The coronavirus pandemic has created new barriers to medical communication at the time it is needed most. Face-to-face explanation of medical treatments is now limited and has been largely replaced by remote consultation using phone and video. Patient understanding of their illness and treatment was incomplete before COVID and is now set to worsen further with this unplanned change in the delivery of healthcare. Patients feel vulnerable and hospitals exposed. At the same time, the reduction in face-to-face contact has the potential for environmental benefit with reduced travel and carbon-miles. Innovation is needed to improve communication before consent to treatment and at the same time support this potential avenue for decarbonisation -- helping patients, hospitals and the environment in one go. Explain my Procedure is a multi-language online platform for digital animations that supports medical communication and has been shown to improve understanding of the benefits, risks and alternatives before heart procedures (www.explainmyprocedure.com). The technology is now being developed across specialties to serve healthcare workers, patients and their families in the challenging post-COVID world. Explain my Procedure animations will facilitate understanding of treatment options and the surgical procedures in the areas of cancer, orthopaedics and surgery to complement the cardiovascular service that is already available. The animations will be available in languages that can be selected by the user on an online web-platform to bridge the communication gap between hospital staff, patients and their families - a gap that has developed due to the pandemic and will, in the absence of such innovation, be an enduring legacy of it.

The coronavirus pandemic has created new barriers to medical communication at the time it is needed most. Face-to-face explanation of medical treatments is no longer possible. Patient understanding of their illness and treatment is incomplete, with family denied hospital access and language services restricted. The usual doctor-patient-family relationship has been transformed. ExplainmyProcedure is a multi-language online platform for digital animations that supports medical communication and has been shown to improve understanding of the benefits, risks and alternatives before cardiac and surgical procedures ([www.explainmyprocedure.com][0]). The technology is now being developed to serve healthcare workers, patients and their families in the challenging acute and Intensive care (ICU) environment that has become the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. Explain my procedure animations will facilitate understanding of the disease, procedures that may be needed such as ventilation and any specific treatments that emerge as useful in combating the virus. The animations will be freely available during the pandemic in languages that can be selected by the user on an online web-platform to bridge the communication gap between hospital staff, patients and their families during the outbreak. [0]: http://www.explainmyprocedure.com/