Training activity information
Details
Perform, analyse and report under supervision, two of the following gastrointestinal physiology investigations for paediatric patients:
- 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 key procedural steps, analysis techniques, and reporting requirements for each of these paediatric investigations?
- What are the standard protocols and techniques for performing Anorectal physiology, Oesophageal manometry, Ambulatory studies, and Breath testing in paediatric patients?
- Are you familiar with the normal physiological parameters and patterns observed in these investigations in children of different age groups?
- Do you know how to analyse the acquired data to identify relevant findings and how to structure a comprehensive report?
- Do you anticipate learning more about the adaptations and considerations required when performing these tests on children?
- Consider possible challenges, such as ensuring child cooperation during the procedure or dealing with technical issues. How will you prepare for these?
- Identify how confident you feel in your knowledge of the procedures, data analysis, and reporting for these investigations in paediatrics. What protocols or examples might be helpful to review?
- Will you review the standard operating procedures and reporting templates for these specific paediatric investigations beforehand?
In action
- How are you approaching the task of setting up the equipment, interacting with the patient and/or their parents/guardians, and acquiring the physiological data? Why are you doing it this way? Consider the specific requirements for paediatric patients.
- What decisions are you making as you conduct the investigations? This might include decisions about equipment settings, patient positioning, or how to respond to unexpected events during the procedure.
- As you move on to analysing the acquired data, how are you focusing your attention on identifying relevant physiological patterns and potential abnormalities? What prior knowledge or guidelines are you drawing upon? Why are you prioritising certain aspects of the data? You will need to identify relevant anatomical features.
- When preparing the report, what information are you including and how are you structuring it? What are your reasons for highlighting specific findings? Consider the need to produce written technical draft report.
- How effective are your current techniques for performing the chosen investigations in a paediatric setting? Are you encountering any difficulties with patient co-operation, equipment limitations, or data acquisition? Consider the practicalities and emotional aspects of working with children.
- What challenges are you facing during the analysis of the data? Are there ambiguities in the traces, unexpected findings, or difficulties in differentiating normal from abnormal physiology?
- How is your draft report taking shape? Are you finding it easy to synthesise the findings and present them clearly and concisely?
- Are you improving your technical skills, your ability to interpret paediatric physiological data, or your report-writing abilities?
- Are there alternative approaches you could be considering for performing the investigations if your initial methods are not working well with the paediatric patient? For example, are there different ways to explain the procedure to the child or involve their parents/guardians?
- What adjustments are you making to your analysis based on the data you are seeing? Are you re-evaluating your initial assumptions or looking for different patterns?
- How are you adapting your reporting style to ensure it is clear and informative for the intended audience (likely your supervisor and potentially other colleagues)? You will eventually present to multidisciplinary team colleagues.
- What support or guidance might you need in the moment from your supervisor if you encounter significant difficulties or uncertainties during any stage of the activity (performance, analysis, or reporting)?
On action
- Describe the two gastrointestinal physiology investigations you performed for paediatric patients under supervision.
- What were the key steps involved in performing each investigation?
- What were the specific findings and results of each investigation?
- What challenges did you encounter during the performance and analysis of these investigations?
- What were your initial interpretations of the results for each patient?
- What did you learn about the practical aspects of performing Anorectal physiology, Oesophageal manometry, Ambulatory studies, and Breath testing in paediatric patients?
- How do you adapt your techniques and approach when performing these investigations on children?
- What are the key parameters and patterns to look for when analysing the data from these investigations in paediatric cases?
- How does this activity contribute to your ability to perform a range of specialist gastrointestinal physiology investigations in paediatrics?
- What considerations are important when reporting the results of these investigations for paediatric patients?
- What aspects of performing, analysing, and reporting on paediatric gastrointestinal physiology investigations do you feel you need to refine?
- How will you approach these investigations with paediatric patients in the future?
- What resources or further training will you seek to improve your technical skills and reporting abilities?
Beyond action
- Consider evaluating and re-evaluating your performance of the two paediatric gastrointestinal physiology investigations, your analysis of the data, and the reports you generated under supervision. What were the key challenges you faced during the procedures or the analysis?
- Compare this experience with any adult investigations you may have performed or observed. What are the significant differences in performing and interpreting these tests in paediatric patients?
- Have you revisited your understanding of the technical aspects of performing these specific investigations in children? Has your proficiency improved since this training activity?
- Recognise that this training activity directly contributes to your ability to perform a range of the specialist gastrointestinal physiology investigations, including in paediatric conditions, and to produce written technical draft reports. How has this hands-on experience enhanced your technical skills and reporting abilities in paediatrics?
- How has this training activity deepened your understanding of the normal and abnormal physiological parameters in paediatric gastrointestinal function for these investigations?
- Identify the transferable skills you developed such as technical competence in performing investigations, meticulous data analysis, attention to detail in reporting, and adapting procedures for paediatric patients. How will these skills be fundamental in your future practice?
- Identify clear actions for continued development in your ability to perform, analyse, and report on paediatric gastrointestinal physiology investigations independently and competently. What further supervised practice or advanced training would be beneficial?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 6 |
Outcome
Identify the range of disorders diagnosed by advanced gastrointestinal investigations, the implications for the patient, impact their quality of life, potential treatments and the differential diagnosis. |
| # 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. |