Curriculum standards
Curriculum standards
Advanced Training in Immunology and Allergy
Entrustable Professional Activities
LG7: Acute care
Acute care
Manage the early care of acutely unwell patients
This activity requires the ability to:
- anticipate high-risk procedures in clinical practice, including:
- desensitisation procedures, ensuring they are clinically indicated and performed in the appropriate acuity clinical setting
- food and drug challenges
- assess seriously unwell patients, and initiate management
- recognise clinical deterioration, and respond by following the local process for escalation of care
- recognise acutely unwell patients who require resuscitation and initiate management, including the administration of adrenaline for anaphylaxis
- be competent with basic and advanced life support in line with workplace mandatory training
- liaise with medical teams, including with transport services, as required
- perform this activity both in inpatient and outpatient settings
Professional practice framework domain
Medical expertise
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- recognise and respond appropriately to immediate life-threatening conditions, such as:
- deteriorating / critically unwell patients
- hypersensitivity, including:
- anaphylaxis
- drug hypersensitivity syndrome
- Stevens–Johnson syndrome
- toxic epidermal necrolysis
- infectious conditions, including:
- sepsis
- organ-threatening inflammatory conditions
- demonstrate understanding of adrenaline administration, immune suppression, and sepsis management
- perform advanced life support for paediatric trainees and basic life support for adult trainees, according to resuscitation council guidelines, to a high level of advanced or basic resuscitation skills
- demonstrate knowledge of the potential risks and complications of acute interventions
- effectively assess, diagnose, and manage acute undifferentiated clinical presentations
- select investigations that ensure maximum patient safety through excluding or diagnosing critical patient issues
- systematically identify causes of acute deterioration in health status and levels of physical and cognitive functioning
- manage escalations or transitions of care in a proactive and timely manner
- develop plans of multidisciplinary treatment, rehabilitation, and secondary prevention following acute events
- provide clear and effective discharge summaries with recommendations for ongoing care
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- recognise seriously unwell patients requiring immediate care
- apply basic life support as indicated
- demonstrate understanding of the general medical principles of caring for patients with undifferentiated and undiagnosed conditions
- identify potential causes of current deterioration, and comply with escalation protocols
- facilitate initial tests to assist in diagnosis and develop management plans for immediate treatment
- document information to outline the rationale for clinical decisions and action plans
- assess perioperative and periprocedural patients
Communication
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- communicate clearly with other team members, and coordinate efforts of multidisciplinary team members
- use closed-loop and clear communication with other healthcare team members during resuscitation
- facilitate early communication with patients, families, and healthcare team members to allow shared decision making
- negotiate realistic treatment goals, and determine and explain the expected prognoses and outcomes
- refer to national best practice standards around the management of patients with allergy
- provide standardised action plans, such as the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy anaphylaxis and/or allergic reactions management plan
- employ communication strategies appropriate for younger patients or those with cognitive difficulties
- explain the situation to patients in a sensitive and supportive manner, avoiding jargon and confirming their understanding
- determine the level of health literacy of individual patients, and their level of understanding of agreed care decisions
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- demonstrate communication skills to sufficiently support the function of multidisciplinary teams
- determine patients’ understanding of their diseases, if possible, and what they perceive as the most desirable goals of care
Quality and safety
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- maintain up-to-date certification in advanced life support for paediatric trainees and basic life support for adult trainees
- use clinical information technology systems for conducting prospective and retrospective clinical audits
- evaluate and explain the benefits and risks of clinical interventions based on individual patients’ circumstances
- analyse adverse incidents and sentinel events to identify system failures and contributing factors
- identify evidence-based practice gaps using clinical indicators, and implement changes to improve patients’ outcomes
- coordinate and encourage innovation, and objectively evaluate improvement initiatives for outcomes and sustainability
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- evaluate the quality of processes through well-designed audits
- recognise the risks and benefits of interventions
- raise appropriate issues for review at morbidity and mortality meetings
- evaluate the quality and safety processes implemented within the workplace, and identify gaps in their structure
Teaching and learning
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- demonstrate effective supervision skills and teaching methods adapted to the context of the training
- encourage questioning among junior colleagues and students in response to unanswered clinical questions
- seek guidance and feedback from healthcare teams to reflect on encounters and improve future patients’ care
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- mentor and train others to enhance team effectiveness
- provide constructive feedback to junior colleagues to contribute to improvements in individuals’ skills
- coordinate and supervise junior colleagues from the emergency department and the wards
Research
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- select studies based on optimal trial design, minimising / acknowledging bias, and precision of measurement
- specify research evidence to the needs of individual patients
- evaluate the value of treatments in terms of relative and absolute benefits, cost, potential patient harm, and feasibility
- evaluate the applicability of the results of clinical studies to the circumstances of individual patients, especially those with multiple comorbidities
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- demonstrate efficient searching of literature databases to retrieve evidence
- refer to evidence-based clinical guidelines and protocols on acutely unwell patients
- use information from credible sources to aid in decision making
- demonstrate an understanding of the limitations of the evidence, including levels of evidence, and the challenges of applying research in daily practice
Cultural safety
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- negotiate health care decisions in a culturally appropriate way by considering variation in family structures, cultures, religion, or belief systems
- integrate culturally appropriate care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Māori into patients’ management
- consider cultural, ethical, and religious values and beliefs in leading multidisciplinary teams
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- practise cultural competency appropriate for the community serviced
- proactively identify barriers to healthcare access
Ethics and professional behaviour
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- develop management plans based on medical assessments of the clinical conditions and multidisciplinary assessments of functional capacity
- advise patients of their rights to refuse medical therapy, including life-sustaining treatment
- consider the consequences of delivering treatment that is deemed futile, directing to other care as appropriate
- facilitate interactions within multidisciplinary teams, respecting values, encouraging involvement, and engaging all participants in decision making
- demonstrate critical reflection on personal beliefs and attitudes, including how these may affect patient care and health care policy
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- communicate medical management plans as part of multidisciplinary plans
- establish, where possible, patients’ wishes and preferences about care
- contribute to building a productive culture within teams
Judgement and decision making
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- recognise the need for escalation of care, and escalate to appropriate staff or services
- integrate evidence related to questions of diagnosis, therapy, prognosis, risks, and cause into clinical decision making
- reconcile conflicting advice from other specialties, applying judgement in making clinical decisions in the presence of uncertainty
- use care pathways effectively, including identifying reasons for variations in care
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- involve additional staff to assist in a timely fashion when required
- recognise personal limitations and seek help in an appropriate way when required
Leadership, management, and teamwork
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- work collaboratively with staff in the emergency department, intensive care, and other subspecialty inpatient units
- manage the transition of acute medical patients through their hospital journeys
- lead a team by providing engagement while maintaining a focus on outcomes
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- collaborate with and engage other team members, based on their roles and skills
- ensure appropriate multidisciplinary assessment and management
- encourage an environment of openness and respect to lead effective teams
Health policy, systems, and advocacy
Ready to perform without supervision
Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision
The trainee will:
- use a considered and rational approach to the responsible use of resources, balancing costs against outcomes
- prioritise patients’ care based on need, and consider available healthcare resources
- collaborate with emergency medicine staff and other colleagues to develop policies and protocols for the investigation and management of common acute medical problems
- identify social determinants of health as they pertain to acute care, and devise strategies to address them
Requires some supervision
Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity
The trainee may:
- demonstrate understanding of the systems for the escalation of care for deteriorating patients
- recognise the role of clinician leadership and advocacy in appraising and redesigning systems of care that lead to better patient outcomes