Minor Illness in Primary Care
| Module title | Minor Illness in Primary Care |
|---|---|
| Module code | HPDM168 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Rob Daniels (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
Healthcare providers working in their communities, whether in GP practices, pharmacies or urgent care settings, frequently treat patients who self-present with what can be described as minor illnesses.
Ensuring that healthcare professionals are adequately trained in this area is important so that serious disease requiring onward referral and self-limiting conditions can be identified and appropriately managed, while delivering an accessible and effective service for patients.
This taught module will give you a foundation in assessing patients in a systematic way including practical examination skills, along with access to e-learning material. Experienced primary care practitioners will deliver the teaching along with local specialists as required. By the end of this module you will be confident in diagnosing and managing a range of conditions whilst having an awareness of potentially significant disease that may need onward referral.
This module is suitable for healthcare professionals that wish to develop their skills in assessing and managing a range of acute conditions that commonly present in primary care, whether they are working in GP practices as clinical pharmacists, nurses or paramedics, or urgent care settings such as Minor Injury Unit or Out-of-hours GP services.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will encourage you to develop the skills to assess patients with acute symptoms. This practical approach will be underpinned with evidence-based theory. Practical examination skills will be taught and practised, as well as an introduction to clinical signs that are seen in primary care practice. Communication skills techniques for handover information, negotiation and developing shared management plans will be integrated into the learning activities.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Undertake comprehensive clinical assessment of patients presenting with acute symptoms in primary and urgent care settings
- 2. Develop advanced clinical reasoning techniques to generate differential diagnoses and management plans
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Make safe management plans (including seeking a second opinion) using own insight into personal competence and experience
- 4. Apply knowledge and skills to clinical assessment of patients as an independent practitioner
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Communicate clinical diagnoses and management plans effectively, both written and verbally
- 6. Develop critical thinking skills to apply evidence based guidelines to patient care
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:
- Respiratory and cardiac illness
- ENT and Ophthalmology
- Abdominal conditions
- Skin and endocrine disease
- Musculoskeletal conditions
- Spotting sick patients: Identification of sepsis, cancer and spotting red flags
- Use of decision support tools to assist diagnosis
Whilst we anticipate delivering the teaching in person, to ensure flexibility and resilience over the coming academic year, the following changes may be made to the module if needed:
- Face-to-face scheduled lectures may be replaced by short pre-recorded videos for each topic (15-20 minutes) and/or brief overview lectures delivered via MS Teams/Zoom, with learning consolidated by self-directed learning resources and ELE activities.
- Small-group discussion in tutorials and seminars may be replaced by synchronous group discussion on Teams/ Zoom; or asynchronous online discussion, for example via Yammer or ELE Discussion board.
- Workshops involving face-to-face classroom teaching may be replaced by synchronous sessions on Teams/Zoom; or Asynchronous workshop activities supported with discussion forum.
- Skills workshops involving practical skills acquisition demonstrations may be replaced by short pre-recorded videos as pre-learning; or workshop via Teams/Zoom.
- Written examinations (e.g. timed, invigilated, closed-book formal exam) may be replaced by an online equivalent (e.g. timed, non-invigilated, open-book, online exam).
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | 272 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning & teaching activities | 14 | Seminars |
| Scheduled learning & teaching activities | 14 | Practical classes and workshops |
| Guided independent study | 56 | Web-based activities located on ELE - preparation for seminars and practical classes |
| Guided independent study | 56 | Reading and preparation for seminars and presentations |
| Guided independent study | 160 | Reading and preparation for module assessment |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 multiple-choice questions and 4 OSCE style clinical reasoning stations | 30 minutes plus feedback; 15 min OSCE per student | 1-6 | Verbal |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (2000 words) | 50 | 2000 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Preparation of evidence based plan for delivery of minor illness service | 50 | Poster presentation and verbal commentary | 1-6 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (2000 words) | Essay (2000 words) (50%) | 1-6 | Typically within six weeks of the result |
| Preparation of evidence based plan for delivery of minor illness service | Poster presentation and verbal commentary (50%) | 1-6 | Within 6 weeks of result |
Re-assessment notes
Please refer to the TQA section on Referral/Deferral:
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/consequenceoffailure/
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Relevant sections of:-
Minor Illness or Major Disease 6th edition Paperback – 15 July 2016 by Brian Addison
Symptom Sorter, 6th Edition Paperback -,14 May 2020 by Keith Hopcroft (Author), Vincent Forte (Author)
Oxford Handbook of General Practice 5th Edition By S.Chantal et al. (Oxford Medical Handbooks) June 2020
Macleod's Clinical Examination, 14e Paperback – 11 Jun. 2018 by J. Alastair Innes
Journals
Freitag, A., Constanti, M., O'Flynn, N. and Faust, S.N., 2016. Suspected sepsis: summary of NICE guidance. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 354.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Nice (2017) Suspected cancer: recognition and referral https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12
Nice (2021) Guidance on use of antimicrobials: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/infections
Devon formulary and referral website: https://devonformularyguidance.nhs.uk/
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 20/11/2023 |
