Key presentations and conditions
Basic Trainees will have a comprehensive depth of knowledge of these presentations and conditions.
Presentations
- Cough
- Dyspnoea
- Inhaled foreign body
- Insomnia
- Snoring
- Stridor
- Wheeze
Conditions
- Asthma
- Bronchiectasis
- Croup
- Cystic fibrosis
- Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) conditions:
- infectious conditions, such as otitis media, peritonsillar abscess, sinusitis, and tonsillitis
- non-infectious conditions, such as airway stenosis, allergic rhinitis, choanal atresia, cleft palate, hearing impairment, laryngomalacia, and tracheomalacia
- Respiratory failure
- Respiratory tract infections, such as:
- bronchiolitis
- pneumonia
- upper respiratory tract infections
- Sleep disorders:
- behavioural sleep disorders
- sleep-disordered breathing, such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)
- movement disorders:
- periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD)
- restless legs syndrome (RLS)
- parasomnias, such as night terrors
- sleep-wake phase disorders
For each presentation and condition, Basic 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 investigations
- consider the impact of illness and disease on patients1 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
Less common or more complex presentations and conditions
Basic Trainees will understand these presentations and conditions. Basic Trainees will understand the resources that should be used to help manage patients with these presentations and conditions.
Presentations
- Excessive daytime sleepiness and hypersomnolence
Conditions
- Chylothorax
- Congenital lung abnormalities
- ENT conditions:
- congenital anomalies
- mastoiditis
- retropharyngeal abscess
- tracheitis
- Interstitial lung disease
- Narcolepsy
- Pleural effusion
- Pneumothorax
- Respiratory tract infections and abscesses
- Tuberculosis
For each presentation and condition, Basic 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 investigations
- consider the impact of illness and disease on patients1 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
Epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical sciences
Basic Trainees will describe the principles of the foundational sciences.
- Cardiovascular, neurological, behavioural, and endocrine consequences of untreated sleep-disordered breathing
- Effects of environmental toxins, such as cigarettes on the respiratory system
- Effects of inflammation of the airways and associated diseases
- Embryology, anatomy, and physiology of the respiratory system and ventilation, including ventilation / perfusion (V / Q) matching
- Incidence of and risk factors for respiratory, ENT, and sleep disorders
- Mechanisms and process of acid–base balance
- Sleep physiology
Investigations, procedures and clinical assessment tools
Basic Trainees will know the indications for, and how to interpret the results of these investigations, procedures, and clinical assessments tools.
Basic Trainees will know how to explain the investigation, procedure, or clinical assessment tool to patients, families, and carers.
Investigations
- Basic pulmonary function tests, such as diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), flow-volume loops, lung volumes, and spirometry
- Blood gases:
- arterial
- venous
- Imaging:
- chest X-ray
- CT pulmonary angiogram (CTPA)
- high resolution CT (HRCT)
- videofluoroscopy, such as barium swallow and modified barium swallow
- V / Q scans
- Polysomnography
- Pulmonary function test
- Pulse oximetry
- Overnight oximetry
- Sweat testing
- Tissue biopsy
Procedures
- Endoscopy:
- bronchoscopy
- laryngoscopy
- nasoendoscopy
Important specific issues
Basic Trainees will identify important specialty-specific issues and the impact of these on diagnosis and management.
- Good sleep habits
- Impact of neuromuscular and skeletal disease on respiratory function
- References to patients in the remainder of this document may include their families or carers.