Main description:

Scientific, medical and pharmaceutical terms present particular difficulties in translations. With the demand to provide Maltese translations for documents required for a registration of a medicinal product within the pharmaceutical regulatory environment, the need to standardise pharmaceutical and medical terms in Maltese was felt. This prompted the research group in Pharmacy Practice at the Department of Pharmacy of the University of Malta to take up a research project to identify terms that are used to describe action and properties of medicines, unwanted effects and pharmaceutical dosage form presentation. In 2003 compilation on an English-Maltese Dictionary of Pharmaceutical and Medical Terms was initiated by Eliza Vella (A to E), continued by Miran Sapiano (F to K) and followed by Ruth Bonnici (L and M). Kirsty Camilleri completed letters N to Z and standardized all the work. This compilation will contribute as a resource for pharmacists, healthcare professionals and individuals who are involved in the preparation of written information in Maltese. It is also useful to the general public to share the use of the terms in Maltese and English.
Disseminating patient information about drugs and disease in Maltese supports healthcare professionals in achieving the responsibility of ensuring patient safety through the use of clear and understandable resources.