Craniofacial and Trauma Rehabilitation —
Training activity: 3

Details

Plan, design and manufacture a body contour prosthesis.

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 intended outcomes of the training activity?

• How will reviewing the specified learning outcomes help you focus on the requirement to perform clinical investigations and formulate treatment plans specifically for patients with simple breast or leg contour defects?
• In what ways will this activity develop your ability to practice in accordance with local and national health and safety policies and regulatory requirements while manufacturing a custom-made medical device?
• What steps will you take to ensure you deliver quality patient-centred care that prioritises the best interests of the patient in all elements of your prosthetic practice?
• How will you ensure you can effectively assess and interpret a patient’s unique medical, physical, social, and psychological requirements to provide a truly customised treatment?
• How will you prepare to demonstrate effective communication skills when discussing treatment plans and prosthetic options with patients, their relatives, and other healthcare stakeholders?

What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?

• What specific insights do you hope to gain regarding the selection of appropriate biomedical materials—such as polymeric, metallic, or ceramic materials—based on their clinical performance and limitations?
• How do you anticipate this experience will improve your ability to practice in partnership with other clinical specialisms within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) and understand their impact on the patient pathway?
• What do you expect to learn about the design principles and constructional techniques required to achieve natural and functional body contours for simple breast or leg defects?
• How do you anticipate this activity will deepen your understanding of the psychological factors of altered body image and how these influence a patient’s journey and care pathway?
• In what ways do you anticipate this experience will prepare you for the high-level analytical and interpretive responsibilities required for your future role as a Reconstructive Scientist?

What actions will you take in preparation for the experience?

• How will you discuss the requirements of this activity with your training officer to ensure you understand the laboratory’s protocols, service governance, and the expected clinical standards for device manufacture?
• How will you research existing examples of simple breast or leg contour prosthetics and indicative content—such as colour science, retention methods, and impression techniques—to prepare for the technical challenges of the task?
• What potential challenges have you identified, such as material selection, mould making, or achieving symmetry and natural contours, and how do you plan to handle them during the design and manufacturing phases?
• How will you use the curriculum’s ‘considerations’ to guide your preparation and identify the specific practical knowledge you need before embarking on the activity?
• How do you feel about embarking on this training activity, and how might these feelings influence your focus and technical precision during the preparation phase?

In action

What are you doing?

• As you initiate the clinical investigation and formulate the treatment plan, how are you prioritising the patient’s medical, physical, and psychological needs to ensure a customised approach?
• While planning and designing the prosthesis, what specific visual cues are you focusing on to ensure the aesthetic outcome aligns with the intended body contour?
• What decisions are you making regarding the formulation of the treatment plan, and how do these reflect the best interests of the patient?
• Which aspects of manufacturing the medical device feel intuitive based on your previous experience, and which parts—such as mould making for complex defects—require more conscious effort?
• How are you approaching the selection of biomedical materials, and why have you chosen specific components (e.g., polymeric materials) for this particular contour defect?

How are you progressing with the activity?

• How effective is your selection of materials in achieving the desired flexibility, durability, and natural appearance for a simple breast or leg contour defect?
• What challenges or ambiguities are you facing during the manufacturing process, such as difficulties in achieving symmetry or handling specific material properties, and what are you learning as these unfold?
• In what ways are you ensuring that every step of your practice remains in accordance with local and national health and safety policies and service governance?
• How does the data you are currently gathering during the clinical investigation connect to your existing knowledge of the psychological factors of altered body image?
• How are you internally evaluating the shape, size, and symmetry of the prosthetic as the manufacturing progresses to ensure it meets a safe clinical standard?

How are you adapting to the situation?

• Based on your visual assessment during the manufacturing phase, what real-time adjustments are you making to the prosthetic to improve the final contour?
• How are you adapting your communication style to effectively interpret the patient’s needs and address any anxieties they may have regarding their prosthetic rehabilitation?
• In what ways are you practicing in partnership with other clinical specialisms to ensure your work supports the patient’s broader care pathway within the multidisciplinary team (MDT)?
• What support or guidance do you find yourself needing from your Training Officer to resolve uncertainties in the design while remaining within your defined scope of practice?
• Are there alternative biomedical materials or manufacturing techniques you should consider in the moment if the initial design does not meet the patient’s aesthetic or functional requirements?

On action

What did you notice?

• How would you summarise the key procedural elements and steps you took to plan, design, and manufacture the body contour prosthesis for the specific breast or leg defect you addressed?
• What specific parameters or physical indicators did you focus on during the clinical investigation to ensure the treatment plan was customised to the patient’s medical, physical, social, and psychological requirements?
• What did you notice about your ability to communicate effectively with the patient and their relatives while delivering quality patient-centred care?
• How did you verify that the manufacturing process and the final medical device adhered to local and national health and safety policies, regulatory requirements, and service governance?
• What significant features did you identify while selecting biomedical materials and components, and how did these influence the final clinical standard of the device?
• Were there any notable moments where your interaction with other clinical specialisms within the multidisciplinary team (MDT) influenced the patient’s care pathway?

What did you learn from the activity?

• What new skills or knowledge did you develop regarding the design principles and constructional techniques required to achieve a natural and functional body contour?
• How has this experience improved your ability to assess and interpret complex patient needs, particularly regarding the psychological factors of altered body image?
• What did you learn about the clinical performance and limitations of the specific biomedical materials (polymeric, metallic, or ceramic) you selected for this custom-made device?
• In what ways did your reflection-in-action—such as real-time adjustments made based on visual assessment of symmetry and shape—influence the final outcome of the prosthesis?
• Were there any unexpected challenges or successes during the manufacturing or mould-making process, and what did these teach you about maintaining a safe clinical standard?
• How does this specific experience in performing clinical investigations and formulating treatment plans relate to the high-level requirements of your future role as a Reconstructive Scientist?

What will you take from the experience moving forward?

• What areas for continued development have you identified in your ability to work in partnership with the MDT or to communicate complex treatment plans to stakeholders?
• How can you apply the technical learning from this activity—such as achieving natural contours or selecting biocompatible materials—to your routine practice when managing other custom medical devices?
• What specific ‘next steps’ will you now take, such as reviewing national guidelines for custom-made devices or attending further oncology MDT meetings, to support the assimilation of what you have learned?
• What support or resources, such as mentoring from senior Reconstructive Scientists or advanced material science workshops, would be beneficial for further developing your expertise in body contouring?
• How has your learning from this activity directly supported your preparation for observed assessments, such as Case-Based Discussions (CBDs) or Direct Observations of Practical Skills (DOPS) related to patient assessment and device manufacture?
• Can you identify instances where your ability to prioritise the best interests of the patient has improved as a result of this comprehensive design and manufacture task?

Beyond action

Have you revisited the experiences?

• How has your understanding of the selection of biomedical materials for contour defects evolved since you first engaged with this activity, particularly as you have encountered a wider variety of medical and physical patient requirements?
• When comparing your reflections on this task with other medical device manufacturing activities (such as splint therapy or obturators), what specific behaviours and clinical standards have you now successfully assimilated into your routine practice?
• How has professional storytelling or discussing the psychological factors of altered body image with peers and senior colleagues changed your perspective on the delivery of patient-centred care?
• As you revisit your reflections for this module, what key learning points regarding regulatory requirements and service governance have you identified, and how effectively have you acted upon them?

How have these experiences impacted upon your current practice?

• In what ways has your proficiency in performing clinical investigations for body contour prosthetics supported your ability to contribute to broader multidisciplinary team (MDT) case studies and the patient care pathway?
• How have you applied your knowledge of local and national health and safety policies since the original experience to ensure that the manufacture of custom-made devices in your laboratory remains robust and defensible?
• How has this experience influenced your current approach to communicating effectively with patients and relatives, specifically when assessing their unique social and psychological needs?
• How has this activity directly supported your preparation for observed ‘in-person’ assessments, such as Case-Based Discussions (CBDs) or Direct Observations of Practical Skills (DOPS) related to body contouring or patient history taking?

How might these experiences contribute towards your future practice?

• Which transferable skills developed through this activity—such as the synthesis of medical, physical, and psychological data for customised treatment – will be most essential in your future role as a Reconstructive Scientist?
• How will your ability to describe the limitations and performance of biomedical materials help you provide better diagnostic advice and ensure patient safety in more complex future reconstructive cases?
• What clear actions for continued development have you identified, such as mastering advanced manufacturing techniques or staying updated on the psychological factors of altered body image, to support the needs of oncology or trauma patients?
• How do the building blocks of learning from this activity help you navigate the high-level analytical and interpretive responsibilities of post-programme professional 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.
# 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.