Show Me Where
Developed by staff at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Show Me Where (SMW) is a simple tool with an indispensible use: it allows patients to communicate in difficult circumstances and quickly indicate the location of their pain.
About Show Me Where
Transformation in Action

Jan’s Story
Jan Sharp is a Medical Illustrator (IMI, AHCS) at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. She’s worked at the University Hospital of Wales for over 35 years, providing medical and surgical artwork that aids teaching and provides valuable information for patients and the public.
“I joined the University Hospital as a medical illustrator in 1982. I’ve been involved in a variety of interesting medical projects, and Show Me Where is one example.
“Irene Hammond, a nurse working at The Hollies special school, had noticed that children with autism had difficulties accurately reporting pain, her new idea enabled them to to show where they hurt and report pain and by using body images. Working together as a team, we applied for funding to design and develop ‘Show me where’ into a multi-lingual app containing 6 languages and plastic fan tool, enabling adults and children with autism and any other verbal disability, to indicate the site of pain quickly and help their carers to communicate effectively with medical staff.
“Show Me Where is now used routinely and successfully in special schools in Wales and further afield and is endorsed by the National Autistic Society
“With the help of the Clinical Innovation team Show Me Where now has a commercial partner, Focus Games, an educational games company who look after sales and distribution, which in turn provides an income for Cardiff and Vale UHB.
“It has been an exciting journey to get SMW to market, producing the artwork, choosing the correct print for the product, designing the navigation of the app, recording of different languages and working with the coding team. Also working with our audience of patients, carers and staff who benefit from using Show Me Where, helping non-verbal people communicate.”