Helse Sør-Øst in Norway, has reported on financial and qualitative gains from using Care to Translate. These are the results and they are remarkable.
Helse Sør-East RHF is the largest of the four regional health organizations in Norway. It provides specialist healthcare services to 3.1 million people in the southeast of Norway (including the capital, Oslo). After testing Care to Translate at hospitals in Vestfold, Oslo Akershus during 2022, nine major hospitals in Helse Sør-Øst have now successfully incorporated the app. It is being utilized across a wide range of medical departments, including emergency, radiology, childbirth, surgery, psychiatry, geriatrics, and more.
In the final evaluation report, Helse Sør-Øst has included four calculations on quantitative and financial gains they see from using Care to Translate. It is important to note here that the financial gains will not be able to lead to job cuts. Rather, it will free up time to do things that healthcare staff otherwise have little or no time for.
The project made a calculation based on the organizational financial gains of using Care to Translate. For example, on how more efficient communication could lead to fewer days in bed for the patient, fewer admissions, fewer calls to interpreters, and time savings by healthcare staff. They found that it has the potential to save 14,000,000 NOK (approx. 1,210,000 euros) when implemented in the whole region.
Based on international research, Care to Translate has calculated that healthcare staff save 15 minutes each time the tool is used (compared to not using any language support). Statistics show that the tool has been used 38,008 times in Helse Sør-Øst. This means that healthcare staff saved a total of 395 days in the whole area, which could be used for other work.
Care to Translate has previously been implemented in the emergency services in the Norwegian region 'Møre og Romsdal'. They have seen savings on the number of interpreter calls. Here, it is worth noting that Care to Translate should not replace interpreters. Instead, their experience showed that interpreters previously have been used for simple questions and clarifications where the tool can be used instead. In conclusion, using the tool can lead to a more correct and efficient use of interpreters, and potentially some savings.
In the report, there is a referral to an evaluation report by Region Värmland in Sweden (that have procured Care to Translate previously). In the evaluation report, Region Värmland had shown a return on investment in less than one year. That is, the costs of purchasing and using the tool have been earned back during the first year.
At Care to Translate, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Helse Sør-Øst for their partnership, trust, and shared vision for enhancing health care.
Together, we've improved the work environment for healthcare staff, created a more efficient use of money and resources, and last but not least, increased the quality of care for patients. This chapter is just the beginning, and we're excited to continue this transformative voyage together.
Contact us if you would like to read the original report by Helse Sør-Øst.
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