Training activity information
Details
Write accurate and concise patient records and report for paediatric hearing assessments for the following age groups:
- Infants
- Pre-school
- School-age
Type
Entrustable training activity (ETA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee repeatedly, consistently, and effectively over time, in a range of situations. This may include occasions where the trainee has not successfully achieved the outcome of the activity themselves. For example, because it was not appropriate to undertake the task in the circumstances or the trainees recognised their own limitations and sought help or advice to ensure the activity reached an appropriate conclusion.
Reflection at multiple timepoints on the trainee learning journey for this activity.
Considerations
- Key findings and management plan
- Structure and language appropriate for the recipient
- Multidisciplinary team working
Reflective practice guidance
The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.
Before action
- What does success look like for writing accurate and concise paediatric records and reports for different age groups? e.g., How do documentation requirements differ for infants, pre-schoolers, and school-age children? What specific information needs to be included for each age group? What standards apply?
- What is your prior experience with writing paediatric clinical notes or reports? e.g., What information is particularly important to capture for children? What challenges have you faced in describing behavioural tests or communicating complex findings for different age groups? What is your scope of practice? How do you feel about writing reports for children?
- What do you anticipate you will learn from this experience? e.g., What skills related to adapting your writing style for different paediatric age groups or effectively summarising behavioural observations do you want to develop? What insights do you hope to gain about the nuances of paediatric documentation?
- What additional considerations do you need to make? e.g., Have you reviewed examples of reports for infants, pre-schoolers, and school-age children? Are there specific templates or required phrases for paediatric documentation?
In action
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate during the process of writing accurate and concise patient records and reports for paediatric hearing assessments? Are you encountering situations such as:
- Difficulty synthesising diverse information sources (e.g., behavioural observations, parental reports, objective test results) into a coherent and clinically meaningful picture for a child?
- Challenges in documenting findings across different age-appropriate tests in a single, flowing report that maintains clarity and conciseness?
- Realising during documentation that specific developmental milestones, communication observations, or family dynamics were not adequately captured, but are crucial for the report?
- Struggling to clearly communicate complex paediatric hearing loss types, aetiologies, or management options to a non-specialist audience (e.g., General Practitioner, teacher, or other allied health professionals)?
- Unexpected requirements for specific paediatric safeguarding information or a multidisciplinary team referral process within the report?
- How does this experience compare with previous experiences of similar activities?
- How is this impacting your actions? For example, are you responding to the situation appropriately? Are you adapting or changing your approach to the procedure? Is it affecting your ability to undertake the activity independently? Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as:
- Are you immediately reviewing paediatric case notes, developmental checklists, or parental questionnaires for additional details?
- Are you consulting guidelines on paediatric documentation, age-specific reporting requirements, or multidisciplinary communication best practices?
- Are you seeking advice from a more experienced colleague or your training officer on how to best phrase a complex paediatric diagnosis, explain test limitations, or document family considerations?
- Are you changing your initial report structure or emphasis to better accommodate the nuances of paediatric data and the diverse audience?
- How is any unexpected development being resolved as you progress during the activity?
- How are you working within your scope of practice? Are you successfully managing the situation yourself, or do you need support because it is beyond your current scope (for example, if there are significant safeguarding concerns requiring specific reporting protocols)?
- What are you learning in this moment as a result of any unexpected development? For example, are you learning more precise language for paediatric reports, or better methods for integrating multi-source information to present a holistic view of the child’s hearing?
On action
- Begin by summarising the key points of how you wrote the patient record and report for a paediatric hearing assessment, considering the specific age group(s) you documented for (infants, pre-school, school-age). Describe what information was included and how specific paediatric considerations were addressed.
- Consider specific events or actions that felt important, such as documenting age-appropriate test results, conveying findings effectively to parents/carers, or outlining follow-up plans tailored for children. How did you feel during the documentation process?
- Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments, where you had to adjust your writing or emphasis based on the unique aspects of a paediatric case or new information about the child’s development.
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding writing accurate and concise patient records and reports specifically for paediatric hearing assessments.
- What strengths did you demonstrate (e.g., adapting language for the paediatric context, clearly documenting developmental considerations, summarising complex findings for parents)?
- What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident (e.g., specific paediatric terminology, nuances of reporting for different age groups, integrating family input)?
- Compare this experience against previous engagements with similar activities. Were any previously identified actions for development achieved? Has your paediatric documentation practice improved?
- Identify any challenges you experienced (e.g., documenting uncertain test results, conveying sensitive information to parents in an empathetic manner, balancing conciseness with necessary detail for a child’s case) and how you reacted to these. Did this affect your ability to deal with the situation? Were you able to overcome the challenges?
- Identify anything significant about this activity, such as needing to seek advice or clarification on paediatric documentation standards or reporting guidelines.
- Identify the actions or ‘next steps’ you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learned, including from any feedback you received on your paediatric documentation.
- What will you do differently next time you write paediatric patient records and reports?
- Has anything changed in terms of what you would do if you were faced with a similar situation again?
- Do you need to practise any specific aspect of paediatric documentation (e.g., reporting for specific age groups, incorporating developmental milestones, communicating effectively with referrers) further?
Beyond action
- Have you revisited your previous reflections (reflect-before-action, reflect-in-action, and reflect-on-action) for this specific activity (writing paediatric patient records and reports)?
- When reviewing these past reflections, what actions for improvement did you previously identify you would need to take to improve your practice related to adapting reports for different age groups, clearly communicating complex paediatric findings to parents/carers, documenting multidisciplinary input, or adhering to child safeguarding guidelines in records?
- Have you completed these previously identified actions? If not, what are the barriers? If so, how did completing them impact your subsequent performance of this activity? Are you ready to demonstrate this new learning confidently and consistently when performing this task?
- Have you engaged in professional storytelling or discussed your experiences of paediatric patient documentation with peers, near peers, or colleagues? Has discussing these experiences with others changed your view or understanding of the sensitivity required in paediatric reports, the role of reports in inter-agency communication, or challenges in documenting developmental considerations?
- Considering your cumulative experiences and reflections on this activity, how will the learning you have gained support you in preparing for relevant observed ‘in-person’ assessments for the module?
- How has your practice related to writing paediatric patient records and reports developed and evolved over time across multiple instances of undertaking this training activity?
- Can you identify specific examples of improvement or increased confidence in capturing subtle observations in infants/pre-schoolers, integrating information from various sources (e.g., school, health visitor), or ensuring reports are accessible to parents/carers while maintaining clinical rigor?
- Based on your experiences, how has your ability to recognise when something related to paediatric patient documentation is beyond your scope of practice improved?
- Do you have a clearer understanding of when and from whom (e.g., supervisor, paediatric clinical lead, safeguarding officer, legal team) you need to seek advice or clarification regarding sensitive family dynamics in reporting, complex developmental diagnoses, or concerns requiring reporting to external agencies?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 5 |
Outcome
Assess hearing function in school age children and assist in the hearing assessment of infants and pre-school children using a range of standard diagnostic tests. |
| # 6 |
Outcome
Practice in partnership with the multidisciplinary team in the management of common hearing disorders in school age children without complex needs. |