Organizations need to determine whether they need to implement the translation of patient education handouts and materials as determined by the patient populations they have outreach with and the languages that those patient populations speak. With our specialization in healthcare translations and patient education materials, we are often involved in the whole content lifecycle from the development of the English content to the translation into other languages. But what is the translation of patient education handouts and in what kind of situations are they used?
Some of the examples of patient education handouts in different languages that we translate are presentations that a pharmaceutical company may develop to send to various doctor offices to inform patients and create awareness of certain diseases in which certain populations may be at a higher risk. Most foreign born people in the U.S. with chronic hep B are from high risk regions, including Asia and the Pacific Islands. Hep B is most common in the Western Pacific region and Africa. Over 6% of the adults in these areas are infected. Doctors use the presentations and brochures to inform the patients in their own language so that they can make decisions and be in better control of their health. Patient populations that are affected by Hep B and ones that we translate regularly for are Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Burmese, Hmong, Somali, and Korean. The translations on these kind of materials are incredibly critical. Many health concepts are new or not easily understood by various populations so a cultural understanding is of utmost importance.
Translation of patient education handouts used with Health educators
To create awareness and educational opportunities with patient populations at higher risk of contracting HIV, there are presentations created for doctors and then patient handouts and quizzes used by health educators who lead the presentation with groups of patients. 
Most of these kinds of materials are written in Plain Language, at a 6th grade reading level, and our Spanish translation team also translates with Plain Language principles in mind.
Other examples of translation of patient education handouts are brochures for disease management. One of the patient populations is children with Hemophilia.
Our client uses cartoons in their materials with Factorman as the hero who helps kids with tips on living with hemophilia. Are you working on patient education materials and need help with translation? Let’s have a call about it and see if we are the right fit for you!
