Publishing letters to the editor: a revolution?, no, Sir, a development intended in particular for young people!

In a century dominated by Information Communication and Technologies (ICT) worldwide, governments of many leading countries have decided to implement ICT in their health systems. The first step has been on digitalizing medical records (e-Health Records or EHR). However, little has been done to translate EHR in different languages to enable patients who speak a different language than the official language, to better understand their medical condition. This does not just affect patients. Health practitioners worldwide need to communicate effectively between each other or with patients when the latter go overseas to seek treatment. As EHR will inevitably be part of our life and we communicate internationally using ICT, it is important to take into account the EHR’s linguistic aspect especially when it comes to patients’ medical safety and privacy, and even medical practitioners’ responsibilities.