You have spent a lot of time and resources in developing medical devices but are not getting the desired response; you might lack somewhere in the process. If you are confident in your product’s quality and functionality, then the thing that is most probably hindering your instruments from reaching global audiences is language barriers.
Of course, using medical devices requires proper instructions about their usage, technicalities, and maintenance. But if users won’t get it right, how would they be able to use the devices? As a result, they won’t prefer your products. So, what we have found is that lacking product usability is the reason for the low business and improper customer response. It happens due to the unavailability of information in their local language, which has a solution: medical device translation services. Before discussing the importance and benefits of these services, let’s:
Understanding Product Usability in the Medical Device Industry
Usability refers to how effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily a product can be used by intended users to achieve specific goals. In the medical landscape, usability focuses on ensuring that patients and healthcare providers can easily access and operate medical devices. Clear instructions, effective labeling, and comprehensive user guides guarantee that users follow the instructions accurately, understand warnings, follow safety protocols, and avoid errors.
Unclear instructions and inaccurate information can result in incorrect device usage, leading to device failure and ineffective treatments. Moreover, if patients are harmed and healthcare providers make mistakes due to unclear medical device instructions, it can expose the manufacturing company to legal liability. It will also damage brand reputation and non-compliance with regulatory authorities.
The Role of Translation Services in Enhancing Usability
- Ensuring Clarity and Accuracy
Medical, as a whole, is a complex industry. The names of devices, treatments, therapies, and medicines are hard to pronounce and memorize, especially for non-native and non-medical users. For example, terms like electrocardiography or catheterization are combinations of words, and there might be no alternative to these in the target language. However, the translation is crucial to ensure accurate and clear instructions, so professional translators transcreate the closely relevant terms that are appropriate and also understandable for multilingual users.
- Adapting to Cultural Nuances
Relying on just translation isn’t enough. What is required to boost the efficiency and adaptability of medical devices in localizing the information to align with the cultural norms and expectations of the target audience? It includes translating the medical device instructions according to language preferences, reading levels, and cultural attitudes toward healthcare. Moreover, it is crucial to consider cultural factors that can affect usability, including measurement units, symbols, and language variations.
Types of Documents Require Translation for Optimal Usability
- Instructions for Use Documents
As the name implies, they are documents that give users detailed instructions on how to safely operate, maintain, and troubleshoot a medical device. Misunderstandings in operational processes can result in device malfunction, patient injury, or therapy failure.
- User Manuals and Technical Guides
These documents provide in-depth information on how to set up a medical device, schedule its maintenance, and technical specifications for it. Technical guides are given to get to know about the device calibration, repair procedures, and technical performance metrics. Incomplete or inaccurate documents can increase the chances of support injuries and reduce customer satisfaction.
- Product Labels and Packaging
Medical device labels are used for warnings, dosage instructions, expiration dates, storage conditions, and safety symbols. Many countries have strict rules regarding labels and packaging of medical products, and companies are restricted from providing them in the audience’s local language. Inaccurate and imprecise information on product labels can lead to noncompliance, product recalls, and legal consequences.
- Digital Interfaces and Software
Medical devices often come with digital screens, software applications, and user interfaces. They involve menus, error messages, help screens, and software documentation. Inaccurate translation of these elements can lead to ignored cautions, which can cause misdiagnosis and poor patient monitoring.
Benefits of Professional Medical Device Translation Services
- Improving Patient Safety
Medical device translation enhances the user’s safety, allowing them to have important information and access the device in their native language. They will get to know how to safely use, maintain, and troubleshoot the devices, reducing the risks of malfunctioning, support injuries, and non-compliance.
- Enhancing Customer Satisfaction
When users access devices in their native language, it enhances their confidence, as they can easily handle it even if any problem occurs. Translation services help boost customer satisfaction, allowing them to efficiently use the devices and get a proper track of their health.
- Expanding Market Reach
Professional translators help you reach diverse regions, allowing you to efficiently connect with multilingual audiences. They help in communicating with customers in their native language and provide culturally appropriate content to win the user’s trust and enhance the brand’s credibility in the global market.
Best Practices for Leveraging Translation Services
Medical translation isn’t something that everyone can do. Therefore, it is crucial to find a competitive and reliable source so that you do not need to care about the translation’s quality. Following are the strategic moves that will help you to ensure clear and concise medical device translation:
- Partnering with Professional Translation Agencies
- Implementing Quality Assurance Processes
- Continuous Review and Updates