Multilingual Mediation for Healthcare Settings – ZVEJA
Background
Healthcare providers frequently encounter patients who do not understand the societal language and lack systemic linguistic support. These communication barriers can negatively impact health outcomes, increase clinical risks, and prolong treatment. They also hinder foreign nationals’ access to healthcare. A fast, reliable, multilingual communication solution is therefore essential for safe and effective healthcare provision.
Description of the solution
The Multilingual Healthcare Application ZVEJA enables basic communication with patients who do not understand the societal language, offering translation in ten languages (English, German, Italian, French, Albanian, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian). The application follows the standard protocol used in healthcare institutions: from admission and examinations to symptom assessment and the provision of instructions. It also covers mental health, paediatrics, women’s health, and dentistry.
Healthcare professionals select their own gender and the patient’s gender; by clicking on a question in Slovene, an audio translation is played in the selected language, adapted to both the speaker’s and listener’s gender. Because the application contains closed questions, the phone or device remains in the hands of the healthcare professional, reducing the risk of infection transmission. The application is available at https://zveja.terminal1.eu.
Main advantages
Reduces language barriers and the risk of mistranslation, contributing to safer patient care.
Simple and rapid use, designed to fit seamlessly into clinical workflows, without requiring physical handover of a phone or other device.
Ensures patient data protection and functions even without an internet connection.
Professionally validated translations, adapted to the gender of healthcare worker and patient.
Solution developed on the basis of research findings.
Offer of cooperation
Successful implementation of the application within the Slovene healthcare system requires its introduction to healthcare professionals and appropriate training for its use. We propose collaboration in organizing public presentations, workshops, and other dissemination activities, as well as usability studies and further development of the application.
