Gametes and Fertilisation —
Training activity: 9

Details

Inform patients of their fertilisation assessment results and explain the next steps

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

• Confirm patient identify
• Record keeping
• Effective communication of scientific information in an understandable manner to patients
• Patient pathway
• Methods of patient and partner support

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 communicating the outcomes of the fertilisation assessment to patients.
• Consider how the learning outcomes apply, specifically in relation to explaining the results clearly, accurately, and sensitively.
• Discuss with your Training Officer to gain clarity of what is expected of you in relation to outlining the subsequent stages of the treatment cycle (e.g., embryo culture, transfer timing, potential cryopreservation).

What is your prior experience of this activity?

• Think about what you already know about using lay terminology and how to explain sensitive results.
• Consider possible challenges you might face during the activity, such as patient anxiety, delivering difficult results, or managing unexpected questions.
• 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 expresses intense emotional distress that requires professional emotional support beyond your communication role.
• Acknowledge how you feel about having these sensitive conversations.

What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?

• Consider the specific skills you want to develop, such as active listening, empathy, and explaining complex information simply.
• Identify the specific insights you hope to gain into managing patient expectations and providing appropriate support.

What additional considerations do you need to make?

• Consult actions identified following previous experiences of reviewing potential scripts or frameworks for delivering fertilisation results.
• Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as the patient’s specific case and results (which should be discussed with the Training Officer beforehand) and the emotional support resources available to patients.

In action

Is anything unexpected occurring?

• Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate whilst communicating fertilisation assessment results and explaining next steps?
• Are you encountering situations such as:
  • The patient reacting in a way you didn’t anticipate (e.g., unexpected emotional response, complex questions regarding subsequent stages)?
  • You realising you needed to explain something differently than planned based on their initial reaction or questions?

How are you reacting to the unexpected development?

• How is this impacting your actions? For example, are you responding to the situation appropriately? Did you adapt your communication style, language, or the amount of detail provided?
• Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as pausing, summarising, or rephrasing information to ensure understanding.
• How are you feeling in that moment? For instance, are you finding the conversation emotionally charged? Is it affecting your confidence in outlining the subsequent stages of the treatment cycle?

What is the conclusion or outcome?

• Identify how you are working within your scope of practice. For example, were you able to effectively communicate the results and next steps while adhering to communication guidelines? Or are you needing support because the patient expressed intense emotional distress that requires professional emotional support beyond your communication role?
• What are you learning as a result of the unexpected development? For example, are you mastering strategies for tailoring your communication to patient needs and responding appropriately to their questions or emotions?

On action

What happened?

• Begin by summarising the key steps you took when informing the patient about their fertilisation results and explaining the next steps. How did you structure the conversation to ensure both sensitivity and clarity?
• Consider specific events, actions, or interactions which felt important, such as the patient’s verbal response or non-verbal cues when hearing the results, or the specific language you used to explain the next stages of embryo culture.
• Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you had to adapt to the situation as it unfolded, for instance, adjusting your tone and language immediately when the patient showed signs of distress or simplifying the explanation of the embryo grading process in response to confusion.
• How did you feel during this experience, e.g., did you feel empathetic towards the patient or challenged by the need to manage unexpected questions?

How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?

• Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding communicating sensitive results. What strengths did you demonstrate, e.g., ability to explain complex information using lay terminology?
• What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident, e.g., difficulty anticipating all potential patient concerns or responding concisely to emotional questions?
• Compare this experience against previous engagement with similar activities – were any previously identified actions for development related to patient communication achieved? Has your practice improved in applying and adapting skills to communicate effectively with patients?
• Identify any challenges you experienced, such as delivering poor results or handling unexpected questions about outcome statistics, and how you reacted to this. This might include needing to seek advice or clarification on scope of practice regarding when to escalate the conversation due to patient emotional distress.

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 preparation for sensitive conversations.
• What will you do differently next time you approach informing a patient of fertilisation results, for instance, by proactively preparing visual aids or analogies to explain the concepts of embryo development and grading?
• Do you need to practise any aspect of the activity further, such as role-playing responses to difficult or emotionally charged questions or key learning outcomes related to demonstrating effective and compassionate communication skills?

Beyond action

Have you revisited the experiences?

• How have your subsequent experiences of informing patients of their fertilisation assessment results and explaining the next steps 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 reacted with severe distress to low fertilisation outcomes forced you to re-evaluate the sensitivity and language used when explaining complex outcomes during your first attempt at this training activity.
• Considering what you understand about compassionate communication, managing patient expectations, and explaining the subsequent embryo culture steps 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 communication skills, including empathy and clarity based on further learning and experiences? For example, how you proactively integrated strategies for using lay terminology and active listening based on further learning.
• Has discussing challenging patient conversations or the impact of communication style on patient understanding with colleagues, peers, or supervisors changed how you now view your initial experience in this training activity? For example, how professional storytelling with a mentor about a successful delivery of difficult news refined your understanding of the critical nature of adapting communication skills to patient needs.

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 skills developed in clear communication, active listening, and empathy now enable you to confidently explain complex outcomes and manage patient expectations during an Observed Communication Event (OCE) assessment.
• How has reflecting back on this specific training activity, combined with everything you’ve learned since, shaped your current approach to informing patients of fertilisation assessment results? How does this evolved understanding help you identify when something is beyond your scope of practice or requires escalation? For example, how your evolved approach means you now routinely seek advice from the Training Officer or clinical team immediately if the patient expresses intense emotional distress that requires professional emotional support or asks complex questions that fall outside your scope of procedural explanation, ensuring appropriate care and support are provided.
• Looking holistically at your training journey, how has this initial patient communication experience, revisited with your current perspective, contributed to your development in meeting the learning outcomes related to applying and adapting communication skills with patients? For example, how this foundational experience has supported your development in compassionate communication and managing difficult conversations, skills essential for all roles involving sensitive patient care.

Relevant learning outcomes

#	Outcome
# 6	Outcome Identify normally and abnormally fertilised oocytes.
# 8	Outcome Apply and adapt skills to communicate effectively with patients and the multidisciplinary team.