Training activity information
Details
Obtain (valid consent under supervision, for a paediatric patient (0 to 16 years) referred for two of the following gastrointestinal physiology investigations:
- Anorectal physiology
- Oesophageal manometry
- Ambulatory studies
- Breath testing, including SIBO, LI and FI
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 are the specific ethical and legal considerations when obtaining consent from paediatric patients and their guardians?
- What are the guidelines and best practices for obtaining valid consent from children of different age groups and their parents/guardians for Anorectal physiology, Oesophageal manometry, Ambulatory studies, and Breath testing?
- Are you familiar with the information that needs to be provided to the child and their parents/guardians to ensure informed consent?
- Do you understand the importance of assessing the child’s and parents’/guardians’ understanding and addressing any questions or concerns?
- What specific communication skills and techniques for obtaining consent from paediatric patients and their families do you hope to develop?
- Think about your current understanding of patient rights and ethical considerations in healthcare. How will this activity enhance your ability to apply these principles in a paediatric setting?
- Do you anticipate learning more about the practical challenges and nuances of obtaining consent in different paediatric age groups and clinical situations?
- Consider possible challenges, such as language barriers, parental anxiety, or the child’s apprehension. How will you prepare to address these?
- Identify how confident you feel in your communication skills with children and their families regarding medical procedures. What resources or guidance might be helpful to review?
- Will you review any specific consent forms or information leaflets for these paediatric investigations beforehand?
In action
- Pay attention to your actions as you engage with the patient and their parent/guardian to obtain consent. How are you approaching the conversation, explaining the procedure, and addressing any concerns? Why are you choosing this particular communication style?
- What information are you prioritising when explaining the investigation to the child and their parent/guardian? What decisions are you making about the level of detail to provide?
- How are you assessing the understanding and capacity to consent of both the child (where appropriate for their age) and the parent/guardian?
- How effective is your current approach in ensuring that the patient and their parent/guardian understand the investigation and are providing valid consent?
- What challenges are you facing during the consent process? For example, are there communication barriers, anxieties, or complex family dynamics?
- Are you improving your communication skills, your ability to explain technical information in an accessible way, or your understanding of the nuances of paediatric consent?
- How does this activity connect with your knowledge of ethical principles, consent procedures, and the specific considerations for paediatric patients?
- Are there alternative ways you could be explaining the investigation to enhance understanding and address concerns? For example, could you use visual aids, different language, or involve a play therapist?
- Are you ensuring that you are following the correct procedures for obtaining consent for paediatric gastrointestinal physiology investigations?
On action
- Describe the process of obtaining valid consent from the paediatric patient (and their parent/guardian) for the two chosen investigations.
- What information did you provide to the patient and their parent/guardian about the investigations?
- What were the reactions and questions of the patient and their parent/guardian during the consent process?
- What considerations did you take into account due to the patient being a child (age, understanding, emotional state)?
- What were your observations of the communication between yourself, the patient, and their parent/guardian?
- What did you learn about the specific requirements for obtaining valid consent from paediatric patients for Anorectal physiology, Oesophageal manometry, Ambulatory studies, Breath testing?
- How do you adapt your communication style to ensure patient (and parental/guardian) comprehension in paediatric settings?
- What are the key ethical and practical considerations when obtaining consent for gastrointestinal investigations in children?
- How does this activity contribute to your ability to employ compassionate communication to obtain informed consent?
- What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them (under supervision)?
- What aspects of obtaining valid consent from paediatric patients for gastrointestinal physiology investigations do you feel you need to develop further?
- How will you approach the consent process with paediatric patients and their families in the future?
- What resources or guidance will you seek to improve your communication and consent-taking skills in paediatric settings?
Beyond action
- Consider evaluating and re-evaluating your approach to obtaining valid consent from the paediatric patient (and their guardian) for the specified investigations. What communication strategies did you use, and how effective were they?
- Have you revisited your understanding of the ethical considerations and associated regulations involved in paediatric gastrointestinal investigations? Has your awareness in this area evolved?
- How has this experience with paediatric consent influenced your communication skills in other patient interactions?
- How has this DTA enhanced your understanding of the practicalities and emotional aspects of performing gastrointestinal investigations in paediatrics, including the role of parental input and guardianship?
- Identify the transferable skills you developed such as empathy, clear communication, building rapport, and navigating ethical considerations. How will these skills be crucial when working with paediatric patients and their families in the future?
- Identify clear actions for continued development in your ability to obtain valid consent from paediatric patients and their guardians in a sensitive and age-appropriate manner. What further training or resources could you explore in this area?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Apply the requirements for performing specialist gastrointestinal physiology investigations in a range of patients including paediatrics. |
| # 2 |
Outcome
Perform a range of the specialist gastrointestinal physiology investigations, including safe intubation of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract in a variety of adult and paediatric patient conditions. |
| # 5 |
Outcome
Perform routine maintenance and calibration of equipment, identifying and managing faults, out of specification results and artefacts which may result in an inaccurate study being performed. |
| # 7 |
Outcome
Plan and perform gastrointestinal investigations in paediatrics, adapting practice to consider the practicalities and emotional aspects including age of the child, parental input, guardianship and external factors such as social services. |