Perineal wound breakdown at day 5 — assessment and counselling station

Station brief

Format. Communication and assessment station, approximately 12 minutes. The candidate takes a telephone call from a postnatal woman at home on day 5, triages, and then conducts a face-to-face review (the actor moves to the examination couch). The assessor runs the clock. ^[2]

Candidate instruction. Telephone-triage using the four NICE NG194 questions, decide disposition (home care vs same-day review vs emergency department vs 999), conduct a perineal examination with a chaperone and a rectal examination, decide conservative versus theatre management, prescribe the postnatal analgesia package safely for a breastfeeding woman, and counsel the woman on safety-net symptoms. ^[2]