Survey to Collect Emergency Medical Services Experiences from the Deaf

From: MedASL - Aug 11, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Survey to Collect Emergency Medical Services
Experiences from the Deaf

Palatine, Illinois, August 9, 2006—For the first time ever, an online survey has been created to collect experiences and opinions exclusively from deaf individuals, regarding their experiences with emergency medical care.

The survey will be targeted to deaf Americans who have had experiences with using emergency medical facilities. Because the deaf community has become extremely proficient with utilizing the Internet, an online survey was the obvious vehicle to collect responses quickly and efficiently.

MedASL, Inc., a service provider of certified medical American Sign Language translation, has contracted The Pepper Group, a marketing firm, to conduct and compile the research. The survey was initiated by recent accounts of emergency room challenges faced by deaf patients seeking care. Current available information was highlighted by extreme cases and did not provide a comprehensive study of the problem. Independent of the survey, Pepper Group has been conducting phone interviews with emergency medical services directors at hospitals throughout the country.

Founder and Technology Director at MedASL, Jack Weintraub relates, “Communication challenges in emergency medical situations are not only frustrating, but can compromise timely treatment—and we all know what that can mean in the extreme.

“With the recent advances in technology, MedASL can improve medical care for the deaf significantly. We wanted to get as many responses to our survey as possible and we know that word travels fast on the Internet. We wanted to truly understand all the issues and look forward to seeing the results.”

The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=859642451999

The survey is available now and will be conducted through August 31, 2006.

MedASL, Inc. is a service provider of certified medical American Sign Language translation. Utilizing highly trained interpreters, this 24/7/365 service is available to hospitals, trauma centers, physicians and pharmacies. MedASL uses advanced high-resolution video conferencing technology to instantly connect the subscriber’s facility with medically certified ASL interpreters.

For more information, please contact Tim Padgett at 847.963.0333 or tim@peppergroup.com.

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