Training activity information
Details
Provide patient centred care and support including effective communication before, during and after a vascular scan, including:
- An adult with complex health needs
- An older patient with dementia
- A patient with complex communication needs
- A patient where language is a barrier to communication
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
- Adapting communication to the audience
- Clinical history
- Consent
- Patient experience
- Positioning
- Infection control
- Health and safety
- Full patient management aspects
- Delivering results
- Scope of personal and professional practice
- Methods of communication and adjustments for patient need
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 providing patient-centred care and using effective, compassionate communication tailored for diverse needs (e.g., dementia, language barriers).
- Consider how the learning outcomes apply, specifically in relation to communicating effectively with a range of patients and other professionals and identifying and communicating scan results to both patients and the multidisciplinary team.
- Discuss with your training officer to gain clarity of what is expected of you in relation to communicating with non-verbal patients or successfully accessing and utilising interpreter services.
What is your prior experience of this activity?
- Think about what you already know about communication techniques, particularly when addressing sensitive information or dealing with cognitive impairment.
- Consider possible challenges you might face during the activity, such as managing anxiety in an older patient with dementia or ensuring comprehension when language is a significant barrier.
- 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 a patient with complex communication needs exhibits extreme distress or if an interpreter is unavailable for a patient with a severe language barrier.
- Acknowledge how you feel about engaging with patients who may present communication challenges.
What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?
- Consider the specific skills you want to develop, such as tailoring explanations using simplified language or employing non-verbal communication techniques (e.g., pictures, gesture) effectively.
- Identify the specific insights you hope to gain into effective strategies for establishing rapport and ensuring comprehension with vulnerable or non-English speaking patient groups.
What additional considerations do you need to make?
- Consult actions identified following previous experiences of Observed Communication Events (OCEs) or difficult patient interactions.
- Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as identifying the specific communication aids needed for a patient with complex health needs or reviewing guidelines for communicating scan results empathetically.
In action
Is anything unexpected occurring?
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate whilst providing patient centred care and support, including effective communication, especially for patients with complex needs (e.g., dementia, language barrier)?
- Are you encountering situations such as:
- A patient with complex communication needs (e.g., severe aphasia) exhibits unexpected agitation when touched, challenging the initial plan for rapport building?
- A severe language barrier arises unexpectedly, complicating the explanation of sensitive scan results or the process of obtaining consent for the procedure?
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 communication technique by simplifying terminology or employing non-verbal aids?
- Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as:
- Immediately changing your verbal pace and tone while utilising available visual aids or pictures to clarify the procedural steps for a confused patient.
- Pausing the communication to seek immediate support from a colleague or interpreter services to ensure comprehension is secured before proceeding.
- How are you feeling in that moment? For instance, are you finding it difficult to adapt your communication strategy dynamically to manage unexpected emotional distress? Is it affecting your confidence in securing consent or providing compassionate care?
What is the conclusion or outcome?
- Identify how you are working within your scope of practice. For example, are you successfully tailoring your language to secure cooperation from a child with complex needs using departmental aids? Or are you needing support because the patient’s refusal to cooperate requires consultation with the Training Officer regarding ethical alternatives or capacity assessment?
- What are you learning as a result of the unexpected development? For example, are you mastering an efficient strategy for communicating sensitive results empathetically? Or gaining insight into the critical communication steps required for managing distress in non-verbal patients?
On action
What happened?
- Begin by summarising the key steps you took when providing patient centred care and effective communication before, during, and after the vascular scan.
- Consider specific events, actions, or interactions which felt important, such as how you ensured the older patient with dementia understood the procedure or how you articulated scan results to a patient with complex communication needs.
- Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you had to adapt to the situation as it unfolded, for instance, immediately adjusting your communication style and resorting to visual aids when the patient with a language barrier showed distress.
- How did you feel during this experience, e.g., did you feel challenged by the communication barrier or confident in your ability to adapt your explanation?
How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding communication and patient care. What strengths did you demonstrate, e.g., clear and compassionate communication when addressing sensitive information or the ability to tailor explanations for diverse needs?
- What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident, e.g., unfamiliarity with the correct procedure for utilising interpreter services or difficulty engaging a patient with complex communication needs?
- Compare this experience against previous engagement with similar activities – were any previously identified actions for development achieved? Has your practice improved in effective communication with a range of patients and other professionals?
- Identify any challenges you experienced, such as needing to seek advice or clarification on scope of practice regarding the communication of scan results to a non-verbal patient or managing extreme distress in a vulnerable patient group, and how you reacted to this.
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 tailoring your communication strategies for diverse patient populations.
- What will you do differently next time you approach communication with a patient with specific needs, for instance, by proactively reviewing the appropriate use of non-verbal cues or pictures before the interaction?
- Do you need to practise any aspect of the activity further, such as reviewing communication scripts for managing sensitive information or key learning outcomes related to communicating effectively with a range of patients and other professionals?
Beyond action
Have you revisited previous experiences?
- How have your subsequent experiences of providing patient-centred care and communication during vascular scans, especially for patients with complex needs (e.g., older patient with dementia, patient with complex communication needs, or where language is a barrier), 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 with a severe language barrier required immediate intervention from interpreter services forced you to re-evaluate the thoroughness of your pre-scan communication strategy and resource verification during your first attempt at this training activity.
- Considering what you understand about effective communication, compassionate care, and adapting explanations for diverse 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 and support techniques based on further learning and experiences? For example, how you proactively developed a standardized method for ensuring comprehension using the ‘teach-back’ method when communicating sensitive information to older patients.
- Has discussing managing distress in patients with dementia or the impact of communication failure on securing 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 colleague about a case where unclear communication led to patient distress and refusal of the scan refined your understanding of the critical nature of proactive communication adaptation.
How have these experiences impacted upon current practice?
- How has the learning from this initial training activity, in combination with subsequent patient communication experiences (e.g., dealing with older patients with dementia or patients with language barriers), contributed to your overall confidence and ability in providing patient centred care and support and communicating effectively, particularly in preparing for assessments like DOPS or OCEs? For example, how your accumulated ability in adapting communication for diverse needs and establishing rapport now enables you to confidently communicate scan results to a relevant clinician or communicate negative results to patients during an OCE assessment.
- How has reflecting back on this specific training activity, combined with everything you’ve learned since, shaped your current approach to patient communication and support? 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 immediately when communication barriers prevent securing informed consent or when patient distress requires managing complex ethical decisions, recognising this falls outside routine communication support scope.
- Looking holistically at your training journey, how has this initial patient-centred care and communication experience, revisited with your current perspective, contributed to your development in meeting the learning outcomes related to communicating effectively with a range of patients and other professionals and identifying and communicating scan results to both patients and the multidisciplinary team? For example, how this foundational experience has supported your development in meeting learning outcomes related to effective communication.
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Communicate effectively with a range of patients and other professionals. |
| # 2 |
Outcome
Assess vascular anatomy using ultrasound. |
| # 9 |
Outcome
Identify and communicate scan results to both patients and the multidisciplinary team. |