UT-Austin nursing students translate COVID-19 handbook into Spanish

Daniel Suárez-Baquero, a Colombian licensed nurse, wanted to assist the Texas health care community in fighting the coronavirus. However, without a license from the state, he was unable to interact with patients. Frustrated, he turned to his professional nursing chapter through the National University of Colombia. There, he learned that his home country was suffering from a different set of issues — an information crisis.

“There is a lot of information out there in English and Chinese to assist health care providers fighting the spread of the virus, but there are very few resources in Spanish,” said Suárez-Baquero, a doctoral student with UT’s School of Nursing. “So, our job was to search the internet for any information that could help. I found the handbook through Zhejiang University in China. It had already been translated into English. I shared it with our coordinator, and we began translating it to Spanish right away.”

A panel of experts, working with Zhejiang University’s First Affiliated Hospital, compiled the “Handbook of COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment,” summarizing firsthand clinical experience of how to diagnose, screen and treat COVID-19 patients, with a particular emphasis on nursing interventions. It is now available for free online to assist the worldwide health care community.

Suárez-Baquero’s team recruited Oscar Rocha, a research fellow with UT’s School of Nursing. Within 24 hours, they completed a translation. After two days of editing, they emailed the translation to hospital and clinic nurse coordinators in Colombia and beyond, including Spanish-speaking communities in Austin.

During the pandemic, their volunteer efforts to translate and distribute COVID-19 health information have bridged a critical information gap among these communities.

“I am so proud to see Daniel and Oscar take the initiative to put their talents where it was most needed,” said Alexa Stuifbergen, dean of the UT School of Nursing. “The handbook is already proving an invaluable resource for many health care providers, some who live and work in smaller and more rural areas with limited accessibility to the latest technology and equipment to fight COVID-19.”

Since sharing the handbook, Suárez-Baquero continues to receive requests from clinicians asking for more translated information to better prepare for higher rates of infection while securing the safety of their staff. Suárez-Baquero said this experience has reshaped his understanding of the role that nurses play in health care.

“Nursing can change the world. We need to realize that leadership is fundamental in nursing in order to save lives, to improve health care and to support nursing worldwide,” Suárez-Baquero said.