Curriculum standards
Knowledge guides
LG12: Physical conditions
Key presentations and conditions
Advanced Trainees will have a comprehensive depth of knowledge of these presentations and conditions.
Less common or more complex presentations and conditions
Advanced Trainees will understand these presentations and conditions.
Advanced Trainees will understand the resources that should be used to help manage patients with these presentations and conditions.
Epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical sciences
Advanced Trainees will have a comprehensive depth of knowledge of the principles of the foundational sciences.
Investigations, procedures, and clinical assessment tools
Advanced Trainees will know the scientific foundation of each investigation and procedure, including relevant anatomy and physiology. They will be able to interpret the reported results of each investigation or procedure.
Advanced Trainees will know how to explain the investigation or procedure to patients, families, and carers, and be able to explain procedural risk and obtain informed consent where applicable.
Important specific issues
Advanced Trainees will identify important specialty-specific issues and the impact of these on diagnosis and management and integrate these into care.
Presentations
- Abnormal behaviour
- Abnormal eating
- Abnormal sensation
- Allergic symptoms:
- acute
- chronic
- Amenorrhoea
- Anaemia
- Collapse
- Constipation
- Cough / Wheeze
- Diarrhoea
- Discharge:
- genital
- Dizziness / Vertigo
- Dyspnoea
- Fatigue
- Growth failure
- Headache
- Hyperglycaemia
- Hypertension
- Hypoglycaemia
- Hypotension
- Joint hypermobility and instability
- Loss of consciousness / Fainting
- Medically unexplained symptoms
- Menstrual disorders
- Nausea and vomiting
- Obesity
- Pain:
- abdominal
- chronic
- muscle
- pelvic
- Palpitations
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
- Recurrent urinary tract infections
- Respiratory difficulties
- Seizures
- Sexual dysfunction
- Skin concerns, such as:
- acne
- pruritis
- rash
- Sleep disorders
- Specific nutrient deficiencies, such as:
- iron
- vitamin B12
- vitamin D
- Syncope and pre-syncope
- Urinary symptoms
- Weakness and paralysis
- Weight concerns:
- gain
- loss
- overweight
- underweight
Conditions
- Allergy
- Amenorrhoea
- Anaemia
- Asthma
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
- Cerebral palsy
- Chronic fatigue syndrome / Myalgic encephalomyelitis
- Chronic neurological disability
- Continence:
- faecal
- urinary
- Delayed sleep phase
- Disabilities and associated conditions
- Disorders of puberty
- Eating disorders
- Ehlers–Danlos syndrome
- Epilepsy
- Fever
- Fibromyalgia
- Functional bowel disorders
- Functional neurological disorder
- Head injury
- Infectious conditions
- Kidney conditions
- Malnutrition and micronutrient disorders
- Metabolic syndrome and obesity
- Migraine and other headache syndromes
- Neurodevelopmental disorders:
- complex
- Pain:
- back
- chest
- chronic widespread
- complex regional pain syndrome
- musculoskeletal
- Refeeding syndrome
- Rhinitis
- Sinusitis
- Skin conditions, such as:
- acne
- drug-related
- eczema
- genital dermatology
- viral
- Sleep-related breathing disorders
- Somatoform disorder
- Urinary tract infection
For each presentation and condition, Advanced Trainees will know how to:
Synthesise
- recognise the clinical presentation
- identify relevant epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical science
- take a relevant clinical history
- conduct an appropriate examination
- establish a differential diagnosis
- plan and arrange appropriate investigation
- consider the impact of illness and disease on patients and families, and their quality of life
Manage
- provide evidence-based management
- for less common or more complex presentations and conditions the trainee must also seek expert opinions
- prescribe therapies tailored to patients’ needs and conditions
- recognise potential complications of disease and its management, and initiate preventative strategies
- involve multidisciplinary teams
Consider other factors
- identify individual and social factors and the impact of these on diagnosis and management
Presentations
- Abdominal mass / Hepatosplenomegaly
- Bloody stools / Melaena
- Haematuria
- Oncological presentations
- Proteinuria
- Raised serum creatinine
- Swelling:
- joint
Conditions
- Bronchiectasis
- Connective tissue diseases
- Cystic fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Encephalitis
- Heart disease:
- congenital
- Inflammatory arthropathies
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Kidney failure
- Myopathy
- Oncological disease
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Pregnancy
- Rheumatological disorders
- Sleep disorders, including narcolepsy
- Thyroid disorders
Synthesise
- recognise the clinical presentation
- identify relevant epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical science
- take a relevant clinical history
- conduct an appropriate examination
- establish a differential diagnosis
- plan and arrange appropriate investigation
- consider the impact of illness and disease on patients and families, and their quality of life
Manage
- provide evidence-based management
- for less common or more complex presentations and conditions the trainee must also seek expert opinions
- prescribe therapies tailored to patients’ needs and conditions
- recognise potential complications of disease and its management, and initiate preventative strategies
- involve multidisciplinary teams
Consider other factors
- identify individual and social factors and the impact of these on diagnosis and management
- Aetiology and natural history for common and uncommon medical conditions of adolescents and young adults (AYA)
- Best practice guidelines
- Common causes of mortality and morbidity, such as:
- chronic illness
- disability
- infectious diseases
- injuries:
- intentional
- unintentional
- malignancy
- mental health problems
- sexual health problems
- Epidemiology of chronic illness in adolescents
- Pharmacology of medications prescribed for AYA
- Psychosocial contribution to physical symptoms in adolescence
Investigations
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- Imaging, such as:
- bone age
- bone mineral density scan (DEXA)
- x-rays
- Initial assessment and examination of victims of sexual assault
- Overnight oximetry
- ‘Second line’ and evolving investigative approaches to diagnose undifferentiated diseases
- Sexually transmitted infection investigations
- Tests and biopsies, such as:
- blood, such as:
- hormones
- nutritional screen
- skin
- stool
- urine
- blood, such as:
- Chronic fatigue syndrome diagnosis, investigations, and principles of multidisciplinary management, including pacing
- Chronic illness considerations, such as:
- impact on cognitive, emotional, physical, sexual, and social adolescent development
- management in a multidisciplinary team
- management of comorbidities, such as alcohol and other drug use, and mental health
- Chronic pain management, such as:
- appropriate medical investigations
- non-pharmacological and pharmacological management of chronic pain and comorbidities
- role of allied health and patient education
- Comorbidities in overweight and underweight patients
- Complexities of optimising management for patients with multiple comorbidities
- Concepts of motivational interviewing
- Costs and benefits of:
- diagnostic interventions
- management plans
- therapeutic interventions
- Difference between curative, palliative, and rehabilitative approaches to disease management
- Effective ways of working with families
- Impact of family function and dysfunction
- Indications for referral to specialised units and/or subspecialists
- Investigating and managing atypical presentations with other subspecialists
- Issues around school non-attendance
- Principles of palliative care / end-of-life care
- Specific considerations needed for the following groups:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Māori adolescents
- adolescents whose parents have a mental illness or substance misuse
- adolescents with a disability
- LGBTQIA+ adolescents
- neurodiverse young people
- refugee and asylum seeker families
- socioeconomically disadvantaged young people
- unhoused young people
- victims of physical and/or sexual abuse
- young people in custody or out-of-home care
- The role of the family in the assessment and management of health issues