Training activity information
Details
Prepare and assist in paediatric patient electrophysiological tests focusing on the child facing role
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 preparing and assisting in paediatric patient electrophysiological tests. Consider how the learning outcomes apply, such as performing and troubleshooting tests, adhering to standards, and communicating effectively.
- What does successful preparation for and assistance with paediatric electrophysiology tests look like, with a specific focus on the child-facing role? This includes effective communication with the child and parent/guardian.
- Discuss with your training officer to gain clarity on what is expected of you when working with paediatric patients.
- What is your prior experience of this activity?
- Think about what you already know about working with children in a clinical setting or assisting with paediatric procedures.
- Consider possible challenges you might face with paediatric patients, such as anxiety, limited cooperation, communication difficulties based on age, or needing to adapt standard protocols, and think about how you might handle them.
- 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, regarding managing challenging behaviour or adapting techniques for specific age groups.
- Acknowledge how you feel about preparing and assisting with tests involving paediatric patients.
- What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?
- Consider specific skills you want to develop in communicating effectively with children and their families, adapting techniques for paediatric testing, and assisting efficiently in the procedure – drawing upon previous experiences.
- Identify specific insights you hope to gain regarding child development, managing the testing environment for children, or specific considerations for paediatric electrode placement and recording.
- What additional considerations do you need to make?
- Consult actions identified following previous experience of working with children or assisting in paediatric procedures, if any.
- Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as age-appropriate communication techniques, the role of parents/guardians, potential need for sedation, and adapting equipment or protocols for smaller patients.
In action
- Is anything unexpected occurring?
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate whilst you prepare and assist in paediatric patient electrophysiological testing?
- Are you encountering situations, such as:
- The child becoming significantly uncooperative, anxious, or highly distracted, affecting your ability to obtain the necessary quiet state for objective testing
- The parent / guardian intervening unexpectedly in the procedure or provide conflicting instructions, compromising the test conditions
- Issues regarding the environment/equipment adaptation may arise if you have difficulty adapting the equipment or dimming the room quickly enough due to the child’s dynamic emotional state or specific patient needs
- Unexpected developmental considerations or subtle signs of additional needs may also affect the choice or interpretation of the engagement strategy
- 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 way in which you are preparing for the tests? How is it impacting upon your ability to assist in the tests? Is it affecting your ability to undertake the activity independently?
- Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as:
- Are you immediately adjusting your communication style, tone, or using play-based techniques to build rapport and gather information?
- Are you consulting paediatric protocols for managing challenging behaviours or adapting tests for varying developmental levels?
- If the interaction is challenging, are you seeking advice from a more experienced colleague or your training officer?
- Are you changing your initial assessment plan or test sequence (e.g., prioritising a quick objective test) based on the child’s immediate presentation?
- Specifically, are you ensuring empathy is communicated effectively when explaining the need for test adaptation to the family?
- Did you feel positive you could reach a successful conclusion regarding engagement?
- How are you feeling in this moment? If you encounter unexpected findings e.g. the child becomes significantly uncooperative, anxious, or highly distracted, or if the parent/guardian intervenes unexpectedly, consider:
- Is the challenging behaviour affecting your confidence in maintaining rapport and obtaining the necessary quiet state for objective testing?
- Are you finding it difficult to adapt your communication style or engagement strategy immediately to manage the child’s anxiety or parent intervention?
- Do you feel positive you could reach a successful conclusion by implementing play-based or adaptation techniques to secure the objective data needed?
- What is the conclusion or outcome?
- Identify how you are working within your scope of practice. For example, are you successfully managing the situation, or are you needing support because the child’s behaviour becomes too challenging for you to manage independently?
- What are you learning as a result of the unexpected development? For example, are you learning new techniques for engaging children and their families, or a more adaptable approach to test sequencing in dynamic situations?
On action
- What happened?
- Begin by summarising the key points of the experience of preparing and assisting with paediatric patient electrophysiological tests, paying particular attention to your interactions in the child-facing role.
- Consider specific events, actions, or interactions that felt important, such as adapting communication to manage parental anxiety, establishing rapport with the child, or managing unexpected patient movement that impacted electrode placement. How did you feel during this experience?
- Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you had to adapt to the situation as it unfolded, for instance, modifying your explanation based on the child’s developmental stage, or rapidly adjusting the testing sequence to maintain patient engagement.
- How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience with paediatric patients and the child-facing role.
- What strengths did you demonstrate (e.g., empathetic communication, effective rapport-building, technical ability to perform tests despite patient limitations)?
- What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident (e.g., unfamiliarity with managing specific paediatric behavioural challenges, or difficulty tailoring communication based on the child’s age)?
- Compare this experience against previous engagements with similar child-facing activities. Has your practice in communicating with children and parents/guardians improved?
- Identify any challenges you experienced during the paediatric tests (e.g., patient cooperation, parental concerns) and how you reacted to these.
- Acknowledge any changes in your own feelings now that you are looking back on the experience, especially regarding managing sensitive patient interactions.
- What will you take from the experience moving forward?
- Identify the next steps you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learned, including from any feedback regarding your approach to paediatric testing.
- What will you do differently next time you prepare and assist with paediatric tests, particularly in the child-facing role?
- Do you need to practise any aspect of assisting with paediatric tests or your child-facing role further? E.g., Practising specific questioning techniques for patient history taking tailored to a parent/guardian, or developing a structured rapport-building method for anxious children and their carers.
Beyond action
- Have you revisited the experiences?
- Have you reviewed your actions from your previous reflections for preparing and assisting in paediatric tests?
- What specific actions did you previously identify to improve your practice related to adapting communication based on the child’s developmental stage, managing parental anxiety, or maintaining patient engagement?
- Have you completed these previously identified actions? If so, how did completing them impact your subsequent performance of this activity? Are you ready to demonstrate this new learning confidently and consistently when engaging in the child-facing role during paediatric tests?
- Share your experiences of challenging paediatric patient communication scenarios with peers. Has their feedback or similar stories transformed your understanding of effective patient support for this group?
- How have these experiences impacted upon current practice?
- Consider how the accumulated learning from performing or reflecting on paediatric tests will support you in preparing for relevant observed ‘in-person’ assessments for the S-OV-S1 module, such as Observed Communication Events (OCEs) like ‘Explain the test and what to expect to parent/guardian and child’.
- How has your practice related to assisting in paediatric tests developed and evolved over time, including recognising when specific complex paediatric behavioural or psychological challenges are beyond your scope of practice and require referral?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 2 |
Outcome
Prepare and set up the test environment and patient for different electrophysiological tests. |
| # 3 |
Outcome
Perform recordings of the electrophysiological tests and perform basic troubleshooting. |
| # 6 |
Outcome
Evaluate and incorporate local and ISCEV standards in practice. |
| # 7 |
Outcome
Employ effective communication with a range of individuals including the patient and the multidisciplinary team. |