On May 7, 2008, MedlinePlus debuted its new multilingual feature, the first of its kind. MedlinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine, and a website dedicated to providing its online visitors with the latest in health information and links to other helpful sites. Seeing a need for medical help online in languages other than English or Spanish, the site now offers its information in over 40 different languages.

The feature was created after new statistics revealed an overwhelming demand for medical help in languages other than English. One such statistic stated that in a 2006 survey, of over 850 hospitals nationwide, 80% treat patients with limited English proficiency. To help combat this language barrier, the site now contains over 2,500 links to information and covers nearly 250 health topics, all in over 40 different languages.

To ensure accuracy and relevance, the site uses its same quality guidelines for its 40 plus new languages that it currently uses for its English and Spanish translations. One such standard is that all information published on their site must be produced by the United States Federal government or a U.S.-based organization. MedlinePlus also ensures that no matter what language its information is being displayed in, all information included on their site is reliable and current.

To visit the MedlinePlus site: http://medlineplus.gov/