Doctors are cautioned against using Google Translate in consultations

Last month The BMJ reported that researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine had found that doctors were using Google Translate to overcome language barriers in consultations.1 “We would recommend extreme caution in using, and relying on, computer translation in everyday clinical practice,” said Naeem Nazem, medical adviser to the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland. “In usual clinical practice, the risks of using computer translations, in the presence of validated alternatives, is likely to increase the risks to patient safety and leave doctors vulnerable to criticism and, potentially, regulatory action or litigation in the event of an adverse outcome.” “If the doctor used the tool in good faith, in a situation where there were no better alternatives and to do nothing would have been harmful to the patient, then it is hard to imagine that expert witnesses and the courts could be critical of their actions.