BELRAI: THE POWER OF PLAIN LANGUAGE IN HEALTHCARE

Language plays an important role in the complex domain that is healthcare. The ability to communicate clearly and efficiently can make the difference between a successful healthcare outcome or a failed one. BelRAI is a tool developed by FPS Health to take efficient communication and transparency to the next level. Untranslate was responsible for the multilingual content creation and strategy to make this innovative tool accessible for the larger public.

BelRAI is an advanced assessment tool used by registered healthcare providers and organisations in Belgium. With the BelRAI tools and surveys, healthcare professionals can assess an individual’s physical, cognitive, psychological and social care needs. Using scientific algorithms, BelRAI records the functioning, health risks, strengths and weaknesses of vulnerable people, making it easier for healthcare professionals to draw up a qualitative treatment plan. All the data is electronically registered and saved in a central BelRAI database to share them with everyone involved.

USER-CENTRED DESIGN

BelRAI data used to be solely accessible for healthcare providers and institutions. That has changed: vulnerable people are now actively involved in their treatment trajectory and receive transparant information about their treatment plan giving them the chance to participate in its design. On the central MyBelRAI platform they can access their personal BelRAI data.

Making the data available is a positive step, but not one without challenges. How do you make complex and often sensitive information understandable for everyone? FPS Health together with Untranslate’s copywriters took on that challenge. Our language maestros designed and implemented a multilingual content strategy, always putting the user first. Focusing on user-centred design (UCD) we made the content, originally only meant for professionals, accessible for the larger public.

CUSTOM STYLE GUIDE

In the first phase of our collaboration we developed a style guide with examples of potential problematic language in terms of spelling and grammar as well as register and inconsistent language. Extensive terminology extraction resulted in a database of frequently used terms which were then labelled ‘preferred’, ‘acceptable’ or ‘rejected’, depending on the target group. This laid the foundations for the rest of the content strategy. The final style guide offered linguistic guidelines and conventions to everyone involved.

CONTENT STRATEGY WORKSHOP

In the next phase we organised an online workshop for the BelRAI users. The group consisted of stakeholders, representatives of and organisations for vulnerable people. After a brief introduction about BelRAI and the goal of the workshop, the participants could share their opinion about the BelRAI texts through an online survey. After the workshop we contacted each participant individually to contextualise their input and clear all uncertainties.

The workshop was useful to map out the preferences in terms of language use, style and terminology. Based on the feedback and the suggestions of the user group, we could ensure that the final texts were clear for everyone. The feedback was also included in the style guide as to put the focus of the rest of the content creation on the users’ opinion.

MULTILINGUAL CONTENT CREATION

Our copywriters produced understandable content in French, Dutch and German in accordance with the validated content strategy and style guide. In total, we took care of 38 nursing scales and 69 CAPs. Nursing scales are tools that help form an image of someone’s health and well-being. CAPs or BelRAI Clinical Assessment Protocols indicate solvable problems to decrease risks or to suggest improvements.

By rewriting CAPs and nursing scales in plain language, such essential information

can now also be shared with vulnerable people in a way that is accessible to them, putting them in charge of their own treatment plan and allowing them to make decisions about their treatment trajectory.

TRANSFORMATION OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION

This project is a testament to our copywriters’ ability to transform complex, technical or sensitive information into accessible content. Thanks to our interactive approach and eye for detail, the texts were not only accurate, but also relevant and understandable for the target audience. By making data exchange more efficient, BelRAI is an even more powerful tool for providing top-notch healthcare. This project does not only embody the principles of user-centred design, but also makes healthcare more transparent. All stakeholders are proud of this big step ahead!

Looking for a partner that can help you transform complex information into accessible, attractive or captivating content? Untranslate’s involvement in the BelRAI project is proof of what language experts can mean for the success of your project. Contact us today to discover how we can help you realise your ideas.