Medical Emergencies: Suggestions appreciated!
I have had a desire to start a medical reference article on this site for quite some time. Quite often, we encounter questions about medications and medical terminology. More often than not, we have to provide links to other sites for help.
So the first part of this article will focus on "emergency situations". Eventually, I would like to add more articles covering things like help with medications, diagnosis, medical histories, etc. Of course, no diagnosing will occur. I am not a doctor. I would just like to provide the tools necessary for those who are helping Spanish speaking patients.
I know the format right now is "ugly" at best, but I am more concerned with content first. Any help or suggestions for necessary words or phrases are welcome!! 
Medical Emergencies: Part One
When an emergency situation occurs, people tend to become emotional. This makes obtaining vital medical information very difficult. Exchanging information becomes even more of a problem when everyone is not speaking the same language.
As with most emergencies, a patient will often be surrounded by family members and loved ones who are worried. They all may begin speaking at once, which causes more confusion. The important thing is to remain calm. Let the people involved know that your Spanish is limited. Ask for one spokesperson and for the others to remain quiet so that you can obtain the most accurate information for the patient.
This would be a good phrase to start with:
Perdone, lo siento, pero mi español ne me vale cuando usted habla así. Forgive me, but my Spanish is not good enough for me to understand you when you speak this way.
If you remain calm and admit your limitations, witnesses and family members are more likely to realize that you are there to help and will hopefully calm down.
When time is critical:
The following are some basic commands which can be used in an emergency situation:
Respire. Breathe.
Respire más despacio. Breathe more slowly.
Cierre los ojos. Close your eyes.
Abra los ojos. Open your eyes.
Abra la boca. Open your mouth.
Levante el brazo. Raise your arm.
Baje la cabeza. Lower your head.
Siga las instrucciones. Follow instructions.
Siga mi dedo. Follow my finger.
Estése quieto. Lie still.
Escuche. Listen
Míreme. Look at me.
Mire aquí. Look here.
Apriete mi mano. Squeeze my hand.
Vuelva la cabeza. Turn your head.
Trague esto. Swallow this.
Diga "aaaah". Say "aaaah".
Words of Comfort:
Whether you are a medical professional or a first responder to the scene, people in crisis need to be comforted before any real help can be offered. The following are some useful phrases which will allow the patient to know you are there to help them.
Estoy aquí para ayudarle. I'm here to help you.
¿Cómo se llama? What is your name?
Todo estará bien. You will be o.k.
La ambulancia está en camino. The ambulance is on the way.
Cálmense. Please stay calm.
Notificaré a su familia. I will notify your family.
Esperen aquí. Please wait here.
Vamos a llevarle al hospital We are taking you to the hospital.
Ya viene el médico. The doctor is coming.
6 Answers
I think I would just ask them to speak calmly and slowly so I may understand.Maybe better than phrasing that could inject doubt or require more explanation.
La mejor frase creo que deberia de ser "no se mueva" (Don't move)
Para expresar y que las personas entiendan mejor, el parrafo que dice " Perdone, lo siento, pero mi español ne me vale cuando usted habla así." Deberia decirse "Lo siento, pero my espanol es muy limitado y no entiendo bien lo que me esta diciendo"
Espero que esto les sirva.
I like the reference article that you are developing. Another member had suggested this link Medical Spanish recently. I haven't used it extensively yet because I am still trying to improve my basic Spanish. Also, it is my understanding that hospitals and doctor's offices are required by law to provide professional translators and relying on family members is strongly frowned upon. So maybe after "Perdone, lo siento, pero mi español ne me vale cuando usted habla así." include the Spanish translation for "A translator will be here shortly." This next suggestion might be a bit too picky and procedural, but in my experience asking family members to remain quiet never works and sometimes it is best to remove all family members except the designated spokesperson from the exam room.
I am looking forward to reading the final article.
I was in a bus accident in Peru last March and I broke my back, at the time my Spanish was worse then it is now. I spent a month in the hospital there and had to have surgery in Lima.
Some of the things that I found helpful
If you are hurt especially if it is bad, try to explain to people where the pain is. Use the word el dolor for pain and either tell them or simply point to the were it hurts.
If you are really upset there is a good chance they will say Tranquila, which means to be calm. At first I thought they were just telling me to be quite, but they just want you to relax.
If you are in a lot of pain and need drugs to help you deal with it use analgésico, tell them that you need or want it.
These types of situations are terrifying and I hope that none of you ever have to deal with one as sever as the one I went through. But remember when traveling through less developed countries that these accidents are more common than we would like them to be.
Some useful phrases here:
http://www.e-spanyol.hu/en/transcript.php#016
Broken_b said:
These types of situations are terrifying and I hope that none of you ever have to deal with one as sever as the one I went through. But remember when traveling through less developed countries that these accidents are more common than we would like them to be.
This is an aspect of translation help I had not considered. I have had several friends who found themselves or family members in foreign hospitals. This information could be quite useful for people who find themselves in these unfortunate situations.
