UCLH NHS Trust – Patient information video

The Brief

UCLH Eastman Dental Hospital tasked us with creating two new versions of their IV sedation patient information animation. These versions were tailored for two distinct audiences: one aimed at paediatric patients (8-16 years old) and another for parents and guardians. The goal was to provide clear, reassuring information about the IV sedation process, ensuring both children and their guardians understood what to expect before, during, and after treatment.

With a need to address different levels of understanding and emotional responses, the animations required nuanced adjustments in tone, language, and visual presentation. While maintaining consistency in branding and style, the adaptations had to ensure that the information was accessible and engaging for each audience.

The Approach

We began work by drafting two distinct scripts, one for the 8-16 year old patient audience and another for the adult guardian audience. When scripting for the child version, we used simple, direct language with a reassuring and friendly tone. The script was designed to reduce anxiety, avoid complex medical terminology, and normalise the experience in a calm and positive way. The script for the adult guardian audience was more detailed, ensuring they had all necessary information about preparation, procedure, and aftercare. It maintained a warm, professional tone while providing the depth of information they needed to feel confident about their child’s treatment.

We selected two voice over artists for this project to ensure that the tone of each animation would appeal to each target audience. For the patient audience we chose a child voice of c.12 years old, and recorded the script with a warm, reassuring, and positive feel. For the adult version, we selected an approachable female voice over artist who delivered the script with a calm and confident feel.

We created artwork for the animations that built on our previous work for the team at UCLH, bringing consistency of style and fully utilising their brand. We created a 12-year-old female character to represent the patient and lead the narrative in both animations. We worked with the dental team throughout the design and animation process to ensure that we created scenes and settings that reflect the environments that patients will experience on the day of their treatment.

To enhance accessibility, we expanded the animation’s features to include a British Sign Language (BSL) version and subtitles in Arabic, Farsi, Bengali, Spanish, and Turkish.

The Result

The paediatric dental team at UCLH are using the animations both in consultations with patients, and sharing them via a QR code with patients and their carers for review at home.