Press release New multi-language fact sheets support safer use of novel anticoagulants 14 December 2020
Many people with English as a second language and who are being treated for atrial fibrillation now have accurate information in their own language to make sure they take their medicines safely. Health Navigator NZ, Counties Manukau Health (CMDHB) and PHARMAC have developed a series of concise and engaging patient factsheets for novel anticoagulant medicines (NOAC), dabigatran and rivaroxaban, translated into eight languages. The easy to understand fact sheets can help New Zealanders from different ethnic backgrounds know how to take NOACs safely for atrial fibrillation, which is important for stroke prevention. The free resources are available for download on the Health Navigator NZ website in English, te reo MÄ ori, Cook Islands MÄ ori, Hindi, Korean, Samoan, Simplified Chinese, Tongan and Traditional Chinese. They were developed by Health Navigator NZ and CMDHB pharmacists with input from consumers. The resources were then formally translated, checked for accuracy, reviewed, and endorsed by New Zealand primary healthcare clinicians and advisors. Bridging a gap The fact sheets bridge a gap in the information available for patients from diverse ethnic backgrounds. In 2019 an internal audit by the stroke team at Counties Manukau Health found that more than one third of patients who had suffered a stroke and needed these medicines did not speak English as their first language.