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YES

As of 13 August 2026, AI can translate medical information into plain English.

This still needs a person who signs their name to it.

Can you do it?

5 minutesto a draft.

15 minutesto something you’d act on.

Cost, all in£0

Skill needednone

Who has to check ityou

What the alternative costsThe supplied comparison data lists no comparable medical translation service.

If this goes wrong, an important qualification or warning is misunderstood and you delay contacting the right healthcare service.

What to actually do

  1. Hand it to a person

    The route this page recommends

    A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

  2. Use a tool built for this

    Second choice

  3. Do it yourself

    The distant third

    A chat interface, no skill needed, and roughly 15 minutes until you can act on the result.

    How to actually do it

    1. Open the medical letter, test result or appointment message and copy the complete text, including headings, numbers, units, dates and follow-up instructions.
    2. Remove names, addresses, NHS numbers and other details that are not needed, then paste the remaining text into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
    3. Paste the prompt above with the document text in the final section and ask the chatbot to produce the four requested sections.
    4. Compare each plain-English statement with the corresponding original sentence, checking every number, timeframe, medicine name, warning and level of certainty.
    5. Open the relevant NHS page or 111.nhs.uk and check unfamiliar general medical terms without using the chatbot's explanation as a diagnosis.
    6. Write down the marked uncertainties and questions, then send them to your GP, specialist or the clinic that issued the information; contact NHS 111 for urgent or worrying symptoms.

    Prompt

    Rewrite the medical information below in plain English for a UK patient. Do not diagnose me, guess what any result means, add facts, or change the level of certainty. Keep every number, date, measurement, timeframe, warning, medication name and instruction exactly as written. Separate the answer into: 1) what the document says, 2) medical terms explained, 3) actions or follow-up explicitly mentioned, and 4) questions I could ask my GP or specialist. Mark anything unclear, contradictory or missing as [CHECK WITH CLINICIAN] rather than filling the gap. Tell me which sentences in your rewrite correspond to which parts of the original. If the text suggests urgent or worrying symptoms, say that I should contact NHS 111 or use 111.nhs.uk, and call 999 for an immediate emergency. Do not provide a diagnosis or tell me to start, stop or change treatment.

Medical information:
[PASTE THE LETTER, RESULT OR APPOINTMENT INFORMATION HERE]

    Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.

What it gets wrong

  • AI cannot recover clinical context that is absent from the document, such as why a test was ordered or how the result fits your history.
  • AI can make a cautious medical statement sound more definite during rewriting, so the original wording remains the authority.
  • AI cannot decide whether a symptom or result needs urgent treatment or explain what it means for you personally.
  • AI cannot replace a clinician's explanation of treatment choices, risks or next steps.

Even on a YES, the friction has a name: judgement under ambiguity, verification cost and stakes of error.

How we scored this

Five axes, each scored nought to two by hand: ten means AI carries the task cleanly, and the thresholds that turn a total into YES, PARTLY or NO are published in the methodology. Each axis name links to its definition.

AxisScore (0–2)
Output2
Inputs2
Verification1
Liability1
Effort delta2
Total8 / 10

The methodology and its thresholds are published in full.

FAQ

Can ChatGPT translate my medical letter into plain English?
Yes, it can usually rewrite a medical letter or result in simpler language. Give it the complete text, tell it not to diagnose or add facts, and compare its explanation with the original before acting on it.
Is it safe to put my medical results into AI?
Remove names, NHS numbers, addresses and other unnecessary identifying details before pasting anything. Use the output as a reading aid, not as a diagnosis or treatment decision, and ask your healthcare professional about anything unclear.
Can AI explain what my scan or blood test result means?
AI can explain terms and restate what the report says, but it cannot reliably interpret the result in the context of your symptoms and medical history. Ask the clinician who ordered the test, and contact NHS 111 for urgent or worrying symptoms.
Can AI tell me if my medical symptoms are serious?
No, not reliably. A chatbot can help you organise the symptoms and questions to discuss, but it cannot assess you or provide a diagnosis; contact NHS 111 or use 111.nhs.uk for urgent or worrying symptoms, and call 999 for an immediate emergency.

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Assessed by gpt-5.6-luna (gpt-5.6-luna) on 2026-08-13, second-checked by an independent model. Wrong somewhere? Email [email protected] and it gets re-checked.

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