About
Why Show Me Where exists
It started in clinic rooms, with a biro.
When my wife was diagnosed with rectal cancer, we sat through appointment after appointment with surgeons who were skilled, kind and patient. But when it came to explaining where the tumour was, how close it was to the muscles, and what an operation would take away, the best tool in the room was a biro and a scrap of paper.
Those drawings were well meant. They just didn’t paint the picture. It is very hard to take in news like that, and harder still to make decisions about something you can’t picture.
So we built the picture: a free tool any doctor can open in seconds, set up to match a patient’s scan, and use to show exactly what they mean.
What it is
- Free, for everyone, with no account.
- For conversations: patients and doctors working it out together.
- Private: nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
- An illustration tool, not a medical device. It never diagnoses or recommends treatment.
Where it’s going
Rectal cancer is the first area. The aim is to cover as many parts of the body as possible, wherever “show me where” would help: other cancers, stomas, organs and joints. Each new area is built with clinicians who explain these things every day.
Help us
If you’re a clinician and would like to review an area, suggest a new one or tell us what would make it more useful in clinic, or if you’re a patient and something wasn’t clear, we’d love to hear from you.
Email hello@showmewhere.org.uk. Please don’t send personal medical details: we can’t give advice about anyone’s care.
Looking for the pain assessment tool?
Show Me Where at showmewhere.org.uk is not the same as, and not connected to, the Show Me Where pain assessment tool for people who find it hard to say where they hurt. You can find that at showmewherepain.co.uk.
Spread the word
The more people know they can ask, the more useful it becomes. Print a poster for a clinic, or simply tell someone with an appointment coming up: ask them to show you where.