Spanish for consumers and consumer health
These resources provide information about conditions, diseases, diagnostic tests, and treatments, in English and Spanish. All resources have made an effort to create materials which can be read and understood by someone without advanced education in the health sciences; however, we recommend reviewing any material and making your own decision about its relevance and understandability before providing it to a patient.
- AAFP (American Association of Family Physicians) Conditions A-ZThis textbook in the Stat!Ref collection provides brief, consumer-level descriptions of 1000+ common diseases, conditions, and medications. About half of these summaries are also available in Spanish.
- ClinicalKey This link opens in a new windowThe patient education section provides ~3,000 handouts in Spanish (over 10,000 in English) covering common medical procedures, medications, and lab tests. The Specialties area pulls together handouts relating to a specific body system or specialty.
- UpToDate Lexidrug (formerly Lexicomp) This link opens in a new windowClick on "patient education" to find 1000+ handouts for patients in English and Spanish covering common conditions, medical procedures, and RX and OTC medications. As this is a drug information resource, the medication section is very robust.
- MedlinePlus This link opens in a new windowConsumer health information. This US-government-produced website provides free medical information and is written for a non-professional audience. Also available entirely in Spanish.
- MedlinePlus en Espanol This link opens in a new windowConsumer health information. This US-government-produced website provides free medical information and is written for a non-professional audience. Also available entirely in English.
- Micromedex This link opens in a new windowClick on "CareNotes" to access 1500+ patient handouts in English and Spanish. This drug information resource has thorough coverage of OTC and RX medications; its focus on hospital settings means handouts cover acute care, inpatient care, and post-ER followup care. Unique coverage includes information about 100+ common laboratory tests.
Basic Spanish for health care professionals
These books and textbooks assume you have no prior knowledge of Spanish. They cover fundamentals of the language as well as vocabulary used specifically in health care settings.
An Introduction to Spanish for Health Care Workers by ISBN: 0300097158Includes a pronunciation guide and basics of the language (nouns and genders, regular and irregular verb conjugation). Chapters named for health care settings-- "at the pharmacy," "at urgent care"-- provide common phrases and words used in these settings, and chapters with basic titles-- the family, the colors-- provide general vocabulary. Activities to test your knowledge are included.
Medical Spanish Made Incredibly Easy! by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, W 15 M4892 2009ISBN: 9780781789417Chapters are organized by system -- cardiology, gastrointestinal, etc.-- and include all needed vocabulary to conduct a patient history, order tests, and provide treatment, for a disorder of this system.
Includes common patient teaching needs-- how to use an inhaler, how to administer an ointment.
English-language puns are used as chapter and section titles. This makes retrieval of specific information in a chapter somewhat difficult.
Spanish for Health Care Professionals by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Reserve, PC 4120 M3 H342s 2017Publication Date: 2016After an introduction to pronunciation, several chapters follow 3 members of a fictional family-- a child, a teen, and an older adult-- as they receive health care for various ailments, including an ER visit and surgery. Unique features include vocabulary for interactions with social workers, dentists, optometrists, and herbalists.
Breaking the Language Barrier by ISBN: 1435489233Includes basic pronunciation and grammar, and vocabulary for medical personnel. Also includes vocabulary for making appointments, billing, referrals, and patient education.
Medical Spanish for Nurses: a self-teaching guide by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, PC 4120 M3 T781m 2017Includes a pronunciation guide and basics of Spanish language. Later chapters cover nursing-specific vocabulary for patient assessment, intake, care, and discharge, in all nursing settings and for all groups. Includes practice exercises.
Intermediate Spanish for health care professionals
These books and textbooks assume you know the basic rules of grammar and pronunciation in Spanish, and focus on specialized vocabulary for the health care professional.
Quick and Easy Medical Spanish by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, W 15 K25m 2006ISBN: 0071459642Includes CD-ROM (available on reserve)
Despite the name, this guide assumes you know the basics of pronunciation and verb conjugation. It includes basic medical vocabulary needed to take patient history, and additionally provides vocabulary for giving directions, food/nutrition, and other non-medical scenarios. Includes exercises and quizzes.
Medical Spanish by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, W 15 B713m 2005ISBN: 0071442006This guide provides layman's translations-- "abdomen" is translated as "estomago." Chapters focus on specific health care settings and include lists of questions to use to take patient history. All questions are phrased to provide yes/no answers. Unique features include chapters focusing on taking economic and social history, patient instructions, and tables of contrasting adjectives.
Problem-Based Medical Spanish by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, W 15 P962 2008ISBN: 9781416036586Focused on emergency and urgent care, each chapter provides 1-4 case studies focusing on one anatomical region. Unique features include detailed anatomical drawings with translations, and the inclusion of formal and informal grammar.
NOTE: Publisher’s license prohibits lending of CD-ROMs. Available for use in library only.- The Rehabilitation Specialist's Handbook byISBN: 9780803637955Publication Date: 2012-01-01Section IV; "Translations" includes tables of common phrases and questions used in health care settings, translated and provided phonetically in Spanish, English, Korean, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
Say It in Spanish by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, PC 4120 M3 J89s 2004ISBN: 0721604242Each chapter focuses on a patient care setting and provides phrases and questions for a provider to use to gather history, and explain a diagnosis or treatment. Includes dental and psychologist settings in addition to home care, preventative visit, and hospital settings.
Spanish and the Medical Interview by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, W 15 O77s 2015ISBN: 9780323371148Vocabulary and grammar are presented in the medical history-taking scenarios. The cultural competencies content is quite unique-- formal vs. informal verb construction, typical cultural backgrounds of Spanish speakers, and guidance for when health care workers should find a licensed interpreter to assist with patient care.
NOTE: Publisher's license prohibits lending of DVD. Available for use in library only.
Spanish for Nurses by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, W 15 V161s 2009ISBN: 9781427799760Includes a glossary and brief pronunciation guide. Each chapter is focused on a location or type of inpatient interaction (in the ER; in the maternity ward) and provides questions and answers usually needed in this situation.
Spanish for the Pharmacy Professional by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, QV 15 S735 2009ISBN: 1582121206Publication Date: 2009-02-01In addition to specialized vocabulary for the pharmacy, this book includes many sample conversations between a pharmacist and patient; also provides some cultural contexts for Spanish speakers from Central America.
In Print & Electronic.
Yes/No Medical Spanish by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Upper Level, W 15 K21y 2010ISBN: 9780803621244Structured questions to use in a variety of health care settings. All questions can be answered with Yes or No, making it easier for non-Spanish-speakers to ensure they understand patient responses. Includes patient instructions.
Spanish for Pediatric Medicine, 2nd ed by ISBN: 9781581103021Publication Date: 2010This book provides 5 chapters focusing on a different settings (clinic, emergency care), body systems, ages, and special issues, such as screening for child abuse and lead toxicity. Each chapter consists of 5-20 tables listing English phrases/words and their Spanish equivalents. This online book allows you to print or download an unlimited number of pages.
Building a Medical Vocabulary by Call Number: Norris Medical Library, Reference, W 15 L581b 2015ISBN: 9781455772681This book focuses on building rich and varied vocabulary. Sections focus on body systems and provide words for structures, abnormalities, and diseases/conditions.
Spanish for Pediatric Medicine, 3rd edPublication Date: 2018This book provides 5 chapters focusing on a different settings (clinic, emergency care), body systems, ages, and special issues, such as screening for child abuse and lead toxicity. This online book allows you to download only 15 pages per day.
Essential Spanish for Pharmacy by Publication Date: 2022This book includes phrases, keywords, questionnaires, and pictograms to guide a Spanish-based conversation with a patient. It is best used by someone who has a basic understanding of the language and needs more guidance for pharmacy and medical-specific vocabulary.
