Entrustable Professional Activities

LG9: Communication with patients and families

Learning Goal 9

Communication with patients and families

Communicate with children, their families, whānau, and/or carers

This activity requires the ability to:

  • communicate effectively and build rapport with children and young people
  • adopt a patient-centred perspective during communication, including adjusting for cognition and disabilities
  • use interpreters when communicating with patients and families, if required
  • use AUSLAN or NZSL interpreters or other appropriate communication aides, such as digital devices, for communication with patients, families, whānau, and/or carers with hearing or other communication impairments
  • consider communication with LGBTQIA+ patients, and the importance of exercising caution around language and providing gender inclusive care
  • select suitable settings for difficult conversations, and include family and/or carers and other team members
  • through communication, negotiate mutually agreed management plans with patients, families, whānau, and or carers
  • verify patients’, family members’ or carers’ understanding of information conveyed
  • consider the impact of patients’ cultural diversity, and communicate in a culturally diverse manner.
  • document conversations

Professional practice framework domain

Medical expertise

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • communicate to patients, families, whānau, and/or carers all aspects of their clinical management, including assessments and investigations
  • provide the medical knowledge required to patients, families, whānau, and/or carers to enable them to make informed decisions about diagnostic, therapeutic, and management options
  • use thorough communication, assessing for red flags or injuries that medical teaching instructs doctors to be concerned about, with patients, families, whānau, and/or carers to establish if there are any concerns for child maltreatment
  • anticipate and be able to correct any misunderstandings patients may have about their conditions and/or risk factors

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • apply knowledge of the scientific basis of health and disease when communicating with patients, families, whānau, and/or carers
  • demonstrate an understanding of the clinical problems being discussed
  • formulate management plans in partnership with patients

Communication

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • use appropriate communication strategies and modalities for communicating with patients, families, whānau, and/or carers
  • elicit patients’ views, concerns, and preferences, promoting rapport
  • provide information to patients in plain language, avoiding jargon, acronyms, and complex medical terms
  • encourage questions, and answer them thoroughly
  • ask patients to share their thoughts or explain their management plans in their own words, to verify understanding
  • convey information considerately and sensitively to patients, seeking clarification if unsure of how best to proceed
  • communicate with children at a developmentally and age-appropriate level and manner
  • incorporate appropriate LGBTQIA+ safe language, including gender affirming language
  • use an appropriate manner and recommended tools when communicating with adolescents
  • communicate with patients individually, as well as with their families, whānau, and/or carers, to encourage patient autonomy, decision making, and preparation for adulthood
  • communicate with patients in their preferred manner, including the use of pronouns
  • treat children and young people respectfully, and listen to their views
  • assess that the information communicated to patients, families, whānau, and/or carers has been understood
  • provide gender inclusive care and promotion of equality to patients accessing care (for example, some patients may be apprehensive about accessing care)

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • select appropriate modes of communication
  • engage patients in discussions, avoiding the use of jargon
  • check patients’ understanding of information
  • adapt communication style in response to patients’ age, developmental level, and cognitive, physical, cultural, socioeconomic, and situational factors
  • use culturally safe interpreters, if required, when communicating with patients, families, whānau, and/or carers
  • collaborate with patient liaison officers as required
  • ensure all conversations with patients, families, whānau, carers, and other clinicians are well documented

Quality and safety

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • discuss with patients their condition and the available management options, including potential benefits and harms
  • provide information to patients in a way they can understand before asking for their consent
  • consider young people’s capacity for decision making and consent
  • recognise and take precautions where patients may be vulnerable, such as issues of child protection, self-harm, or elder abuse
  • participate in processes to manage patients’ complaints

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • inform patients of the material risks associated with proposed management plans
  • treat information about patients as confidential

Teaching and learning

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • discuss the aetiology of diseases, and explain the purpose, nature, and extent of the assessments to be conducted
  • obtain informed consent or other valid authority before involving patients in teaching

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • respond appropriately to information sourced by patients, and to patients’ knowledge regarding their condition

Research

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • provide information to patients based on current up-to-date guidelines that are consistent with international best practice (with local variations to account for local populations and local health service needs)
  • provide information to patients in a way they can understand before asking for their consent to participate in research
  • obtain an informed consent or other valid authority before involving patients in research

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • refer to evidence-based clinical guidelines
  • demonstrate an understanding of the limitations of the evidence and the challenges of applying research in daily practice

Cultural safety

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • demonstrate effective and culturally safe communication with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Māori
  • effectively communicate with members of other cultural groups by meeting patients’ specific language, cultural, and communication needs
  • use qualified language or cultural interpreters to help meet patients’ communication needs
  • provide plain language and culturally appropriate written materials to patients when possible

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • identify when to use interpreters
  • allow enough time for communication across linguistic and cultural barriers

Ethics and professional behaviour

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • encourage and support patients to be well informed about their health, and to use this information wisely when they make decisions
  • encourage and support patients and, when relevant, their families, whānau, and/or carers, in caring for themselves and managing their health
  • demonstrate respectful professional relationships with patients
  • prioritise honesty, patients’ welfare, and community benefit above self-interest
  • develop a high standard of personal conduct, consistent with professional and community expectations
  • support patients’ rights to seek second opinions
  • consider the zone of parental control and decision making with regards to legal, moral, and ethical considerations when conflicts in management occur between health professionals and families, whānau, and/or carers

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • respect the preferences of patients
  • maximise patient autonomy, and support their decision making
  • communicate appropriately, consistent with the context, and respect patients’ needs and preferences
  • avoid sexual, intimate, and/or financial relationships with patients
  • demonstrate a caring attitude towards patients
  • respect patients, including protecting their rights to privacy and confidentiality
  • behave equitably towards all, irrespective of gender, age, culture, socioeconomic status, sexual preferences, beliefs, contribution to society, illness-related behaviours, or the illness itself
  • use social media ethically and according to legal obligations to protect patients’ confidentiality and privacy

Leadership, management, and teamwork

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • communicate effectively with team members involved in patients’ care, and with patients, families, whānau, and/or carers
  • facilitate an environment in which all team members feel they can contribute and their opinion is valued
  • communicate accurately and succinctly, and motivate others on the healthcare team

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • answer questions from team members
  • summarise, clarify, and communicate responsibilities of healthcare team members
  • keep healthcare team members focused on patient outcomes

Health policy, systems, and advocacy

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • collaborate with other services, such as community health centres and consumer organisations, to help patients navigate the healthcare system
  • advocate for patients and their families, whānau, and/or carers to seek the support and resources they need

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • communicate with and involve other health professionals as appropriate