Training activity information
Details
Perform routine maintenance and calibration of the equipment used in anorectal manometry
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 successfully performing routine maintenance and calibration of the anorectal manometry equipment.
- Consider how the learning outcomes apply, specifically in relation to performing routine maintenance and calibration and recognising problems or artefacts which may result in an inaccurate study.
- Discuss with your training officer to gain clarity of what is expected of you in relation to the specific calibration checks that must be performed (e.g., pressure sensor accuracy), and the documentation required for routine maintenance records.
- What is your prior experience of this activity?
- Think about what you already know about performing calibration or routine maintenance checks on medical or technical equipment. Are you familiar with the specific anorectal manometry equipment used in your department?
- Consider possible challenges you might face during the activity, such as the equipment failing to calibrate correctly, difficulty identifying the source of a minor technical problem, or unfamiliarity with manufacturer’s procedures for routine maintenance.
- Recognise the scope of your own practice for this activity i.e. know when you will need to seek advice or help, and from whom. You will need to seek advice from your Training Officer when required, for example if the equipment persistently malfunctions or fails to calibrate despite following standard routine maintenance protocols, potentially requiring senior technical intervention.
- Acknowledge how you feel about performing routine maintenance of the equipment. How confident do you feel about undertaking the calibration?
- What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?
- Consider the specific skills you want to develop, such as mastering the manufacturer’s or department’s calibration and maintenance procedures and accurately performing the necessary technical checks before intubation.
- Identify the specific insights you hope to gain into the technical aspects of the equipment and how it affects data quality or appreciating why calibration is important for accurate measurements and avoiding artefacts.
- What additional considerations do you need to make?
- Consult actions identified following previous experiences of performing equipment maintenance, calibration, or technical checks.
- Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as reviewing the equipment manual or department protocol for routine maintenance procedures, ensuring necessary tools are available, and reviewing the equipment’s service history.
In action
- Is anything unexpected occurring?
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate whilst performing calibration or routine maintenance checks?
- Are you encountering situations such as:
- The manometry equipment fails to calibrate correctly, with readings falling outside the expected range, compromising data accuracy?
- A specific component of the system is found to be malfunctioning or requires complex adjustment that is not covered in routine maintenance protocols?
- You encounter an electrical or mechanical issue that suggests the equipment is unsafe for use, requiring immediate reporting?
- 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 your approach to technical troubleshooting or following the calibration sequence?
- Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as:
- Immediately repeating the calibration sequence carefully or checking all physical connections and sensors to identify the source of error
- Halting the procedure and consulting the equipment manual or Training Officer to resolve unexpected technical readings
- How are you feeling in that moment? For instance, are you finding it difficult to interpret the technical readings to isolate the source of the malfunction? Is it affecting your confidence in ensuring the equipment is safe and accurate for clinical use?
- What is the conclusion or outcome?
- Identify how you are working within your scope of practice. For example, are you successfully troubleshooting minor calibration issues yourself? Or are you needing support because the equipment fault is significant and requires reporting to senior staff or biomedical engineering for intervention?
- What are you learning as a result of the unexpected development? For example, are you mastering a more rigorous verification checklist for pre-use equipment checks? Or gaining insight into the critical importance of accurate calibration for reliable physiological data?
On action
- What happened?
- Begin by summarising the key steps you took when initiating the routine maintenance checks, executing the pressure sensor calibration procedure, and formally documenting all readings and maintenance logs according to departmental policy.
- Consider specific events, actions, or interactions which felt important, such as how you systematically adjusted the pressure baseline to ensure zero offset, or how accurately you recorded the response to a known pressure input.
- Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you had to adapt to the situation as it unfolded, for instance, immediately repeating the calibration sequence when the initial pressure reading fell outside the acceptable tolerance range.
- How did you feel during this experience, e.g., did you feel focused on achieving technical precision or concerned about the potential for equipment malfunction?
- How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding the necessity of routine calibration to guarantee accurate study results and recognise technical problems.
- What strengths did you demonstrate, e.g., meticulous documentation of all calibration steps and result?
- What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident, e.g., difficulty diagnosing the cause of minor technical drift during calibration?
- Compare this experience against previous engagement with similar activities – were any previously identified actions for development achieved?
- Has your practice improved in efficiently troubleshooting minor calibration issues?
- Identify any challenges you experienced, such as needing to seek advice or clarification on scope of practice regarding how to proceed when a calibration error persisted despite routine troubleshooting, and how you reacted to this.
- 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, with regards to enhancing your knowledge of equipment functionality and systematic troubleshooting during calibration.
- What will you do differently next time you approach performing routine maintenance and calibration, for instance, by proactively reviewing the equipment service manual to understand the tolerance ranges for calibration checks?
- Do you need to practise any aspect of the activity further, such as diagnosing common technical errors in manometry equipment or key learning outcomes related to performing routine maintenance and calibration?
Beyond action
- Have you revisited the experiences?
- How have your subsequent experiences of performing investigations or analysing results since completing this specific training activity led you to revisit your initial approach or decisions during that activity? For example, encountering unexplained data variability during analysis, forced you to re-evaluate the precision and frequency of the pressure sensor calibration checks during your first attempt at this training activity.
- Considering what you understand about technical maintenance, accuracy of measurement, and troubleshooting now, were the actions or considerations you identified after your initial reflection on this training activity sufficient?
- How have you since implemented or adapted improvements in your technical skills and documentation process based on further learning and experiences? For example, how you proactively created a detailed log sheet to record pressure sensor calibration offsets to ensure longitudinal quality control.
- Has discussing troubleshooting equipment issues or the impact of poor calibration on data accuracy with colleagues, peers, or supervisors changed how you now view your initial experience in this training activity? For example, how professional storytelling with a senior colleague about a measurement error caused by slight pressure drift, refined your understanding of the critical nature of accurate calibration for reliable results.
- How have these experiences impacted upon current practice?
- How has the learning from this initial training activity, (in combination with subsequent procedural experiences and analysis), contributed to your overall confidence and ability in performing maintenance and calibration and ensuring data reliability, particularly in preparing for assessments like Direct Observations of Practical Skills (DOPS)? For example, how your accumulated ability in verifying technical checks now enables you to confidently check the calibration of the anorectal catheter before intubation during a DOPS assessment.
- How has reflecting back on this specific training activity, combined with everything you’ve learned since, shaped your current approach to vigilance regarding equipment status and technical skills?
- How does this evolved understanding help you identify when something is beyond your scope of practice or requires escalation? For example, how your evolved approach means you now routinely seek advice from the Training Officer or biomedical engineer immediately when the equipment persistently fails a standard calibration check, recognising this falls outside routine technical upkeep scope.
- Looking holistically at your training journey, how has this initial maintenance and calibration experience, revisited with your current perspective, contributed to your development in meeting the learning outcomes related to performing routine maintenance and calibration and recognising problems which may result in an inaccurate study? For example, how this foundational experience has supported your development in practicing safely by providing the necessary knowledge base for the subsequent learning outcomes focused on obtaining accurate and reliable results and avoiding artefacts.
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 6 |
Outcome
Perform routine maintenance and calibration of anorectal manometry equipment, recognising problems and artefacts which may result in an inaccurate study being performed. |