Training activity information
Details
Explain to patients the laboratory aspects of their treatment
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.
Considerations
- Introductions and confirming patient identity
- Laboratory procedures and possible outcomes
- Patient centred care and support, including involvement of partners
- Local patient support policy
- Counselling services
- Acknowledgment of emotional difficulties
- Expectation management
- Awareness of limitations
- Communication of complex information to non-experts
- Two-way communication to ensure patient awareness of procedures
- Shared decision making
- Cultural and religious considerations in semen sample production and assisted conception
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 explaining lab aspects to patients, for example, describing the process of IVF, ICSI, cryopreservation, or embryo culture using lay language.
- Consider how the learning outcomes apply, specifically how you can ensure your explanation is clear, understandable, and sensitive to the patient’s perspective.
- Discuss with your Training Officer how to gauge patient understanding and respond sensitively to questions about success rates or failure.
What is your prior experience of this activity?
- Think about what you already know about communicating complex information in a simple way. Have you explained medical or scientific concepts to non-experts before?
- Consider possible challenges you might face during the activity, such as using technical jargon, patient anxiety or distress, or unexpected questions, and 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. You will need to seek advice from your Training Officer when required, for example, if the patient asks complex ethical questions about embryo discard that go beyond standard procedural explanation.
- Acknowledge how you feel about embarking on this training activity, particularly concerning the sensitivity required when discussing treatment processes with patients.
What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?
- Consider the specific skills you want to develop, such as using clear and accessible language, active listening, empathy and tailoring explanations to the individual patient’s needs and questions.
- Identify the specific insights you hope to gain from engaging with the activity, such as understanding common patient concerns about the laboratory side of treatment and the most effective ways to build trust and provide reassurance (aligned with a patient-centred approach).
What additional considerations do you need to make?
- Consult actions identified following previous experience with patient communication or presentations.
- Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as the specific lab procedures relevant to this patient’s cycle, potential patient information leaflets or diagrams available, and any prior information the patient has already received.
In action
Is anything unexpected occurring?
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate whilst explaining the laboratory aspects of treatment?
- Are you encountering situations such as:
- The patient asking a question you weren’t prepared for?
- The patient showing a level of understanding/confusion that surprised you?
- The patient’s emotional reaction differing from what you anticipated?
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 immediately recognising the need to adjust your language or explanation?
- Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as immediately adapting your communication style to better address the patient’s emotional state or using simpler terminology.
- How are you feeling in that moment? For instance, are you finding it difficult to adapt your communication style dynamically? Is it affecting your confidence in continuing the explanation smoothly?
What is the conclusion or outcome?
- Identify how you are working within your scope of practice. For example, did your immediate adaptation of communication help clarify information or address the patient’s emotional state? Or are you needing support because the patient’s questions concern complex ethical issues outside your scope of laboratory explanation?
- What are you learning as a result of the unexpected development? For example, are you gaining insight into effective techniques for adapting communication to individual patient responses?
On action
What happened?
- Begin by summarising the key steps you took when explaining the laboratory aspects, including the specific laboratory aspects you explained (e.g., embryo culture or cryopreservation) and the communication techniques you used.
- Consider specific events, actions, or interactions which felt important, such as how you simplified complex scientific concepts or how the patient received the information and responded with questions.
- Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you had to adapt to the situation as it unfolded, for instance, immediately adjusting your language and tone when the patient showed unexpected anxiety or confusion about the chance of laboratory failure.
- How did you feel during this experience, e.g., did you feel confident in adapting your communication style or challenged by the patient’s unexpected emotional reaction?
How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding communicating complex laboratory information to patients. What strengths did you demonstrate, e.g., ability to use clear and compassionate language?
- What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident, e.g., difficulty responding concisely to unexpected ethical questions?
- Compare this experience against previous engagement with similar activities – were any previously identified actions for development achieved? Has your practice improved in applying and adapting communication skills for effective and sensitive patient consultations?
- Identify any challenges you experienced, such as the patient seeming confused or having unexpected questions about sensitive topics. Identify how you reacted to this, e.g., needing to seek advice or clarification on scope of practice regarding discussing success rates beyond factual laboratory data.
What will you take from the experience moving forward?
- Identify the actions or ‘next steps’ you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learnt, including from any feedback you have received, with regards to improving your use of patient-friendly terminology and visual aids.
- What will you do differently next time you approach explaining laboratory aspects to a patient, for instance, by proactively rehearsing simple analogies to explain the process of embryo grading and selection.
- Do you need to practise any aspect of the activity further, such as role-playing responses to sensitive questions or key learning outcomes related to demonstrating effective communication skills?
Beyond action
Have you revisited the experiences?
- How have your subsequent experiences of explaining laboratory aspects to patients since completing this specific training activity led you to revisit your initial approach or decisions during that activity? For example, how an instance where a subsequent patient expressed unexpected high anxiety about the cryopreservation process forced you to re-evaluate the clarity and compassion of your communication strategy during your first attempt at this training activity.
- Considering what you understand about effective and compassionate communication and adapting technical explanations to patient needs now, were the actions or considerations you identified after your initial reflection on this training activity sufficient? How have you since implemented or adapted improvements in your patient communication skills based on further learning and experiences? For example, how you proactively developed simpler analogies and visual aids for explaining embryo culture and grading based on further learning.
- Has discussing challenging patient consultations or the impact of technical jargon on patient comprehension with colleagues, peers, or supervisors changed how you now view your initial experience in this training activity? For example, how professional storytelling with a senior counsellor about a misunderstanding of success rates due to poor explanation refined your understanding of the critical nature of adapting communication skills in sensitive clinical contexts.
How have these experiences impacted upon current practice?
- How has the learning from this initial training activity, in combination with subsequent patient communication experiences, contributed to your overall confidence and ability in sensitive patient communication, particularly in preparing for assessments like DOPS or OCEs? For example, how your accumulated ability to simplify complex laboratory procedures (e.g., embryo culture) now enables confident explanation and effective response to patient questions during an OCE assessment focusing on patient consultation (e.g., discussing a typical treatment cycle).
- How has reflecting back on this specific training activity, combined with everything you’ve learned since, shaped your current approach to patient explanation? How does this evolved understanding help you identify when something is beyond your scope of practice or requires escalation? For example, how your evolved understanding helps you identify when a patient raises questions about complex ethical issues (e.g., views on embryo discard) that require escalation to the clinical team or counselling service, recognising they fall outside the laboratory’s technical explanation scope.
- Looking holistically at your training journey, how has this initial patient explanation experience, revisited with your current perspective, contributed to your development in meeting the learning outcomes related to applying and adapting skills to communicate effectively with patients? For example, how this foundational experience has supported your development in applying and adapting communication skills effectively in a sensitive fertility context.
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 3 |
Outcome
Apply and adapt skills to communicate effectively with patients and the multidisciplinary team. |