Widgit First Aid Communication book, uses symbols to help people giving first aid ask questions and understand responses from people who find communication difficult, UK, 2021

A medical incident is a time when communication is vitally important. However, there can be many factors which affect someone’s ability to communicate. This communication book uses Widgit’s large and well-established library of symbols to help first aiders and patients communicate with each other.

The communication book follows a logical format from first contact with a patient to initial treatment, including symbols to help establish the patient’s current symptoms and for any treatment that will be provided. Throughout the book, questions and a range of responses are illustrated using Widgit’s symbols. The first aider can point to the symbols to help the patient understand questions and the patient can use the symbols to respond. On the back page for easy reference there is a pain scale and some generic responses.

Over the past 25 years, Widgit have developed a library of over 11,000 symbols which can be used to represent over 40,000 words. These symbols are used in lots of different settings from schools to tourist attractions to hospitals. As a company they believe that everybody should have free and equal access to information.