Explaining impetigo, school exclusion and household care — OSCE

Candidate instructions (8-minute station)

You are the paediatric registrar in the clinic. A 4-year-old child has crusted, weeping sores spreading from the nose across the cheek over the last five days. The child is otherwise well and afebrile. A younger sibling has developed a similar sore on the chin, and the child has underlying atopic dermatitis. The family asks whether the child can stay at school. ^[1]

Your tasks are: ^[1]

1. Explain the diagnosis of impetigo and what the illness will look like over the coming week, in plain language. ^[1]
2. Explain the five-day topical treatment and the school-exclusion plan. ^[1]
3. Explain why the sibling needs assessment, and what a decolonisation strategy means for the household if sores keep coming back. ^[7]
4. Tell the family what late features to watch for over the next few weeks, and why controlling the atopic dermatitis matters. ^[2]

You are not expected to take a full household swabbing history yourself or to prescribe oral antibiotics here without review — the sibling needs assessment in their own right. ^[8]