Going to the doctor to (hopefully!) get easier for foreign residents

One thing that can be reeeeeaaaally difficult about living here is going to the doctor. I find that I'm pretty comfy now getting through everyday errands in Japanese, but explaining an unusual symptom or understanding medical terminology is a whole different ball game. A new trial at two Tokyo hospitals could help make those visits a little less stressful for foreign patients, which I think is a very welcome thing!

Image created via Canva 

The tool is called QR Talk, and it allows patients to communicate with medical staff by scanning a QR code with their smartphones. There's no need to download an app or carry around a separate translation device, which makes it fairly straightforward to use.

Hospitals can also add their own medical terminology to the system to help improve translation accuracy, and previous conversations are saved as text, which gives medical staff a way to refer back to what was discussed.

The trial began on September 14th at Tokyo Metropolitan Otsuka Hospital and Tokyo Metropolitan Tobu Regional Hospital, as part of a Tokyo Metropolitan Government initiative. I hope it branches out to more destinations if they find it works well!