!walter!att-out!pacbell.com!ames!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!news.sei.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!jr51+
Newsgroups: misc.emerg-services
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 11:10:01 -0500
From: Julie A Reyer <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Foreign language trans.
In-Reply-To: <[e-mail]>
References: <[e-mail]>
Lines: 23

An electronic translator sounds neat, BUT....

I'm not sure how well it would work.  EMS patients have usually
undergone some sort of traumatic incident - why else would we be there.
Anyway, patients aren't always very clear thinking.  By hearing someone
(thing) speak their own language, a patient will probably answer in
their own language.  I don't think it would be a good idea to have a
patient try to type in a response.  Even asking simple yes or no
questions will get us in trouble with a spinal injury.  Currently, when
faced with a foreign patient with no translators around, most EMS people
I've seen treat it in the following manor.  Talk to the patient in a
soothing, calming voice.  Even though the person can't understand what
you're saying, the tone of your voice comes through.  As far as being
injured and location of that pain, a survey of the person and their
facial expressions and exclamations is a good guide.  I admit asking
about allergies and medications presents a problem.  Personally, I am in
favor of medic alert bracelets to help solve this problem.

Just my $.02 worth.

Later,

JR