Translation for telemedicine

It’s been 50 years since the term “telemedicine” first appeared in the media, but only in the last couple of years has it truly entered the public consciousness.

Without a doubt, the pandemic has shone a light on the incredible potential of new forms of patient contact that have enabled doctors to continue providing medical care while at the same time adhering to safety measures such as social distancing.

On the other hand, there’s no denying that this technological revolution is hindered by the culture of the healthcare sector, not to mention a lack of expertise among operators and patients themselves when it comes to innovations like this.

The digital transformation is at the heart of the telemedicine revolution. Da Vinci Therapeutics CEO Giuseppe Recchia has said that we should actually be taking about “digital medicine” because “the real opportunity lies in data generation, not overcoming distances”.

This new frontier of medicine has led to the development of increasingly sophisticated medical equipment and devices that produce data for gleaning valuable information and providing personalized treatment based on real patient needs. Yet this digital revolution is inevitably bringing new challenges too.

The challenges posed by telemedicine

There are many different applications for telemedicine nowadays.

The vast range of innovations includes the booths designed by Health 4 Development (H4D), which enable patients to connect with doctors remotely, and Dassault Systèmes’ virtual twin, which makes it possible to simulate an operation and thus predict the result.

However, this digital revolution requires us to find solutions to a wide range of challenges if these new technological devices are to be commonly used.

For Fulvia Filippini at Club Santé, the main issue is a legislative one, as there are no clear rules on the secure, integrated use of the data gathered using the new devices.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Michele Girodani, the CEO of Medicora: “It’s still very hard to share the data and information generated by the new medical devices.” And this in turn has a knock-on effect on ties between different public and private facilities, many of which still have serious shortcomings.

Another issue that requires urgent corrective action is the lack of adequate training, as underlined by Béatrice Alary who is in charge of development in Italy for H4D.

It was as a result of the pandemic that many doctors found themselves holding their very first remote appointments.

It’s no easy feat to identify a pathology or explain how to use a medical device without any physical contact with the patient.

As such, many companies in the medical industry have developed new expertise and research programmes to provide more training resources and materials for promoting best practices in remote appointments – not least because these seem destined to become more and more popular in the future.

Training is a fundamental requirement for healthcare operators and the general public when it comes to promoting telemedicine.

But what has all this got to do with translation?

The key role played by translation

Many of the companies operating in the telemedicine space are based in France, but operate in other markets – Italy included.

Often, as in the case of H4D, these companies have far greater experience and boast far more diversified skills than Italian companies when it comes to implementing telemedicine solutions, developing new equipment and devising innovative new working methods.

There are countless foreign companies capable of bringing added value and specialist expertise to the Italian medical sector – and this is exactly where translation comes in.

Telemedicine involves the use of very advanced medical devices, so healthcare operators need to be able to consult information and training resources in their native language.

This is where professional, medical translation services come into their own. It’s the only way to guarantee that valuable documentation such as a training manual on remote appointments is translated quickly and accurately, to ensure that none of this vital information is lost in translation for either patient or doctor.

Way2Global already works with some of the leading names in the medical, healthcare, big pharma and medical device sectors, meaning you can rest assured that you will receive service of the highest quality and professionalism.

Our team of specialist, native-speaker translators strive to stay current with all the latest developments and evolutions in the sector, drawing on the most sophisticated technology available in the language industry to deliver an accurate, rapid service whose quality is unrivalled anywhere else in the sector. Meanwhile, our project managers are on hand to monitor the process from start to finish, ensuring the quickest possible service for all our clients.

Need a translation for the medical sector? Contact us!