Clinical Assessment in Respiratory and Sleep Science —
Training activity: 6

Details

Communicate results of diagnostic tests, using recognised systematic tools

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 clearly and effectively communicating diagnostic test results, considering the impact on the individual patient and using systematic tools.
• Consider how the learning outcomes apply, specifically concerning conveying information to patients, relatives, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Discuss with your training officer to gain clarity on specific communication frameworks or systematic tools expected for this task.

What is your prior experience of this activity?

• Think about what you already know about effective communication, including optimising verbal and non-verbal communication, and overcoming barriers to communication.
• Consider possible challenges you might face during the activity, such as explaining complex results in lay terms, managing patient emotional responses, or communicating with diverse professional colleagues, and think about how you might handle them.
• Recognise the scope of your own practice for communicating results and know when you will need to seek advice or help, and from whom.
• Acknowledge how you feel about embarking on this training activity, particularly your confidence in tailoring information to different audiences.

What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?

• Consider specific skills you want to develop, such as explaining complex information concisely, adapting communication style to patient needs, or using systematic tools effectively in practice.
• Identify specific insights you hope to gain regarding the patient’s perspective on receiving results and the collaborative communication within the healthcare team.

What additional considerations do you need to make?

• Consult actions identified following previous communication experiences, especially those involving sensitive or complex information.
• Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as knowing the patient’s baseline understanding, anticipating potential questions, or understanding the implications of the results for their care pathway.

In action

Is anything unexpected occurring?

• Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate whilst using systematic tools to communicate diagnostic test results?
• Are you encountering situations such as:
  • The patient having an unexpected and strong emotional response to the diagnostic results, challenging the systematic flow of the communication tool.
  • Significant difficulty communicating the results clearly and concisely to a multidisciplinary team due to time constraints.

How are you reacting to the unexpected development?

• How is this impacting your actions? For example, are you responding appropriately to the patient’s reaction or questions? Are you adapting your communication style or the systematic tool you were using?
• Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as:
  • Immediately changing your communication approach to address patient emotional needs or seeking guidance from a supervisor on optimal phrasing for the results.
  • Reviewing alternative ways to phrase findings to ensure clarity for specific audiences (e.g., specialist vs. non-specialist).
• How are you feeling in that moment? For instance, are you finding it difficult to maintain clarity while managing emotional responses? Did it affect your confidence in using the communication tool?

What is the conclusion or outcome?

• Identify how you are working within your scope of practice. For example, are you successfully tailoring the communication to address the audience’s needs? Or are you needing support because the complexity of the report requires senior sign-off before communication?
• Identify what you are learning as a result of the unexpected development. For example, are you gaining insight into common patient challenges related to receiving sensitive diagnostic results?

On action

What happened?

• Summarise the key points of the experience of communicating diagnostic test results, using recognised systematic tools.
• Consider specific events, actions, or interactions that felt important during the communication, including your own feelings during the experience.
• Detail the preparation taken to ensure you had all necessary data and how you structured the conversation based on the systematic tool.
• Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you adapted to the situation as it unfolded, for example, if the patient had an unexpected emotional reaction or asked complex questions, and how you adjusted your communication style or use of the systematic tool.
• Describe how you immediately adapted your use of the systematic tool when the patient became emotionally distressed, requiring a shift to focus on empathy and providing reassurance using effective communication techniques.

How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?

• Identify what learning you can take from this experience of communicating results.
• What strengths did you demonstrate in using the systematic tools or in handling patient reactions, and what skills or knowledge gaps were evident in your communication e.g., explaining complex information, managing difficult conversations, or optimising verbal and non-verbal communication?
• Evaluate your effectiveness in conveying information to a multidisciplinary team, and whether a gap was noted in tailoring technical language for a non-specialist audience (e.g., patient or relative).
• Compare this experience against previous engagements with similar activities. Were any previously identified actions for development achieved? Has your practice in communicating test results using systematic tools improved?
• Identify any challenges you experienced e.g., patient not understanding, emotional distress, language barriers and how you reacted to these. Did this affect your ability to communicate effectively? Were you able to overcome the challenges?
• Acknowledge any changes in your own feelings now that you are looking back on the experience.
• Identify anything significant about the activity, such as if you needed to seek advice or clarification on results or communication techniques, or if you needed to escalate to ensure you were working within your scope of practice.

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 learned, including from any feedback you have received about your ability to communicate the results.
• What will you do differently next time you communicate diagnostic test results? Has anything changed in terms of your approach to using systematic tools or managing patient interactions? Do you need to practise any aspect of communication further?
• Do you need to seek opportunities to practise presenting clinical assessment results to a multidisciplinary team meeting, focusing on using concise and logical language to enhance clarity?

Beyond action

Have you revisited the experiences?

• Have you reviewed your actions from your previous reflections for this activity? Have you successfully implemented identified improvements, such as optimising verbal and non-verbal communication or overcoming barriers to communication, in subsequent opportunities to communicate diagnostic test results?
• If you previously struggled with communicating complex results in lay terms, how have you since applied techniques for optimising verbal communication to improve clarity for diverse patient groups?
• Have you engaged in discussions about effective communication strategies, especially for sensitive or complex results e.g., abnormal findings, diagnoses with significant impact?
• How did these professional exchanges enrich your understanding and approach to delivering results while managing the patient’s potential emotional response?

How have these experiences impacted upon current practice?

• Consider how your learning will support you in preparing for the observed ‘in-person’ assessments for the module. How does this ongoing development in communication skills directly support your preparation for Observed Communication Events (OCEs), specifically those focused on communicating results to a patient while considering the individual’s impact?
• How has your increased ability to interpret the results of clinical assessments and communicate effectively with respiratory scientists and non-respiratory healthcare colleagues contributed to your readiness for an OCE?
• Consider how your practice has developed and evolved over time. Has your awareness of the psychological and social impact of diagnostic test results on patients and their families deepened, leading to a more empathetic and patient-centred approach?
• What transferable skills did you develop through this activity? What specific recognised systematic communication tools or techniques do you now routinely employ to ensure clarity and empathy in delivering test results, and how might these apply to explaining complex procedures?
• What clear actions for continued development in patient and professional communication, especially concerning diagnostic results, have you identified for your ongoing professional growth?

Relevant learning outcomes

#	Outcome
# 5	Outcome Interpret the results of a clinical assessment and communicate effectively with respiratory scientists and non-respiratory health care colleagues.