Posts

📆 24/4/25

🔑 A reminder of the marking balance

Relating to others 23%,
Data gathering and diagnosis 23%
Clinical management and medical complexity 43%

So make sure you give yourself time for management.

Try using a management menu to summarise options at the start of management.

Give: Choice (options), Control (ask what they want to know more about) and Guidance (the pros and cons of the options)

Direct link to the Clinitalk explainer video: https://www.clinitalk.co.uk/explainer

📆 23/4/25

🚨 Emergency cases

In the case of the exam, you might get a scenario about an emergency case.

Think about;

Rapid Assessment and recognition of emergency
Consider need for speed in assessment and treatment. Revise patterns of emergency presentation and treatment algorithms.

Doctor centered approach
Consider a doctor centered approach where life is at risk to protect health

Immediate treatment
Immediate treatment immediately necessary treatment before transfer e.g. chest pain.

Communicate risk clearly promoting safety
Consider safety of patient and those around them e.g. in transfer to hospital.

Eliciting the pattern of presentation, using open questions as much as possible, conveying the differential diagnosis (and how likely each differential is) and then taking a safe action will get you a long way to a clear pass.

📆 23/4/25

🫁 Changing inhalers to AIR and MART?

Make it clear and shared.

Last week, I had a great teaching session in practice with three of our ST3s—we were all practising how to explain AIR (Anti-Inflammatory Reliever) and MART (Maintenance and Reliever Therapy) therapy clearly and simply to patients. It was a helpful reminder that while we might be familiar with these terms, patients often aren’t.

When you’re discussing asthma options, this is a section where you’ll be doing more of the talking—but not all at once. Leave space for questions, check understanding, and keep it a conversation. 🗣❓

Top tips from our session:
‍
- Avoid jargon 🚫

- Use natural pauses ⏸

- Keep it shared and patient-centred 🤝

- Ask questions like “How does that sound to you?” or “Does that make sense?” ✅

- Explore the patient's understanding before diving into treatment options—what do they know about their asthma care so far? 🧐

- Encourage shared decision-making—ask for the patient’s thoughts on the plan. 📝


When we practised last week, it took each of us three or four attempts to get to an explanation we were happy with. This is a normal part of refining your approach, and it shows the value of making the conversation as clear and patient-centred as possible. 💬✨

Check your % talking data—yes, clinical management means more input from you, but it should still feel like a dialogue. Remember, the Clinical Management domain carries more weight than Data Gathering or Relating to Others—so this bit really matters. 📊📈

Need a refresher on AIR & MART?

There’s a recent eLearning module on Asthma: Updates to Diagnosis and Treatment published in April 2025 on the RCGP website. It’s a great resource to stay up-to-date with the latest asthma management guidelines.