Situational Judgement Flashcards
Mr Edwards is a regular patient at his GP practice because he suffers from chronic pain following an operation last year. As a result of this, Mr Edwards suffers from depression and anxiety and has attempted suicide once before. Dr Jones is currently in consultation with Mr Edwards and he seems more deflated than usual. Mr Edwards confides that he cannot cope with the pain any longer and feels that the only way to solve this problem is for him to die. He pleads with Dr Jones to help him die.
How important is the fact that physician-assisted euthanasia is illegal for Dr Jones when deciding how to respond to the situation?
very important
need to be aware of the law surrounding these issues because law will dictate which stance you must take and thus how you respond.
Euthanasia is legal in a selected number or countries, but not the UK therefore it is a CRUCIAL detail
Mr Edwards is a regular patient at his GP practice because he suffers from chronic pain following an operation last year. As a result of this, Mr Edwards suffers from depression and anxiety and has attempted suicide once before. Dr Jones is currently in consultation with Mr Edwards and he seems more deflated than usual. Mr Edwards confides that he cannot cope with the pain any longer and feels that the only way to solve this problem is for him to die. He pleads with Dr Jones to help him die.
How important is the fact that Mr Edwards has no family or support networks for Dr Jones when deciding how to respond to the situation?
important
could play a role in how he is feeling and in response to this, Dr Jones will consider the best way to help Mr Edwards.
Important preferable to ‘very important’ because Dr Jones may be tempted to consider fulfilling his request to die if she attaches too much importance to this factor, and under no circumstances is this appropriate.
Mr Edwards is a regular patient at his GP practice because he suffers from chronic pain following an operation last year. As a result of this, Mr Edwards suffers from depression and anxiety and has attempted suicide once before. Dr Jones is currently in consultation with Mr Edwards and he seems more deflated than usual. Mr Edwards confides that he cannot cope with the pain any longer and feels that the only way to solve this problem is for him to die. He pleads with Dr Jones to help him die.
How important is the fact that if Dr Jones doesnt help him die then Mr Edwards is likely to attempt suicide anyway for Dr Jones when deciding how to respond to the situation?
of minor importance
factor has some importance because it demonstrates how strongly Mr Edwards feels. gives indication that he needs support.
minor importance because it is not acceptable under any circumstances for Dr Jones to fulfill his request
Elsie approached by fellow student, Angelo. Angelo tells Elsie that he just received a message from his mother telling him that his grandfather has been declared free of cancer. Angelo and Elsie have a compulsory class later that afternoon, which Angelo intends on missing to go see his family to celebrate. Angelo asks her to sign his name on the attendance sheet so he doesnt get in trouble.
how appropriate is Elsie’s response: “no. if you’re not at the class. I’ll make sure to report your absence”
APPROPRIATE BUT NOT IDEAL
appropriate = refusing unreasonable request
not ideal = comes across as overly confrontational
Elsie approached by fellow student, Angelo. Angelo tells Elsie that he just received a message from his mother telling him that his grandfather has been declared free of cancer. Angelo and Elsie have a compulsory class later that afternoon, which Angelo intends on missing to go see his family to celebrate. Angelo asks her to sign his name on the attendance sheet so he doesnt get in trouble.
how appropriate is Elsie’s response: “I’m happy to do that for you, so long as you promise to catch up on the material afterwards!”
VERY INAPPROPRIATE
Elsie is not the person who decides whether missing class is acceptable; even though this response may make Elsie feel less like she’s doing something wrong, it remains very inappropriate
Dr Manley and Dr Cookson are dentists working at the same dental surgery. They are good friends and have been working together for almost ten years. Recently, Dr Manley has noticed a change in Dr Cookson’s behaviour. She has become increasingly withdrawn and irritable. On many occasions, she has shouted at patients, resulting in complaints
how appropriate is Dr Manley’s response: to reprimand Dr Cookson for being rude and unprofessional
VERY INAPPROPRIATE
doesnt attempt to identify underlying reasons for Dr Cooksons behaviour
behaviour is unusual and there is likely a root cause, so Dr Manley should sensitively identify what instead of making Dr Cookson feel worse
Stefanie is a medical student catching up on a recorded lecture conducted by Dr Lough. During the lecture, he explains that he will be discussing patient information as the patient has consented to their clinical details being shared with medical students. Mid-way through the recording, Stephanie realises that Dr Lough has uploaded the recording to an online portal that is accessible to all students at the university. It is possible that students not studying medicine may be learning the details of this patient.
how important is the following consideration: Dr Lough may not be aware of this mistake
IMPORTANT
take action to limit breach of confidentiality regardless of whether or not the doctor is aware that the notes are publicly visible. however, her course of action would differ depending on whether or not this is the case.
if unaware, it would simple be a matter of privately notifying him via email or a short conversation
if aware, Stefanie may have to escalate the issue as this would be a conscious breach of patient confidentiality
Stefanie is a medical student catching up on a recorded lecture conducted by Dr Lough. During the lecture, he explains that he will be discussing patient information as the patient has consented to their clinical details being shared with medical students. Mid-way through the recording, Stephanie realises that Dr Lough has uploaded the recording to an online portal that is accessible to all students at the university. It is possible that students not studying medicine may be learning the details of this patient.
how important is the following consideration: other students may have already reported the issue
NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL
Stefanie should not rely on others to limit this confidentiality breach.
Stefanie is a medical student catching up on a recorded lecture conducted by Dr Lough. During the lecture, he explains that he will be discussing patient information as the patient has consented to their clinical details being shared with medical students. Mid-way through the recording, Stephanie realises that Dr Lough has uploaded the recording to an online portal that is accessible to all students at the university. It is possible that students not studying medicine may be learning the details of this patient.
how important is the following consideration: may be disruptive for medical students if the lecture has to be re-uploaded elsewhere
OF MINOR IMPORTANCE
deleting and reuploading the lecture may negatively impact the education of the medical students needing to access the recording. however, this impact is not nearly as important as limiting the breach of confidentiality
Tom and Alison are in their first year at medical school. Tom noted that Alison has started to become withdrawn and distant from him and their friends. He has also noticed that Alison, once a keen hockey player, has not been attending practice recently, as she says that hockey does not interest her anymore. when he does speak to Alison he has noticed that she appears tired and despondent
how appropriate is the following response: ignore the situation as he does not want to appear invasive
A VERY INAPPROPRIATE THING TO DO
action will not help in addressing the situation and may give Alison the impression that Tom doesnt care about her. It is not invasive to simply ask if something is troubling them, and is often all thats needed to help them open up
Tom and Alison are in their first year at medical school. Tom noted that Alison has started to become withdrawn and distant from him and their friends. He has also noticed that Alison, once a keen hockey player, has not been attending practice recently, as she says that hockey does not interest her anymore. when he does speak to Alison he has noticed that she appears tired and despondent
how appropriate is the following response: recommend that Alison re-join the hockey team
INAPPROPRIATE BUT NOT AWFUL
unclear if hockey is an exacerbator or reliever of Alison’s behaviour, therefore, the cause of her change in behaviour needs to be identified first. Suggesting she rejoin the hockey teams is not awful as it may prompt Alison to say something that will give a clue as to the cause of her problem
Tom and Alison are in their first year at medical school. Tom noted that Alison has started to become withdrawn and distant from him and their friends. He has also noticed that Alison, once a keen hockey player, has not been attending practice recently, as she says that hockey does not interest her anymore. when he does speak to Alison he has noticed that she appears tired and despondent
how appropriate is the following response: speak to student services himself about Alison
INAPPROPRIATE BUT NOT AWFUL
unless he believes Alison is at risk, she must be the one to do this. she may be offended and upset that Tom has spoken to someone else about her issues. he should encourage Alison to speak to Student Services herself. It is not awful because it does not have serious consequences for Alison and they may also be able to advise Tom on what to do to help Alison
Li and Jacob are two medical students on a placement in the same hospital. Jacob asks Li for a private discussion. Jacob has received feedback from his clinical supervisor that his style of communicating with colleagues is unacceptable. Li considers Jacob to be reasonably pleasant, although he can be irritable with the nursing staff and fellow medical students on occasions. Jacob has asked Li advice on what he should do
how appropriate are the following responses: advise Jacob to ask other team members for feedback regarding his communication style
#
VERY APPROPRIATE THING TO DO
trying to address negative feedback is a very constructive thing to do. Li should encourage Jacob to seek advice from other team members. This will help him to identify what the problem is, as he was probably oblivious to the fact that his communication style was inappropriate
Li and Jacob are two medical students on a placement in the same hospital. Jacob asks Li for a private discussion. Jacob has received feedback from his clinical supervisor that his style of communicating with colleagues is unacceptable. Li considers Jacob to be reasonably pleasant, although he can be irritable with the nursing staff and fellow medical students on occasions. Jacob has asked Li advice on what he should do
how appropriate are the following responses: tell Jacob that she doesnt consider his communication style to be inappropriate
VERY INAPPROPRIATE
Li is in no position to refute the feedback of a senior colleague. Li is aware that Jacob can be irritable towards nursing staff and medical students, so she is aware that his communication style has room for improvement
Samantha is a junior doctor who is working on a chemotherapy ward. This ward is full of patients who are very vulnerable to infections because their immune systems are weak. Jake, a third-year medical student, is on a placement on the same ward. he is aiming to learn more about how cancer can impact a patient’s life. when he arrived, Samantha had to remind Jake to wash his hands before entering the ward. Now, she has noticed that he keeps entering the patients’ rooms without wearing an apron or gloves. There is a clear sign on each door telling the person entering to wear a fresh apron and gloves.
how appropriate are the following responses by Samantha: tell doctor in charge that Jake is failing to follow protocol
samantha is a junior doctor and should be able to deal with situation herself. she might need to remind jake to put on an aprom and gloves before he enters patients rooms as he may have not seen the sign. this action is not awful because at least samantha is acting towards trying to solve the problem of the scenario, but her response is unnecessary because she can easily resolve the matter herself
