Studies have shown that non-English speaking patients are often diagnosed with more advanced disease, have difficulty taking medications as prescribed, and spend more time in the hospital. Bridging the language gap is essential to ensure physicians and nurse practitioners can deliver the care patients need to succeed in the healthcare system. 
NiteFloat Inc.’s MediBabble app has made bridging that gap a little bit easier for medical providers. The free application is available for iPhone and iPad devices and comes preloaded with thousands of questions and instructions translated into English and Spanish. Users can download additional languages for free including Chinese – Cantonese, Chinese – Mandarin, French, German, Haitian Creole, and Russian. The app organizes the questions and instructions into categories that follow the typical provider-patient line of questioning, beginning with introductions before moving on to chief complaint and physical exam. The sections that deal with medical history and symptoms are further subdivided by body system. For example, if the patient is complaining about shortness of breath, the provider can choose questions from the “Pulmonary” section. There is also a search function if users cannot find the question they are looking for. Almost all the questions in the MediBabble app can be answered with a “yes”, “no”, or other non-verbal cues. In fact, one of the instructions in the Introductions & Explanations section asks the patient to “Please provide simple ‘yes or no’ answers to questions, nod your head, or indicate numbers with your fingers.” Furthermore, one of the questions in the “Chief Complaint” section asks the patient to point to which section of the body he or she is having a problem. The provider can then choose the line of questioning based on which specialty relates to that portion of the body. One neat feature of the MediBabble app is that it includes the text of each phrase as well so patients who may be hard of hearing can read along. It also includes a “Recently Played” section which makes it easy for providers to review the questions that were asked during the encounter. The MediBabble app is no substitute for a trained medical interpreter, but it certainly seems like providers will find it helpful in situations where one is not available.
NiteFloat Inc.’s MediBabble app has made bridging that gap a little bit easier for medical providers. The free application is available for iPhone and iPad devices and comes preloaded with thousands of questions and instructions translated into English and Spanish. Users can download additional languages for free including Chinese – Cantonese, Chinese – Mandarin, French, German, Haitian Creole, and Russian. The app organizes the questions and instructions into categories that follow the typical provider-patient line of questioning, beginning with introductions before moving on to chief complaint and physical exam. The sections that deal with medical history and symptoms are further subdivided by body system. For example, if the patient is complaining about shortness of breath, the provider can choose questions from the “Pulmonary” section. There is also a search function if users cannot find the question they are looking for. Almost all the questions in the MediBabble app can be answered with a “yes”, “no”, or other non-verbal cues. In fact, one of the instructions in the Introductions & Explanations section asks the patient to “Please provide simple ‘yes or no’ answers to questions, nod your head, or indicate numbers with your fingers.” Furthermore, one of the questions in the “Chief Complaint” section asks the patient to point to which section of the body he or she is having a problem. The provider can then choose the line of questioning based on which specialty relates to that portion of the body. One neat feature of the MediBabble app is that it includes the text of each phrase as well so patients who may be hard of hearing can read along. It also includes a “Recently Played” section which makes it easy for providers to review the questions that were asked during the encounter. The MediBabble app is no substitute for a trained medical interpreter, but it certainly seems like providers will find it helpful in situations where one is not available.
