Terminologie Rettungs-, Notfall- und Katastrophenmedizin

Terminology (Rescue, Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Switzerland)

A goal of the Swiss Society for Emergency Medicine (SGNOR) is to create a publicly accessible database of terminology in four languages for emergency and rescue services in Switzerland. The Swiss Center for Rescue-, Emergency- and Disaster Medicine (SCRED) has been commissioned to realize this project.

The terminology tool contains translations of official terms from the entire field of emergency medicine, which have been validated by native-speaking experts of the German, French and Italian language regions of Switzerland. In addition to these three languages, analogous English-language terms are offered as well. Each term is accompanied by a short description or definition as well as a corresponding abbreviation, if available.

Information about the project

How are terms/concepts chosen? How are terms/concepts that exist in previously established databases/glossaries handled?

The start-up phase has already included the official technical terms and existing definitions from relevant published collections created by different Swiss rescue organizations. Terms that have been integrated into “Terminology (Rescue-, Emergency- and Disaster Medicine, Switzerland)” remain the property of the respective organization. The so-called “owners” of the terms are informed about the inclusion in the collection. Suggestions for changes and proposals for new terms are always welcome. After validation, new entries are included in the next update.

How are the translations validated?

Board members of the SGNOR have established a language validation committee in both the Italian and French speaking parts of Switzerland. Under the management of a regional coordinator, these expert groups examine and supplement the proposed terms and their correct translation according to professional usage in the target language. The collected feedback can be understood as a “consensus” of the respective language region. Members of the individual expert groups can be reviewed under about terminology.

Can other organizations participate?

Together with the National Center for Disaster Medicine (SFG), SGNOR has the goal of creating a publicly accessible web-based conceptual dictionary in four languages (German, French, Italian, and English). The establishment and consistent use of agreed-on technical terms should make a significant contribution to the federal health and rescue sector. The SGNOR is open to the participation of all organizations and institutions wanting to contribute to this project. Interested parties are requested to contact the SCRED representative of SGNOR.

How is the management of Terminology (Rescue-, Emergency- and Disaster Medicine, Switzerland) regulated?

Sponsor: SGNOR

Implementation and project management: SCRED Database management and IT-support: PrimeTeach®, auf RescuePoint® Main sponsor responsible for initialization: AXA Schweiz, Stiftung Prävention Sponsors responsible for management and further development: SGNOR, RescuePoint®, SAMK.

Terminology (Rescue-, Emergency- and Disaster Medicine, Switzerland) is a “learning tool”. Users are invited to report any missing terms and/or provide feedback on existing terms, their description, and translation. SGNOR has decided to make this offer available to all interested parties free of charge.
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