MCHENRY, Md., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Communicating across the language barrier when time is essential is becoming a greater issue throughout the U.S. and the world. Nowhere is this reality as pressing as it is in the medical field. Although English has become an important language in business, it is spoken by less than 20 percent of the world’s population. In announcing the release of the International version of eFLAG, MEDI-FLAG’s President, Michael Pellet, explained that the new version gives medical practitioners who do not speak English the ability to obtain essential diagnostic information from their English-speaking patients.
The international eFLAG comes loaded in a Pocket PC -- or on a CD -- and is available in 12 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese. The eFLAG, for English-speaking speaking medical professionals -- as well as the print version -- is currently being used by over 6000 doctors, hospitals, clinic, EMTs, nurses and pharmacies to improve the quality of care for non-English speaking patients. Besides its practical implications, the need to communicate effectively is a requirement of Executive Order (EO 13166), under which the medical community must comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which mandates that persons with Limited English Proficiency “have meaningful access to federally-conducted and federally-funded programs and activities.”
The goal of the FLAG and eFlag is to reduce the sense of helplessness experienced by patients who cannot understand or make themselves understood in a medical setting. Although the eFLAG and FLAG do not attempt to replace trained medical interpreters, they provide communications in situations where immediate action is required and no interpreters are readily available. Typical users include emergency rooms, clinics, fire and rescue, airlines, hotels and tourist destinations. The MEDI-FLAG web site contains additional information on FLAG and the issues surrounding the Title VI LEP implementation.
MEDI-FLAG Corp. is dedicated to helping medical practitioners and emergency personnel bridge the communication gap in our new global community. Services also include translation and localization of patient information and educational media.
For additional information visit the MEDI-FLAG web site at http://www.medi-flag.com/ or call 1-866-352-4215.
Web site: http://www.medi-flag.com
MEDI-FLAG Corp.
CONTACT: Michael R. Pellet of MEDI-FLAG Corp., +1-301-387-7780
