GP CCE Cases · gastrointestinal-health
The positive screening result — CCE clinical encounter
CCE-style clinical encounter: a 66-year-old woman attends distressed by a positive National Bowel Cancer Screening Program result, wanting a repeat test. The candidate must explain the yield, secure colonoscopy, correct her ibuprofen use, and close with a follow-up contract.
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Target exams
RACGP CCEFRACGP oralsCFPC SOOs
Prompt
A 66-year-old retired teacher attends, visibly anxious. Her mailed bowel screening kit came back positive. She says: 'I feel completely well — surely it's a mistake? My neighbour said these tests are wrong half the time.' She takes ibuprofen most days for knee osteoarthritis and asks whether that 'might have caused it'. She wants to repeat the kit before doing anything else.
Objectives
- Validate the anxiety while correcting the misconception — the positive result is acted on, never repeated. [15]
- Explain what the positive means numerically without either dismissing or catastrophising. [15]
- Address the ibuprofen question honestly — relevant context, not an escape hatch. [15]
- Arrange colonoscopy through the appropriate pathway and own the follow-up loop. [10]
- Close with explicit next actions and return triggers. [15]
References2ShowHide
- [15]Smith SJ, Moorin R, Tadesse D, et al. Interval Cancer Characteristics, Staging and Survival Among National Bowel Cancer Screening Program Participants, Western Australia. Medical Journal of Australia, 2026.PMID 41629194
- [10]Song JH, Kim ER Strategies to improve screening colonoscopy quality for the prevention of colorectal cancer. Korean Journal of Internal Medicine, 2024.PMID 38247125