MHA News Now

Web translations

Looking for educational materials for your Asian language-speaking patients? Click here to check out SPIRAL (Select Patient Information Resources in Asian Languages).

SPIRAL is a joint initiative of Massachusett's South Cove Community Health Center and Tufts University Hirsh Health Sciences Library in Boston and offers health information in the following languages (with English translations):

• Cambodian/Khmer
• Chinese
• Hmong
• Korean
• Laotian
• Thai
• Vietnamese

Medications and medication safety are two of the topics covered. All materials are free to copy, distribute, and display for nonprofit purposes.

Source: Nurse Advise-ERR, September 2005

Web site offers health information for Asian-language speakers

Tufts University’s Health Sciences Library has launched a Web site that offers patients selected health information from respected sources in seven Asian languages. The materials are provided in English as well so English-speaking caregivers can see what the patients are reading. Users can select a language and then search for information on topics such as asthma, diabetes, nutrition, substance abuse, severe acute respiratory syndrome and HIV/AIDS. The National Network of Libraries in Medicine funded the Selected Patient Information Resources in Asian Languages project. “SPIRAL bridges the gap between patients speaking Asian languages and their health care providers by providing valuable medical information in both languages,” said Elaine Martin, director of the library network’s New England region. “The health care provider can direct a patient to a trusted site while the patient gets the benefit of information in his/her own language.” (via AHA News)