Translation and patient engagement: keys to advancing global health equity

As clinical research continues to expand across markets, data needs to reflect the diversity of the global population. Including data from patients from different backgrounds ensures that medical products developed can benefit everyone. One way to effectively obtain comprehensive data is to actively involve patients in their health treatment choices.

Research shows that patients who feel connected to their health generally have better health outcomes. This is made possible through improved health policy, education, and service delivery. So how do you effectively reach patients from diverse backgrounds?

In global clinical trials, translation ensures that patients are actively involved in the management of their health. Providing culturally equivalent and accurate information allows translation to play an important role in this process. Next, let’s take a deeper look at the definition of patient engagement.

Definition of Patient Engagement

According to researchers at Columbia University, patient engagement is a process and behavior that is influenced by the relationship between patients and healthcare providers and the healthcare environment. Increasing patient interaction with healthcare professionals can help improve their understanding of health and treatment options.

The more engaged patients are, the more effectively healthcare providers can allocate resources to meet patients’ priority needs, which is critical to achieving health equity.

While there is widespread agreement on the importance of patient engagement in R&D and patient care, the real challenge lies in selecting the right tools for a specific clinical trial and applying them at the right time to engage the target audience.

Tools for measuring patient engagement

There are several tools available to measure patient engagement. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), or patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), capture information directly from patients about their experience in a clinical trial without interpretation by a healthcare provider.

Other social engagement tools include:

• Social media (monitor product reviews, report adverse events, etc.)
• Chatbots (appointment reminders, medication refills, etc.)
• Telemedicine (video doctor visits, online support, etc.)
• App and Patient Portal
• Ongoing educational materials (emails, newsletters, etc.)

For global companies operating in diverse markets, translation is one of the most important tools to effectively engage patients.

The role of translation in patient engagement

Translation is essential when communicating with patients from different backgrounds, whether in a multi-regional clinical trial or a local clinic in a diverse community. Without the ability to speak the same language, trust and medical communication will be difficult to build.

Overcoming language and cultural barriers can help improve health literacy, enhance patient trust, and advance the functionality and development of medical products. Here are some ways translation can help boost patient engagement:

• Multimedia content adaptation : Translate instructional videos, information animations, and infographics. This approach is more engaging than traditional patient information documents and can effectively improve health literacy.
• COA Translation : COAs used in clinical development to measure patient perceptions must be accurately translated and reflect the patient’s real-world experience in a consistent manner while adhering to local regulatory formatting requirements.
• Medical Interpreting : Medical interpreting focuses on verbal communication, helping patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) communicate with their doctors.
• App/Website Localization : Telemedicine is becoming more and more popular, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is particularly important to translate patient portals and websites into different languages to help patients understand health information and make informed decisions.
• Multilingual Training : Training is critical for global medical and clinical workforces. Companies must ensure that employees maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills regardless of their location.

There is no doubt that patient engagement is critical to improving global health equity. Life sciences organizations must work hard to engage patients, especially those from diverse backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented.

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