Northern Health has implemented the Talk to Me app in its inpatient awards, bridging communication divides between diverse patients and staff.
Situated in a culturally diverse area, Northern Health cares for patients from over 130 countries, speaking in more than 120 languages.
The Transcultural and Language Services (TALS) Department at Northern Health provides over 60,000 interpreting occasions of service each year.
Approximately 20 per cent of Northern Health’s patients require language services, which are available face-to-face, or via telephone or video.
The Talk to Me app offers multilingual support through text and speech interfaces.
With over 500 phrases curated for health professionals and patient user interface, it is available in 16 languages (Arabic, Cantonese, Croatian, Dinka, Persian, Greek, Hakka, Italian, Macedonian, Mandarin, Punjabi, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese), covering a range of categories.
Examples include questions around mealtimes, personal care, feelings or emotions and basic pain symptoms (e.g. ‘Are you worried?’, ‘Are you tired?’, ‘Are you in pain?’).
Manager of Transcultural Language Services David Le said the app is making everybody’s life easier.
“Incorporating the Talk to Me app into daily workflows empowers staff to bridge communication gaps during non-critical moments, enhancing patient care experiences,” he said.
While AI-driven translation apps, such as Google Translate, are not recommended in hospital settings, the Talk to Me app has been developed by health professionals in collaboration with
certified interpreters and cultural diversity trainers, along with other experts in this field, to ensure the accuracy of the translations provided.
Gerald Lynch
