Supporting patients to read

Can you imagine being unable to read a confidential letter, the results of your hospital test or a newspaper article without assistance?

Now, thanks to new screen readers in the Knowledge and Information Centre at St Thomas’, our patients can read important documents without relying on the support of others.

The screen readers turn text into spoken word and can be listened to on headphones or magnified to large print size on a screen.

Dr Sarah Janikoun, associate specialist in ophthalmology at Guy’s and St Thomas’, says: “It must be awful receiving a bank statement or a bill and not being able to read it privately.

"That’s why the new screen readers are so important for all of our patients who find reading difficult. They may be visually impaired or English may be their second language.

"Whatever their circumstances we hope the screen readers give our patients more freedom to live their lives independently.”

To find out more visit the Knowledge and Information Centre.