Counsel an adolescent boy and his family on delayed puberty — OSCE

OSCE communication and shared decision-making station: counselling a distressed fourteen-year-old boy and his parents on constitutional delay of growth and puberty — explaining the natural history honestly, addressing the psychosocial burden, and laying out the option of a short course of testosterone while keeping reassurance as the default.

osce communication and shared decision-making1 min readVerification in progress

Prompt

A fourteen-year-old boy with constitutional delay of growth and puberty is distressed that he is still prepubertal while his peers are growing and shaving. His parents are anxious that something is wrong and have read online that he may need growth hormone injections. His bone age reads eleven years, his father shaved at seventeen, and his growth velocity is normal. Counsel the boy and his family.

Candidate brief

You have eight minutes to counsel a distressed fourteen-year-old boy and his parents on constitutional delay of growth and puberty. Use a structured, honest, empathic approach that acknowledges the psychosocial burden, explains the reassuring natural history, addresses the family's anxiety about growth hormone, and lays out the option of a short course of testosterone as a shared decision. ^[1] ^[2]

References3Show

[1]Caro R, Savel P, Moss PI. Evaluation of Short and Tall Stature in Children. Am Fam Physician, 2025.PMID 40531152
[2]Butler G, Purushothaman P. Delayed puberty. Minerva Pediatr, 2020.PMID 32748610
[3]Luciano TM, Stecchini MF, Antonini SRR. Boys with constitutional delay of growth and puberty developed spontaneous puberty and reached standard adult height without pharmacological therapy. J Pediatr (Rio J), 2025.PMID 40784365

Counsel an adolescent boy and his family on delayed puberty — OSCE

osce communication and shared decision-making1 min readVerification in progress

Candidate brief

References3Show

[1]Caro R, Savel P, Moss PI. Evaluation of Short and Tall Stature in Children. Am Fam Physician, 2025.PMID 40531152
[2]Butler G, Purushothaman P. Delayed puberty. Minerva Pediatr, 2020.PMID 32748610
[3]Luciano TM, Stecchini MF, Antonini SRR. Boys with constitutional delay of growth and puberty developed spontaneous puberty and reached standard adult height without pharmacological therapy. J Pediatr (Rio J), 2025.PMID 40784365