Alma

A system to decrease language barriers between medical staff and patients

This master's thesis deals with possible solutions for the reduction of language barriers between medical staff and patients and how problems related to this barriers can be avoided. As the final thesis the concept for the Alma smartphone application was developed.

People who come to Germany with little or no knowledge of the German language are supported by Alma in questions regarding the German health care system. Therefore, the concept transfers different outcomes from the research in various functions and contents of the application. The focus of the concept is, on the one hand, the users' support in finding the medical institution that fits their problem and to easily get in contact with it. On the other hand, by personalizing the app, users receive relevant information for their personal situation about the German health care system.

The system consists of two complementary applications: Alma, the application for private users which can be used as a smartphone app or in a browser, and AlmaDoc, a software for medical institutions with an interface to common practice software to improve the contact and communication with the patient.