Language barrier is a major obstacle against accessibility to healthcare service; the result of which affects migrant population’s health around the globe. This effect is even more significant in preventive healthcare where professionals struggle to communicate the relevance and importance of screening tests for the at risk yet symptoms free migrants
AIDA, Assistant Intelligent au Dépistage des Allophones in French (or Intelligent assistant for screening allophones) is a multilingual application that aims to help preventive healthcare professionals in offering, explaining and communicating the importance of HIV/hepatitis testing to non-French speakers. Aida enables immigrants to better understand HIV & hepatitis. AIDA utilizes the patient’s waiting times to gather information about risk factors & offer education about screening tests, vaccination & treatment, all in the immigrant’s mother tongue. A summary of the patient’s answers is then translated & presented to the healthcare professionals to help him better communicate with the immigrant during the checkup. The application will include as a first version 11 languages (English , Dari ,Pashto ,Arabic (Egypt), Arabic (Morocco),Turkish ,Bengali ,Tamil ,Russian, Tigrinya & Ukrainian) , these are the most needed for the target population of migrants visiting the French office of immigration (OFII) for their routine medical evaluation
AIDA is created by our research team working at the Hotel Dieu in Paris . We are a research unit specialized in Patient Reported Outcome Quality Of Life (PROQOL) affiliated with the APHP ( Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris). You can find information about our research unit here aphp.fr/urc-eco/ . For the past years we have collaborated with the (OFII) French office of immigration to implement the use of rapid diagnostic test for HIV and Hepatitis B&C, combined with an electronic risk factor questionnaire related to these diseases; all under the umbrella of the STRDADA study. Our researchers have conducted 60 in depth interviews with immigrants who experienced language barriers during medical checkup. During these long interviews we assessed the specific needs of the immigrants and reported their suggestions & preferences for suitable solution to their language barrier. Our team also interviewed and surveyed over 60 preventive healthcare professionals experienced in offering and conducting screening tests within the language barrier migrant population. AIDA development is based on suggestions & recommendations from immigrants, doctors and nurses. The resulting design has been then tested and modified for the past year
We have so far designed , developed and tested an English version prototype of our web app that you can view at our website appaida.com. However we need your help to continue funding our application, translate the content and develop the 11 languages final version. In order to ensure high quality translation we have to solicit high end trusted translation services.
The importance of early diagnosis of HIV and Hepatitis is major as it allows for early treatment to the patient and protection to his loved ones. Early treatment means much less complications and a better quality of life. Right now the immigrant population facing language barriers are the least profiting from free rapid testing offered by the immigration offices in France. These rapid diagnostic tests are voluntary and free. Sadly languages barrier is a major obstacle facing doctors and nurses trying to assesses risk profile of non-French speaker patients and explaining both the importance and easiness of a rapid point of care test. Aida aims to solve this problem and to help immigrant have better access to free preventive healthcare