Explaining a lumbar puncture to parents who do not speak English
A London neonatal unit where around 40% of families have a communication need, working with the clinical team to write the unit’s own content so parents understand what is being done to their baby – and can read it again later.
A leading London NHS Trust
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1,000
Babies and families cared for each year
One neonatal unit
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~40%
Of those families have an additional communication need
The unit’s own figure
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45 min
Previously needed to explain one common procedure
Described by a consultant neonatologist
The situation
Babies in neonatal intensive care are often premature and unwell, and the procedures are specialised. Parents need to understand what is happening and why. This Trust serves a population speaking over 300 languages, and information was being given face to face in English, backed up by English leaflets.
Why the usual approach was not working
Two problems compounded each other. Interpreters were not always available quickly for every language the unit sees. And even when the conversation did happen well, it happened at the worst possible moment – a parent worried about a sick newborn does not retain much, and there was nothing to go back to afterwards.
What was built
Rather than take generic content, the unit co-wrote its own with the clinical team, because neonatal procedures use precise and specialised language. The content was then tested with families who had used the unit before, to check it was actually understood rather than merely accurate.
What changed in practice
A consultant neonatologist gave the clearest example. A lumbar puncture is a routine procedure that sounds frightening, and across a language barrier it could take as long as 45 minutes to explain. Now it can be explained from the prepared script, and the information stays with the family to read again while the team gets on with caring for the baby.
Where interpreters fit
This does not replace the unit’s interpreting service and was never meant to. It covers the conversations happening when an interpreter is not there, and it leaves something behind afterwards – which no interpreted conversation does. The unit reports using both.
“With CardMedic, we can easily explain using the pre-written scripts in the app, and then leave that information with the family to revisit or use as a point of reference while we go and take care of their baby. It provides much needed reassurance in a highly emotional, often stressful situation.”
How to read this
The Trust is not named here at its own preference. The 45 minutes is one clinician’s description of one procedure before the change, not a measured average. Improved parental confidence and fewer complaints are reported by the unit, not independently measured, and no cost saving is claimed.