Guide to the Medical Diagnosis Interpreter
The online tool can be accessed on a laptop, smartphone, tablet, or any device with a browser and an internet connection. Those travelling where online access might be a problem, or who want a physical guide, can use one of the many downloadable guides available.
The MDI is your free tool to help during a medical emergency.
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The help guide covers both the online and printed versions; for each section, the online steps are shown in the white areas under each heading. The printed version guides can be found within the grey areas.
You can use the navigational buttons at the top of the page to quickly access any guidance sections. All you need to do is use the up arrow to go to the top of the page, then press the corresponding button that best represents your preferred selection.
The MDI offers literal translations for over 80 languages, translating terms linking vital information that a medical professional will need to establish quickly to make a diagnosis. Depending on the method, the MDI provides various options when communicating. The online version enables you to select the country for the medical professional. Whereas the downloadable versions are available within various themes, such as regions, countries, and groupings, each guide provides the common languages linked to that given theme.
ONLINE (Language)
- Go to the language section
- Select the required country from the list
- Once you have selected the country, press next
- If you need to go home or back at any point, you can use the buttons found at the bottom of each section
- Select the country you will be visiting or the theme you require from the drop-down list
- Once selected, you will be shown all available guides that cover your desired country, language or theme
- You can see all languages covered within a particular MDI document by viewing the front page of the document or the languages column within the edition section
During an emergency, getting the help, you need quickly is critical. Depending on the type of emergency, the MDI provides translated terms for essential services, such as those seeking an ambulance, a doctor, first aid or a hospital. You only need to point or click on what you require; the picture and translated term will help whomever you ask to understand your needs.
ONLINE (Need)
- To be used when you need help in getting medical attention
- Choose what type of care you require, emergency, doctor, medical treatment or hospital
- Once you have chosen the required care, tick the checkbox
- Present your device to a native speaker; they will be able to read your needs based on the language located in the first box below the tick box
- Once your requirements have been acknowledged by the medical professional, press the next button to proceed to the next section
- To be used when you need help in getting medical attention
- Point to the type of care you require, emergency, doctor, medical treatment or hospital
When in an emergency, it is crucial to convey information relating to you as quickly as possible. Providing medical professional details such as blood types, any special assistance you may need and information about you (name, age etc.). The information you provide can help the medical professional decide on the best course of action. Information that contributes to the treatment plan and your risk profile based on your age or the general status of your health.
ONLINE (Requirements)
- To help medical professionals understand your specific needs
- Should a blood transfusion be needed to treat you, knowing your blood type can be crucial in urgent treatment
- Tick the relevant blood group, if known
- If you have specific needs, needs that the medical professional must be made aware of, such as being deaf, partially sighted or having difficulty speaking
- Select all of the special requirements by ticking the relevant boxes
- Once your requirements have been acknowledged by the medical professional, press the next button to proceed to the next section
- You can fill out the personal information section ahead of an emergency
- It is advised that you write using BLOCK CAPITALS and write inside of the white boxes
- Write in your name
- Write in your nationality
- Write in your age
- Tick your preferred gender or sex
- Tick if you have any special requirements
- Tick the box if you have any allergies. If you have allergies, you can detail them within section B
- Tick if you know your blood type or group
- Once completed, move on to the next section
Allergies cause a reaction within our body, where our immune system confuses something relatively harmless as a danger to us. Allergies can range from sneezing and itching to life-threatening where a person can have difficulty breathing. Treatments such as antihistamines and EpiPens can help anyone with an allergic reaction. The treatments help reduce swelling and quickly stop the reaction, reducing the risk to the person’s health. A medical professional must be aware of any allergies during a medical emergency. If not, you could be given certain medications or products containing substances that could cause an allergic reaction.
ONLINE (Allergies)
- If you suffer from allergies, you must inform the medical professional as quickly as possible. Your allergies may affect any treatment or course of action they may take
- Tick all of the allergies that you have from the list
- Once your allergies have been acknowledged by the medical professional, press the next button to proceed to the next section
- You can fill out the allergies section ahead of an emergency
- Tick all relevant allergies
- If your allergy is not listed or you wish to provide additional information, you can write it down within the other box
- Once completed, move on to the next section
Pre-existing conditions relate to medical or physical conditions that we have been previously diagnosed with or are currently experiencing. Many pre-existing conditions will require specific medication or other medications or treatments that could harm us or our health. For example, pregnant women must be careful that any treatment they receive is not detrimental to the baby. Someone on statins for high cholesterol may react if other medications are prescribed. Pre-existing conditions will have existed or been diagnosed before the emergency. We are still being treated for those conditions, and medical professionals should be aware of them.
ONLINE (Pre-existing Conditions)
- To be used if you currently have a medical or physical condition that could have an impact on any treatment given
- Select all of the pre-existing conditions by ticking the relevant boxes
- If applicable, select the type or stage or your pre-existing condition from the drop-down list found above the language box
- Once your pre-existing conditions have been acknowledged by the medical professional, press the next button to proceed to the next section
- You can fill out the pre-existing conditions section ahead of an emergency
- Tick all relevant pre-existing conditions. If applicable, also circle or tick any of the boxes under the sub-headings
- If your pre-existing condition is not listed or you wish to provide additional information, you can write it down within the other box
- Once completed, move on to the next section
The medication section relates to any prescription and self-medicated products. Prescription drugs or products are typically stronger and are prescribed by a medical professional for a specific problem or condition. Self-medicated drugs and products are usually ones that we can buy over the counter. The products are typically creams, headache tablets and flu medicines, usually to help with a specific problem or symptom. During an emergency, a medical professional must be aware of any prescription or self-medicated drugs you have taken and how long ago. Suppose the medical professional is not made aware. In that case, there is a risk that you might be overprescribed, which could result in an overdose.
ONLINE (Medication)
- To be used if you are taking or have taken any medication. You can list up to five medications in this section. If you need to list more, indicate this to the medical professional
- Using your device’s keyboard or pad, type in the name of the medication
- Next, how long ago did you take or the medication frequency? Type in the appropriate number. For example, if you have taken one tablet in the past 24 hours, you would type in 1 and select daily
- Select either daily or hourly from the drop-down list
- Finally, type in the measurement of the medication. The measurement is effectively the weight or size of the dose of the medicine. Usually, the weight of each tablet can be found on the packet of the drug or medication. For example, 500mg of paracetamol
- Lastly, select the unit of measurement from the drop-down list
- Once your medications have been acknowledged by the medical professional, press the next button to proceed to the next section
- If the medical professional is unsure of any of the terms or information displayed within the drop-down lists, they can refer to the key found towards the bottom of this section
- You can fill out medication-related information in two sections, sections d and g
- Section D is linked to specific medications such as ibuprofen that you have recently taken before seeking medical treatment
- Once you have selected any medication, you will need to state the amount of drugs taken and how long ago it was taken
- Tick or point to the measurement of the drug taken. For example, if you took 500mg of ibuprofen, you would tick the MG box
- Next, you will need to tick the amount. In this example, five and then hundreds are selected
- Lastly, we will need to state when you last took the medication. In this example, we have selected 13 minutes (7+6) and minutes, which indicates it was taken 13 minutes ago
- If you have taken more than one medication, you can use the plus (+), Stop or Next option
- Plus is used when adding numbers together. For example, if you want to state 24 hours, you would point to 10 + 10 + 4 + hours
- Stop means end or no more
- Next indicates that you are ready to start explaining the next medication
- Section G is typically used to describe any other drugs or medicines you usually or regularly take
- The section is free-form text, which means you can write in your medication, frequency and amount
- Write in the name of the medication
- Next, write in how many of those particular medications you have taken in the past 24 hours. For example, two tablets in the past 24 hours
- Finally, write in the size or weight of the medication, circling the measurement used. For example, 500 milligrams
- Once completed, move on to the next section
When we experience pain, a signal is sent from our body through our nerve fibres to the brain. Our brain interprets the pain, letting us know what hurts and where. Pain is unpleasant and, depending on the severity, can affect our ability to perform everyday tasks and mental health. Pain is often linked to damage, damage to our organs or tissue and requires immediate assessment by a medical professional for diagnosis and treatment.
ONLINE (Pain)
- To be used to express any pains you are experiencing, where on your body and how severe the pain is by using the pain scale
- The body is broken down into sections, front, back and other
- You can jump between the sections or the pain scale by selecting the relevant option
- The body will help isolate where the pain is occurring and all relevant body parts and terms
- Click on the section where you are experiencing the pain
- Tick the relevant pain you are experiencing
- Then jump to the pain scale, tick the level or scale of the pain
- Repeat for each pain you are experiencing
- If a specific pain is not listed, you can use the free-text box located in the other box. All you need to do is type in the name of the pain in the box, allowing the medical professional the option to look up the term
- Once all of your pains have been acknowledged by the medical professional. Press the next button to proceed to the next section
- You can use the pain section during an emergency. The idea is to point or tick areas of pain
- Point or tick to where the pain you are experiencing can be found on your body
- Next, point or indicate how long you have been experiencing the pain. For example, Pain + 2 + Hours means you have been experiencing that particular pain for the past two hours
- Finally, go to the pain scale section and point to or tick the pain level you are experiencing. For example, 1 represents a small amount of pain, whereas 10 represents excruciating pain
- If you have more than one pain, you can use the plus (+), Stop or Next option
- Plus is used when adding numbers together. For example, if you want to state 24 hours, you would select 10 + 10 + 4 + hours
- Stop means end or no more
- Next indicates that you are ready to start explaining the next pain
- Once completed, move on to the next section
A symptom is a physical or mental reaction to an illness or disease. Our body will display particular signs depending on the condition and its severity. The signs can be anything from a headache to vomiting. The cannot section of the MDI is linked to the inability to perform a typical sensory or motor function, such as breathing, seeing or hearing.
ONLINE (Symptoms I Cannot)
- To be used to express any symptoms where you cannot perform a specific task or action
- Select the symptom by ticking the relevant box
- Next, select the duration button from the options found at the bottom of the page
- In the duration section, you can select a number and period to express how long you have been experiencing the symptom. For example, if you have had the symptom for two days, tick the other box and enter 48, followed by the hours box
- If a symptom is not listed, you can use the free-text box located in other. All you need to do is type the name of the symptom in the box, allowing the medical professional the option to look up the term
- Repeat for each symptom you are experiencing
- Once your symptoms have been acknowledged by the medical professional, press the next button to proceed to the next section
- You can use the symptoms I cannot section during an emergency. The idea is to point or tick areas the related symptoms
- Point or tick any symptoms you might be experiencing
- Next, point or indicate how long you have been experiencing the symptom. For example, Symptom + 2 + Hours means you have been experiencing that particular symptom for the past two hours
- If you have more than one symptom, you can use the plus (+), Stop or Next option
- Plus is used when adding numbers together. For example, if you want to state 24 hours, you would select 10 + 10 + 4 + hours
- Stop means end or no more
- Next indicates that you are ready to start explaining the next symptom
- Once completed, move on to the next section
A symptom is a physical or mental reaction to an illness or disease. Our body will display particular signs depending on the condition and its severity. The signs can be anything from a headache to vomiting. The feel or have is linked to a physical reaction or emotion. Our bodies can react in ways such as fatigue, confusion and anxiety.
ONLINE (Symptoms I feel or Have)
- To be used to express any symptoms where you feel or have specific conditions
- Select the symptom by ticking the relevant box
- Next, select the duration button from the options found at the bottom of the page
- In the duration section, you can select a number and period to express how long you have been experiencing the symptom. For example, if you have had the symptom for two days, tick the other box and enter 48, followed by the hours box
- If a symptom is not listed, you can use the free-text box located in other. All you need to do is type the name of the symptom in the box, allowing the medical professional the option to look up the term
- Repeat for each symptom you are experiencing
- Once your symptoms have been acknowledged by the medical professional, press the next button to proceed to the next section
- You can use the symptoms I feel or have section during an emergency. The idea is to point or tick areas the related symptoms
- Point or tick any symptoms you might be experiencing
- If your symptom is not listed or you wish to provide additional information, you can write it down within the other box
- Next, point or indicate how long you have been experiencing the symptom. For example, Symptom + 2 + Hours means you have been experiencing that particular symptom for the past two hours
- If you have more than one symptom, you can use the plus (+), Stop or Next option
- Plus is used when adding numbers together. For example, if you want to state 24 hours, you would select 10 + 10 + 4 + hours
- Stop means end or no more
- Next indicates that you are ready to start explaining the next symptom
- Once completed, move on to the next section
When in need of medical assistance, receiving treatment or in the event of an emergency, getting help is crucial. Communicating your current state of health, allergies or pre-existing medical conditions quickly to a medical professional can be a matter of life and death. This situation can worsen when travelling and speaking to non-native English speakers. Medically trained individuals can provide you with the urgent care you need, but they might be struggling to understand what is being explained to them. To help you in this situation, we created the Medical Diagnosis Interpreter (MDI).
The MDI is an innovative way to indicate how you think and feel, using a range of illustrations and translated terms. The tool enables the medical professional to use the information shown to them to help diagnose any underlying problems. The MDI is grouped in logical sections. Some can be completed before seeking medical attention (sections A, B, C, D and H). The remaining sections can be used during an emergency (sections E, F and G).
All vital information is needed to help the medical professional make an informed diagnosis. A diagnosis will ultimately help treat the condition, virus or illness.
A successful diagnosis typically requires three elements of crucial information:
- Details of any pains, conditions or symptoms you have been experiencing, what hurts, where and for how long
- Any medications you have already taken and how long ago
- Any allergies, pre-existing conditions and important information about you to help with the diagnosis and treatment
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