Pocketalk, a secure, AI-powered, handheld translation device, is a game-changing solution. In partnership with SCALE Innovation, Pocketalk offers instant translations in over 85 languages, enabling seamless real-time conversations between healthcare professionals and patients who speak English as a second language (ESL).
An NIHR-funded study of Pocketalk’s impact in the Living Well Partnership, a Southampton-based primary care network, found it enhanced both patient satisfaction and staff confidence, with clear advantages over traditional telephone-based interpreting services.
Pocketalk was implemented in three stages: front desk (reception) interactions with patients, then nurse-led scenarios, and finally in pharmacies.
The device significantly improved communication with ESL patients, who often expressed relief and satisfaction with the service. Pocketalk saved time compared with telephone services, and staff were able to deliver better quality care and meet patients’ needs more immediately. In a staff impact survey, 100% of staff agreed that the device was an acceptable and safe way to communicate with ESL patients. One staff member said: “I loved it. It was so easy and much quicker than contacting a translator via phone.”
By making communication faster and easier, Pocketalk allowed nurses to spend more time with patients, strengthening relationships without third party involvement.
