Training activity information
Details
Draft a clear and concise report for a normal echo
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.
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?
- Identify what is expected of you in relation to drafting a clear and concise report for a normal echo.
- Consider how the relevant learning outcomes apply, specifically concerning the requirements to summarise complex information into a concise and logical report for specialist and non-specialist audiences. The report should also be accurate.
- What specific sections or information should be included in a report for a normal echo, drawing on knowledge of writing a comprehensive echo report and normal echo findings?
- What criteria define a ‘clear and concise’ report in this context?
- Discuss with your training officer to gain clarity of what is expected in the reporting of a normal echo.
What is your prior experience of this activity?
- Think about what you already know about drafting medical reports or documentation, particularly for imaging studies or normal findings.
- Consider possible challenges you might face during the activity, such as ensuring accuracy, maintaining conciseness, using appropriate terminology, or structuring the report logically, and think about how you might handle them.
- Recognise the scope of your own practice for drafting reports i.e. know when you will need to seek advice or help, and from whom (e.g., supervisor).
- Acknowledge how you feel about reporting on a normal echo.
What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?
- Consider the specific skills you want to develop – drawing upon previous experiences if applicable – related to medical writing, summarisation, and structuring an effective echo report.
- Identify specific insights you hope to gain from engaging with the activity, perhaps related to efficient reporting techniques or the nuances of communicating normal findings.
What additional considerations do you need to make?
- Consult actions identified following previous experience of the activity or related reporting tasks. Have you noted anything from prior attempts that you need to focus on this time?
- Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as reviewing example reports, checking institutional templates or guidelines for reporting, or understanding the reporting workflow for normal studies.
In action
Is anything unexpected occurring?
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate whilst reviewing images/measurements or structuring the report?
- Are you encountering situations such as:
- Significant difficulty in synthesising key measurements and observations into a clear, concise, and logical summary statement that reflects a normal study?
- Struggling to decide on the most appropriate terminology to describe normal findings that is clear for both specialist and non-specialist audiences?
- Technical issues with the reporting system, making it difficult to efficiently locate and input the necessary data points?
- How is this experience comparing with previous experiences of report writing?
How are you reacting to the unexpected development?
- How is this impacting your actions? For example, are you responding to the situation appropriately? Are you adapting or changing the structure of the report sections in the moment to improve flow or conciseness?
- Consider the steps you are taking in the moment:
- Immediately seeking guidance from a supervisor on the appropriate phrasing for a specific normal finding or how to best summarise the overall results concisely?
- Actively concentrating on ensuring conciseness and accuracy while reviewing institutional templates?
- Reviewing alternative ways to phrase findings to ensure clarity for specific audiences?
- How are you feeling in that moment? For instance, are you finding it difficult to maintain clarity while condensing information? Is it affecting your confidence in ensuring the report accurately reflects a normal study?
What is the conclusion or outcome?
- Identify how you are working within your scope of practice. For example, are you successfully resolving minor technical issues with the reporting software? Or are you needing support because the uncertainty in phrasing the summary statement concisely requires senior input (as the report is produced under supervision)?
- What are you learning as a result of the unexpected development? For example, are you mastering a more efficient way to structure or phrase sections of a normal echo report, or gaining insight into common pitfalls in concisely reporting normal findings?
On action
What happened?
- Begin by summarising the key points of the experience of drafting the clear and concise report for the normal echo.
- Consider specific events, actions, or interactions which felt important during the activity, such as reviewing the measurements/images, selecting the specific findings to include, or formulating the concise summary statement.
- Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you had to adapt to the situation as it unfolded, for instance, debating the specific phrasing or inclusion of data to ensure conciseness or resolving an issue with the reporting template/software. How did you feel during this experience?
How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding summarising complex information into a concise and logical report.
- What strengths did you demonstrate e.g., accuracy in reporting measurements? What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident e.g., unfamiliarity with the required standard terminology or difficulty in maintaining conciseness?
- Compare this experience against previous engagement with similar activities – were any previously identified actions for development achieved? Has your practice in reporting clarity, conciseness, or accuracy improved?
- Identify any challenges you experienced, such as structuring the report effectively for both specialist and non-specialist audiences or dealing with reporting software issues, 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 the activity, such as needing to seek advice or clarification from your supervisor regarding report phrasing or structure.
- Acknowledge any changes in your own feelings now you are looking back on the experience.
What will you take from the experience moving forward?
- Identify the actions or ‘next steps’ you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learnt, including from any feedback you have received regarding your report drafting skills.
- What will you do differently next time you draft an echo report, for instance, proactively reviewing example reports for structure or focusing on efficiency in reviewing data? 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 aspect of the activity further, such as reviewing institutional reporting templates or practicing summarising complex echo findings concisely
Beyond action
Have you revisited the experiences?
- Have you reviewed your actions from your previous reflections for this activity? Review reports you drafted earlier and the reflections you made on those experiences. What common areas for improvement did you identify regarding clarity, conciseness, structure, or terminology?
- How effectively have you addressed the areas for improvement identified in previous reflections? Have you successfully incorporated feedback received on past reports into your current drafting process?
- Engage in professional storytelling with peers, near peers, or colleagues. Have you discussed reporting best practices, challenges with summarising complex information, or phrasing issues with peers or supervisors? How did their advice or different approaches impact your reporting style?
How have these experiences impacted upon current practice?
- How has your report writing ability developed and evolved over time? Is your process more efficient? Are your reports consistently clear, concise, and logical for the intended audiences?
- How does your increasing skill in drafting normal echo reports contribute to preparing for observed assessments for the module, such as Case-based Discussions or OCEs where you might need to explain findings or present information clearly? How does it support other activities in the module, such as discussing results with patients or healthcare professionals or adapting reports for specific pathologies (e.g., valve disease)?
- How does the process of drafting reports reinforce your understanding of normal echo findings and their clinical significance? Does this analytical process help you identify gaps in your knowledge that require further study?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 6 |
Outcome
Demonstrate safe practice in line with local, national and international guidelines and standards. |
| # 9 |
Outcome
Summarise complex information into a concise and logical reports for specialist and non-specialist audiences. |