INSTITUT SUPERIEUR BILINGUE LIBRE DU TOGO
(IBLTUNIVERSITY)
IBLT UNIVERSITY
MEDICAL FRENCH
(MFR 212)
OYEYEMI .A. OLAITAN
SECOND SEMESTER
2023
1
, INTRODUCTION
The need for improved services in French and, specifically, for
equitable access to quality health care services in French, has been
and continues to be consistently identified as a priority by the
Francophone community . Hospitals and health care providers across
the province recognize this need and are making considerable
efforts to ensure the presence of more bilingual health care
professionals on their staff. However, as the demand far exceeds the
available resources, this can be a lengthy and challenging process.
The language barrier, always a serious issue, becomes critical when
individuals experience diminished mental capacity due to illness or
aging, and their ability to communicate in their second language
becomes impaired. Although interpretation services are available
through agencies such as L’Accueil francophone de Thunder Bay, and
are very useful in facilitating better communication between patients
and health care professionals, such services are not usually offered
around the clock, nor are they available in every community. Our
purpose was not to develop a comprehensive reference manual, but to
provide a short-term solution to address immediate needs. The
Interpretation Guide for Health Care Professionals was designed as a
quick and simple tool to provide French equivalents for medical terms
and phrases commonly used in various contexts. These are areas
where patients and professionals will benefit the most. I trust that this
Guide will be useful to pharmacists, nurses, physicians, diagnostics
technicians, physiotherapists, and other health care professionals in
2
, their efforts to communicate with their French-speaking patients. We
hope that patients will feel more secure as a result of better
communication and that, in turn, they will become more confident and
better equipped to actively take part in the management of their own
health and wellness.
3
(IBLTUNIVERSITY)
IBLT UNIVERSITY
MEDICAL FRENCH
(MFR 212)
OYEYEMI .A. OLAITAN
SECOND SEMESTER
2023
1
, INTRODUCTION
The need for improved services in French and, specifically, for
equitable access to quality health care services in French, has been
and continues to be consistently identified as a priority by the
Francophone community . Hospitals and health care providers across
the province recognize this need and are making considerable
efforts to ensure the presence of more bilingual health care
professionals on their staff. However, as the demand far exceeds the
available resources, this can be a lengthy and challenging process.
The language barrier, always a serious issue, becomes critical when
individuals experience diminished mental capacity due to illness or
aging, and their ability to communicate in their second language
becomes impaired. Although interpretation services are available
through agencies such as L’Accueil francophone de Thunder Bay, and
are very useful in facilitating better communication between patients
and health care professionals, such services are not usually offered
around the clock, nor are they available in every community. Our
purpose was not to develop a comprehensive reference manual, but to
provide a short-term solution to address immediate needs. The
Interpretation Guide for Health Care Professionals was designed as a
quick and simple tool to provide French equivalents for medical terms
and phrases commonly used in various contexts. These are areas
where patients and professionals will benefit the most. I trust that this
Guide will be useful to pharmacists, nurses, physicians, diagnostics
technicians, physiotherapists, and other health care professionals in
2
, their efforts to communicate with their French-speaking patients. We
hope that patients will feel more secure as a result of better
communication and that, in turn, they will become more confident and
better equipped to actively take part in the management of their own
health and wellness.
3
