Pharmacy computer programs frequently make errors when translating prescription labels from English to Spanish, some of which could put patient safety at risk, according to a study published in the May edition of Pediatrics, HealthDay/BusinessWeek reports.
The study surveyed several New York City pharmacies that use computer programs to translate prescription information into Spanish.
Researchers found that about 50% of the Spanish labels contained errors, some of which could pose safety risks if patients misinterpreted the information. They noted that some of the faulty translations included misspellings and mixtures of English and Spanish.
The authors recommended that software companies design better translation programs to improve patient safety (Thompson, HealthDay/BusinessWeek, 4/8).
Courtesy of http://www.ihealthbeat.org
