Training activity information
Details
Provide pressure biofeedback therapy and pelvic floor re-education to patients, adapting approach to the patient’s symptoms
Type
Developmental training activity (DTA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee.
Reflection on the activity at one or more time points after the event including learning from the activity and/or areas of the trainees practice for development.
An action plan to implement learning and/or to address skills or knowledge gaps identified.
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 theoretical knowledge do you need to recall or review regarding pressure biofeedback therapy and pelvic floor re-education?
- What are the common symptoms of patients who would benefit from this therapy, and how might these symptoms influence your approach?
- What different techniques or approaches exist for providing pressure biofeedback therapy and pelvic floor re-education?
- Are there any specific protocols or guidelines within your department that you need to be aware of before undertaking this activity?
- What specific insights do you hope to gain about adapting your approach to different patient symptoms?
- Consider your current understanding of patient communication and engagement in therapy. How do you anticipate this experience will enhance these skills?
- What challenges might you encounter when working with patients requiring this type of therapy, and what do you hope to learn about overcoming these challenges?
- How will you prepare yourself to effectively communicate with patients about sensitive issues related to pelvic floor dysfunction?
- Have you considered how you will monitor the patient’s response to the therapy and adapt your approach accordingly?
In action
- Pay attention to your actions as you provide pressure biofeedback therapy and pelvic floor re-education. How are you approaching the session with this particular patient? Why are you choosing this specific technique or exercise now?
- What decisions are you making as the therapy progresses? Are you adjusting the exercises, the intensity, or the feedback based on the patient’s response? What is prompting these adjustments?
- How effective do your actions seem to be in relation to the patient’s symptoms and goals for the therapy? Is the patient understanding the instructions? Are they able to perform the exercises correctly? Are they providing feedback that indicates progress or difficulty?
- Is the patient struggling with a specific exercise? Are they having difficulty understanding the biofeedback? Are there any communication barriers?
- What immediate insights are you gaining about the patient’s condition, their ability to engage with the therapy, or the effectiveness of your approach?
- Are you drawing on previous learning or experiences to guide your actions? Are you noticing any differences between theoretical knowledge and the practical application with this patient?
- Are there alternative approaches you could be considering if the current strategy is not effective? What other exercises or techniques might be beneficial for this patient based on their presentation?
On action
- Begin by summarising the key points of the therapy session.
- What were the patient’s main symptoms?
- What specific biofeedback techniques or re-education exercises did you use? How did the patient respond during the session?
- What were your initial expectations for the session? Did the actual session unfold as you anticipated?
- What were the key moments or turning points in the interaction?
- What verbal and non-verbal cues did you observe from the patient regarding their understanding, comfort, and engagement with the therapy?
- What skills or knowledge did you develop or improve through providing this session of pressure biofeedback therapy and pelvic floor re-education?
- Did you gain a better understanding of adapting your approach?
- Were there any unexpected challenges or successes during the activity?
- What did you learn from these unexpected elements? For example, did a particular exercise prove more difficult or more helpful than anticipated?
- Did you make any adjustments based on your real-time reflections? What was the impact of these adjustments?
- How does this experience relate to the requirements for post-programme practice?
- What aspects of this training activity are particularly relevant to independently providing this type of therapy?
- What areas for continued development have been identified as a result of this activity? Are there specific techniques you want to refine?
- Do you need to learn more about adapting to different patient presentations?
- How can you apply the learning from this activity to your routine practice?
- Will you approach future biofeedback or re-education sessions differently based on this experience?
- Identify the actions you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learned.
- What support or resources might you need to further develop in the areas identified through this reflection?
Beyond action
- Revisit your reflections from this training activity and consider any learning points or ‘next steps’ you identified. Have you addressed these since then? How has your understanding of adapting therapy based on patient symptoms evolved?
- Recognise that this DTA is not an isolated incident but contributes to your overall training. How has the experience of adapting your approach during biofeedback and re-education sessions supported you in developing skills for other training activities, such as communicating with patients or problem-solving in other clinical scenarios?
- How have you applied the knowledge and skills gained from this training activity in subsequent patient encounters or other relevant activities? Have you developed your skills in providing this therapy since the original experience?
- Identify clear actions for continued development of your skills in providing pressure biofeedback therapy and pelvic floor re-education, considering how you might approach more complex cases or integrate new evidence-based practices in the future.
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 4 |
Outcome
Apply advanced history taking skills to explore a patient’s more complex social history with compassion and empathy. |
| # 6 |
Outcome
Provide pelvic floor re-education and pressure biofeedback therapy. |