Training activity information
Details
Plan design and manufacture simple custom medical devices to support treatment of dentoalveolar fractures
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 planning, designing, and manufacturing simple custom medical devices for dentoalveolar fractures. Consider how the learning outcomes apply, such as delivering patient-centred care, ensuring safety, and selecting appropriate materials.
- Discuss with your training officer to gain clarity on specific success criteria for this device and its application.
What is your prior experience of this activity?
- Think about what you already know regarding medical device design, manufacturing processes, or the treatment of dentoalveolar fractures.
- Consider possible challenges you might face during this activity, such as material selection or specific design complexities for dentoalveolar anatomy, and think about how you might handle them.
- Recognise the scope of your own practice for this activity, specifically knowing when you will need to seek advice or help and from whom.
- Acknowledge how you feel about embarking on planning, designing, and manufacturing this custom medical device.
What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?
- Consider the specific skills you want to develop in planning, designing, or manufacturing these devices, drawing upon any previous related experiences.
- Identify the specific insights you hope to gain about the process, materials, or patient considerations for dentoalveolar fracture devices.
What additional considerations do you need to make?
- Consult actions identified following previous experience with medical device manufacturing or similar patient cases.
- Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as patient-specific requirements, fracture characteristics, or material properties.
- Consider the likely challenges you may face and whether further options/alternative designs are necessary.
In action
Is anything unexpected occurring?
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate during the planning, design, or manufacturing of the simple custom medical device for dentoalveolar fractures?
- Are you encountering situations such as:
- Technical difficulties with the manufacturing equipment (e.g., 3D printer failure or tooling breakage) that halt the process?
- The device geometry or fit deviating significantly from the anticipated plan?
- A material property (e.g., setting time, malleability) reacting unexpectedly during fabrication or application?
- An unforeseen anatomical constraint discovered during the final stages of design that necessitates an immediate modification?
- How does this experience compare with previous experiences of similar device manufacturing activities?
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 the procedure? Is it affecting your ability to undertake the activity independently?
- Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as:
- Immediately reverting to analogue techniques or using alternative tools due to digital manufacturing failure?
- Are you re-checking the design specifications against the patient’s anatomical landmarks to find the source of the fit issue?
- Are you seeking immediate advice from a more experienced colleague on material handling or fabrication techniques?
- Are you adapting your approach to ensure the device will effectively support the treatment?
- How are you feeling in this moment? For example, are you finding it difficult to adapt? Is it affecting your confidence in adjusting the design?
What is the conclusion or outcome?
- Identify how you are working within your scope of practice (e.g., successfully troubleshooting minor equipment issues but escalating major mechanical faults).
- What are you learning as a result of the unexpected development? For example, are you learning a new rapid troubleshooting technique for manufacturing tools, or gaining a crucial insight into ensuring a device is fit-for-purpose for dentoalveolar fractures?
On action
What happened?
- Begin by summarising the key steps you took to plan, design, and manufacture the simple custom medical device to support treatment of dentoalveolar fractures.
- Consider specific events, actions, or interactions that felt important during the planning, design, or manufacture, such as setting up specific equipment, ensuring material safety, or managing unexpected interruptions. 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, adjusting the design due to a material limitation or troubleshooting a minor issue during manufacturing.
How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding planning, designing, and manufacturing simple custom medical devices for dentoalveolar fractures.
- What strengths did you demonstrate (e.g., efficiency in design, technical precision in manufacturing, adherence to standards)? What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident (e.g., unfamiliarity with specific material properties, optimal planning workflow for dentoalveolar cases)?
- Compare this experience against previous engagements with similar activities. Were any previously identified actions for development achieved? Has your practice improved in creating dentoalveolar devices?
- Identify any challenges you experienced during the activity (e.g., achieving necessary precision, material curing issues, time constraints) and how you reacted to these. Did this affect your ability to deal with the situation? Were you able to overcome the challenges?
- Identify anything significant about this activity, such as needing to seek advice or clarification on material selection or design constraints.
- Acknowledge any changes in your own feelings now that you are looking back on the experience.
What will you take from this experience moving forward?
- Identify the actions or ‘next steps’ you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learned, including from any feedback you received regarding the device planning and manufacture.
- What will you do differently next time you plan, design, or manufacture simple custom medical devices for dentoalveolar fractures?
- Has anything changed in terms of what you would do if you were faced with a similar situation again?
- Do you need to practise any aspect of this activity further? E.g. Practising optimising the manufacturing workflow for efficiency, or improving technical precision when forming the device, or reviewing material selection rationale for dentoalveolar devices.
Beyond action
Have you revisited the experiences?
- Have you reviewed your actions from your previous reflections for this activity? What actions did you identify you would need to take to improve your practice in planning, designing, or manufacturing these devices? Have you completed these actions? Are you ready to demonstrate this new learning into practice?
- Engage in professional storytelling with peers or colleagues about challenges and successes in designing/manufacturing simple custom medical devices. Has discussing these experiences changed your perspective or approach?
How have these experiences impacted upon current practice?
- How will the learning from manufacturing these devices support you in preparing for observed ‘in-person’ assessments, such as Case-based Discussions (CBDs) related to medical device creation?
- How has your practice in designing and manufacturing developed and evolved over time, including recognising when a device design or manufacturing process is beyond your scope of practice?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Deliver quality patient centred care with the best interests of patients in all elements of practice. |
| # 2 |
Outcome
Practice in accordance with local and national health and safety policies, regulatory requirements and overall service governance. |
| # 3 |
Outcome
Communicate effectively with patients, relatives, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders. |
| # 5 |
Outcome
Practice in partnership with other clinical specialisms as part of a multidisciplinary team and understand their roles and their impact on patient care and pathway. |
| # 6 |
Outcome
Perform clinical investigations, formulate treatment plans and manufacture medical devices to a safe clinical standard. |
| # 7 |
Outcome
Analyse and interpret patient investigations, multimodal imaging and information. |
| # 8 |
Outcome
Select appropriate biomedical materials and components used in the treatment of patients and the manufacture of custom-made medical devices. |
| # 9 |
Outcome
Assess and interpret patients’ needs to provide customised treatment dependent on medical, physical, social and psychological requirements. |