Help by Translating the MDI

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