Station 4 Introduction to communication skills and ethics Discussing clinical management 4.2 Explaining an investigation 4.4 Discussing management, prognosis and possible complications in a patient with multiple problems 4.5 Discussing diagnostic uncertainty 4.6 Discussing risk and treatment effect 4.7 Negotiating a management plan for a chronic disease / long-term condition Communication in special circumstances 4.9 Cross-cultural communication 4.10 Communicating with angry patients or relatives 4.11 Communicating with upset or distressed relatives 4.12 Discharge against medical advice 4.14 Cancer – potentially curable 4.15 Cancer – probably incurable 4.16 Cancer – patient not fit for active treatment 4.18 Discussing an acutely terminal situation with relatives Confidentiality, consent and capacity 4.19 Legal points in confidentiality 4.20 Breaching confidentiality when a third party may be at risk 4.21 Breaching confidentiality in the public interest 4.22 Confidentiality when talking with relatives and other third parties 4.23 Consent for investigation or treatment 4.27 End of life and palliative care 4.29 Resuscitation status decision-making – discussion with patient 4.30 Resuscitation status decision-making – discussion with relative 4.31 Appropriateness of intensive therapy unit transfer 4.32 Withholding and withdrawing life-prolonging treatments – antibiotics and drugs 4.33 Withholding and withdrawing life-prolonging treatments – clinically assisted nutrition and hydration 4.34 Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding 4.37 Discussing live organ donation 4.40 Managing a complaint and the question of negligence 4.41 Fitness to practise – poor performance in a colleague 4.42 Fitness to practise – misconduct in a colleague 4.43 Fitness to practise – health problems in a colleague Other communication, ethical and legal scenarios Sensitivity and specificity are to do with finding or not finding disease. Sensitivity is concerned with finding disease, and specificity with not detecting disease in those without the disease. Disease positives and negatives are based on ‘gold standard tests’ (ultimate diagnostic tests as the profession sees them). Predictive values are to do with diagnostic / screening tests. If a test is positive, the question is whether or not it is good at detecting disease; if a test is negative, the question is whether or not it is good at not missing disease. Sensitivity and specificity are not affected by the prevalence of a disease; predictive values are (Table 4.1). Table 4.1 Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values NPV, negative predictive value; PPV, positive predictive value. Treating older people must aim for maximum benefit (it is older people who often derive most benefit from a particular drug) and minimal adverse effects by avoiding excessive or inappropriate medications. To achieve this balance, individualised prescribing that considers comorbidity, co-prescription and social aspects of care, and careful judgement of overall frailty and likelihood of benefit, are crucial. Older people are often inappropriately under-represented in therapeutic trials, and so the size of benefit might be underappreciated in an older person, but so might the absolute risk increase. Six rules in prescribing for older people are shown in Box 4.3. Absolute benefit from antihypertensive treatment is much greater in older people.
Communication skills and ethics
Introduction to communication skills and ethics
Cases
Discussing clinical management
Case 4.1 Explaining a diagnosis
How to approach the case
Case 4.2 Explaining an investigation
How to approach the case
Discussion
An 86-year-old woman with moderately severe dementia has a suspicious lesion on chest X-ray. Would you recommend bronchoscopy?
What do you understand by the terms sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV)?
What criteria are important in determining whether or not to implement a screening test for a disease?
Case 4.3 Discussing treatment
How to approach the case
Communication skills (conduct of interview, exploration and problem negotiation) and ethics and law
Discussion
Are you more reluctant to prescribe medications for older people?
Is treatment for hypertension the same for older as younger patients?
Are pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical representatives to be considered favourably by doctors?
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