Explore the English-to-Spanish Medical Terminology Fact Sheet

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Infection control can protect frontline workers, patients, and colleagues from the spread of germs in healthcare settings.

However, challenges like a foreign language gap can hinder healthcare workers from effectively applying infection control measures.

With this in mind, Salud America! and the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) have translated and created the English-to-Spanish Medical Terminology Fact Sheet as part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Project Firstline program.

This English-to-Spanish Medical Terminology Fact Sheet aims to enhance communication of common medical terms related to infection control to improve provider-patient interactions, patient safety and understanding in healthcare settings.

 Download the fact sheet

What’s in the English-to-Spanish Medical Terminology Fact Sheet?

The new fact sheet contains these important medical terms:

• 20 Seconds – 20 segundos
• Airborne Germs – Gérmenes en el Aire
• Alcohol Wipes – Toallas con Alcohol
• Antibacterial Soap – Jabón Antibacterial
• Avoid Touching Your Face – Evite Tocarse la Cara
• Back of Hands – Parte de Atrás de la Mano
• Bar Soap – Barra de Jabón
• Bathroom Cleaning – Limpieza de Baños
• Between Fingers – Entre los Dedos
• Bleach Solution – Solución de Blanqueador
• Clean Hands – Manos Limpias
• Clean Surfaces – Superficies Limpias
• Cold Water – Agua Fría
• Cover your Cough – Cubre Su Tos
• Cross-Contamination – Contaminación Cruzada
• Dirty Hands – Manos Sucias
• Disease Prevention – La Prevención de Enfermedades
• Dishwashing and Dish soap – Lavar los Platos y Jabón Para Platos
• Disinfectant Spray – Aerosol Desinfectante
• Disinfecting Wipes – Toallas Desinfectantes
• Disposable Tissue – Pañuelos Desechables
• Dispose – Desechar
• Dry – Secar
• Dry Hands – Manos Secas
• Dusting – Limpiar el Polvo
• Fingernails – Uñas
• Fingertips – Puntas de los Dedos
• Food Preparation – Preparación de Comida
• Germs – Gérmenes
• Glove Removal – Quitar Guantes
• Glove Use – Uso de Guantes
• Hand Contact – Contacto Mano a Mano
• Hand Drying – Secado de Manos
• Hand Germs – Gérmenes de las Manos
• Hand Hygiene – Higiene de Manos
• Hand Rubbing – Frontarse las Manos
• Hand Sanitizer – Alcohol en Gel
• Hand Scrubbing – Restregarse las Manos
• Handwashing – Lavarse las Manos
• Health Screening – Exámenes de Salud
• High-Touch Areas – Áreas de Alto Contacto
• Household Cleaning – Limpieza del Hogar
• Infection – Infección
• Liquid Soap –  Jabón Líquido
• Personal Items Cleaning – Limpieza de artículos personales
• Respiratory Hygiene – Higiene Respiratoria
• Rinse – Enjuagar
• Sanitizing Surfaces – Desinfectar Superficies
• Scrubbing  – Restregar
• Shared Spaces – Espacios Compartidos
• Soap – Jabón
• Soap Bubbles – Burbujas de Jabón
• Social Distancing – Distanciamiento Social
• Stay Home When Sick – Quédese en Casa Cuando Esté Enfermo
• Surface Disinfection – Desinfección de Superficies
• Surface Scrubbing – Restregar Superficies
• Toilet Disinfection – Disinfectar Baños
• Under Nails – Debajo de las Uñas
• Vaccine – Vacuna
• Warm Water – Agua Tibia
• Water – Agua
• Wet Hands – Manos Mojados

 Download the fact sheet

How Can You Continue to Promote Infection Control in Healthcare Settings?

You, your colleagues, and your patients can better understand and promote the importance of infection control and prevention with the CDC’s Project Firstline resources.

To show your dedication, sign this pledge to complete an infection control training or activity through CDC’s Project Firstline!

You can also share infection control training opportunities with healthcare colleagues via LinkedIn with our Project Firstline social media toolkit.

You can access more information about infection prevention and control in healthcare by visiting resources from CDC Project Firstline.

Salud America! is working with the National Hispanic Medical Association to bring Project Firstline infection control educational content to healthcare workers, so they are equipped with the knowledge they need to protect themselves, their facilities, and their patients from infectious disease threats in healthcare settings.

Check out some of the articles from this partnership:

• What’s a Virus?
• What is Ventilation and Why Does It Matter?
• Contact Time: What is It and How Does it Impact Infection Control?
• The Surprising Difference Between Cleaning and Disinfection
• What’s a Respiratory Droplet and Why Does It Matter?

Check out some of the Latino healthcare workers who are heroes for infection control:

• Anna Valdez: Tackling Infection Control with Education from Classroom to Clinic
• Wanda Montalvo: Preventing Infections in Community Health Centers
• Ricardo Correa: Endocrinologist and Infection Control Leader for the Community
• Jorge Moreno: Infection Control Hero for Spanish-Speaking Latinos and All Patients
• Veronica Ramirez: Keeping Her Community Health with Infection Control
• Juanita Mora: A Voice for the Community and Infection Control

LEARN MORE ABOUT PROJECT FIRSTLINE!

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a collaboration between Salud America!, the National Hispanic Medical Association, and the CDC’s Project Firstline. To find resources training materials, and other tools to bolster knowledge and practice of infection control, visit Project Firstline and view Salud America!’s infection control content.