Barts Health team scoops prestigious Health Service Journal Award
Professor David Wald and the cardiology team at St Bartholomew’s Hospital praised for their ‘transformative and ambitious work’ which is helping patients to better understand their medical procedure.
A new website using video to help patients understand their procedure before undergoing treatment, has won a Health Service Journal award.
Explainmyprocedure.com features short animations on a range of cardiac procedures, including coronary angiography and how a pacemaker is fitted.
It was successful in the Digitising Patient Services Initiative category.
The website, the brainchild of David Wald, Professor of Cardiology at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, can be accessed by patients on their mobile, tablet or computer, before their consent to have with the procedure is given.
The animations are available in a range of languages including Bengali, Polish, Turkish and Hindi, as well as English.
In 2018, work by Professor Wald and his team found that less than a third of patients felt they fully understood their procedure, including the associated risks and possible alternatives, before signing their consent form.
Following a trial introducing the animations to cardiac services at Barts Health, this figure increased to 90 per cent.
It is hoped that, in time, the animations – part of Professor Wald’s Animation Supported Consent Project – will be rolled out to other specialities across the NHS, giving millions of patients the opportunity to learn more about their chosen treatment. 
Judges praised Professor Wald and his team for their ‘transformative and ambitious work.”
Professor Charles Knight, chief executive of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, said:
“This is a fantastic achievement and we’re immensely proud of Professor Wald and the team for winning this top award.
“This is pioneering work which could have a huge impact on the experience of patients undergoing medical procedures across the NHS.
“I look forward to seeing Explainmyprocedure.com helping many more of our patients in the future.”
Professor Wald has received funding from Barts Charity, which supports hospitals across Barts Health NHS Trust.
Now in its 39th year, the HSJ Awards celebrates excellence in healthcare.
The winners, chosen by a host of influential figures from across the sector, were announced at a ceremony in London last night.
A multidisciplinary team from Whipps Cross Hospital was shortlisted in the Acute or Specialist Service Redesign Initiative (London and the South) category for their work on tackling FGM, narrowly losing out to the child and adolescent mental health service at Hertfordshire Partnership University Foundation Trust.