Practice dialogue: Child has a fever

Medical interpreting is tricky because it can involve such a wide range of words and many of those words are technical terms. It’s a good idea to start out with something a little bit easier and then work your way up to something more challenging, like endocrinology. This dialogue is mainly based on the advice provided about high temperatures on the NHS website.

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Context: This dialogue takes place on Sunday afternoon. A parent is concerned that their child has had a fever since Friday. The local GP is not open on Saturdays or Sundays. Fevers are common in young children, but when the child is very young, it’s a good idea to get health advice. This is why the parent calls 111, the non-emergency health advice line. The call handler is English speaking and the parent is non-English speaking. The child is 6 months old and her name is Jasmine Zheng. You can of course change the child’s name to suit your language pair.

Call handler: Hello, you’re through to NHS 111, my name is Chris and I’m a call handler. Are you calling about yourself or somebody else?

Parent: I’m calling about my daughter, she’s only six months old.

Call handler: Can I just take some details? What’s your daughter’s date of birth?

Parent: 3 August 2023.

Call handler: And can I take your daughter’s surname?

Parent: It’s Zheng, that’s Z-H-E-N-G.

Call handler: And her first name?

Parent: Jasmine.

Call hander: And your postcode?

Parent: NE2 2AN

Call handler: And the first line of your address please?

Parent: 61 Osborne Road.

Call handler: I’m going to go through a series of questions to make sure you get the right help. What’s Jasmine’s temperature?

Parent: The thermometer says it’s 38.6, so almost 39.

Call handler: And when did she start having a fever?

Parent: I noticed that she was fussy when I was putting her to bed on Friday. I think she started having a fever around Friday evening.

Call handler: OK. Is she breathing normally?

Parent: She is crying a lot, she was crying all day yesterday too.

Call handler: Oh you poor thing. Can I just check, is she producing tears? Or does she have no tears?

Parent: I don’t understand, why would she not have tears?

Call handler: If she was severely dehydrated, she would stop producing tears.

Parent: Oh I see. She still has tears, and I’m drinking plenty of water and letting her have water if she wants it.

Call handler: What about her nappies? Are her nappies wet, like normal?

Parent: Yes.

Call handler: What about the colour of her skin and her lips? All normal?

Parent: She’s a little flushed, especially her cheeks.

Call handler: Is she feeding normally?

Parent: Oh I’m not sure. She’s just been so fussy, and normally she is a happy baby. I’m very worried.

Call handler: And does she have any other symptoms?

Parent: She’s just not acting like she normally acts. I don’t know what to say. She’s never been sick like this before.

Call handler: Does she have diarrhoea?

Parent: No.

Call handler: Is she vomiting?

Parent: No, just crying and crying and crying.

Call handler: All right. Have you given her any medication?

Parent: No.

Call handler: You can use paracetamol or ibuprofen fever reducer if your child has a fever. Do you have a fever reducer designed for children in the house?

Parent: Yes.

Call handler: Good, then just follow the instructions on the package and do not exceed the maximum dose.

Parent: OK.

Call handler:? Definitely call your GP on Monday, since the fever was longer than you expected and you are worried.

Parent: I will. I’ll call them as soon as they open.

Call handler: Do you have any questions?

Parent: Yes. Can I give her antibiotics? I just want to give her anything that might help.

Call handler: Do not give her antibiotics. Antibiotics are not usually prescribed for childhood infections. This is because most childhood infections are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Antibiotics only work against bacteria.

Parent: I also have some oral rehydration solution, can I give her that?

Call handler: Yes, oral rehydration solution is good if you think she is dehydrated.

Parent: Great.

Call handler: Do you have any other questions?

Parent: Is there anything I should avoid doing?

Call handler: You shouldn’t undress her or sponge her down. Remember a high temperature is a natural response to infection and it’s what her body should do to fight the infection.

Parent: Oh! Should I try to keep her warm then? Like wrapping her in extra blankets?

Call handler: No, you shouldn’t cover her up in too many clothes or in too many blankets.

Parent: I understand.

Call handler: OK, I’m going to end the call. Go ahead and call the GP tomorrow and they can give you further instructions.

Parent: OK, thank you!

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Michelle Deeter (NRPSI, DPSI Law) is a Chinese-English interpreter based in Manchester. She is also a lecturer at Newcastle University, where she teaches translation and interpreting. She has over 400 hours of experience interpreting for medical and legal assignments. If you have questions about translation, interpreting or taking the DPSI, you can contact her at www.michelledeeter.com