Medical Communication Skills and Law Made Easy

Section 1: The basicsIntroduction. The basics of medical interaction.Informed consent and adults with capacity.Informed consent and adults who lack capacity.Breaking bad news.Section 2: Special communication situationsPatient confidentiality. Explaining results. Communicating with children. Communicating with other special patient groups. Explaining patient discharge (foundation year level). Dealing with potential self-discharging patients (foundation year level). Dealing with angry patients and relatives (foundation year level). Dealing with introspective patients (foundation year level). Dealing with poor adherence.Section 3: Achieving the patient-centred historyGeneral history taking. Cardiovascular history. Respiratory history. Gastrointestinal history.Genito-urinary history. Gynaecological and obstetric histories. Legal guidance on termination of pregnancy. Neurological history. Psychiatric history and mental health. Paediatric history. Pre-operation clinic.Section 4: HIV counsellingHIV The basics. Social impact. Pre-HIV test counselling. Giving test results. Legal guidance – HIV and AIDS.Section 5: Explaining disease XExplaining disease. Explaining asthma. Explaining depression. Explaining angina. Explaining osteoarthritis. Explaining appendicitis (surgical case). Explaining cystic Fibrosis (genetic origin). Explaining type 1 diabetes. Explaining type 2 diabetes. Explaining hepatitis B. Explaining eczema. Explaining epilepsy. Explaining cancer..Section 6: Explaining drug YExplaining drugs and medication.Explaining atenolol. Explaining statin therapy. Explaining SSRI drugs. Explaining asthma medication. Explaining aspirin. Explaining oral hypoglycaemics (metformin). Explaining combined oral contraceptive pill (OCP). Explaining warfarin. Explaining steroid use.Section 7: Explaining device ZExplaining devices. Explaining GTN spray. Explaining insulin injector pens. Explaining peak flow meters. Explaining inhalers. Explaining adrenalin pens.Section 8: Explaining proceduresExplaining procedures. Explaining central line placement. Explaining angiograms. Explaining exercise stress test. Explaining OGD for epigastric pain. Explaining colonoscopy/flexisigmoidoscopy (C/FS) for PR bleeding. Explaining bronchoscopy for haemopytsis. Explaining ERCP for gallstones.Explaining lumbar puncture.Section 9: Explaining surgical operationsExplaining surgical operations. Explaining appendicectomy. Explaining laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Explaining inguinal hernia repair.Section 10: OSCE scenariosSituation 1 New diagnosis of asthma. Situation 2 Explaining asthma medication. Situation 3 Oral combined contraceptive pill. Scenario 4 HIV test counselling. Scenario 5 HIV test results counselling. Scenario 6 Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Scenario 7 Angina patient. Scenario 8 Depression, anxiety and suicide.Appendix 1: Clinical negligenceAppendix 2: A summary of the British legal structureAppendix 3: Notifiable diseases