96824 Clinical Assessment in Palliative Care
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 3 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksDescription
This subject advances students existing clinical assessment to ensure knowledge and skills required to contribute to optimal provision of person-centred care for those with a life-limiting illness and/or approaching the end of life. There is a particular focus on understanding what aspects of the physical assessment are valuable when providing tailored comfort-focused palliative care.
Students build on their existing physical assessment skills of common symptoms of patients with advanced life limiting illnesses. Opportunities to promote development incorporate structured clinical exams, simulation and individual clinical settings.
Target Audience
This subject is designed to meet the educational needs of pharmacists, physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and other registered allied health care professionals who manage patients with palliative care needs.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| A. | Examine and interpret the main components of, and prioritise, patient health data including patient history, focused palliative care physical assessment and diagnostic data. |
|---|---|
| B. | Justify and demonstrate skills in differential diagnosis supported by a comprehensive physical assessment of common symptoms in people living with life-limiting illnesses. |
| C. | Appraise and respond to multidimensional symptoms and abnormal physical changes correlated with assessment findings, including clinical signs of deterioration and imminence of death. |
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject will be delivered exclusively online, enabling students to participate remotely. Students will be actively engaged in enquiry-based learning through a range of multimedia interactive activities, including those involving collaboration with others. The online learning platform ‘Canvas’ will be used for all subject materials and announcements. A range of teaching and learning strategies are designed to encourage you to engage in developing optimal clinical and physical assessment within the palliative care environment.
Orientation activities
Preparation for the Session - students are expected to undertake activities prior to the first week, especially given that everyone will have different levels of expertise. These activities include online readings, videos, interaction with peers, and are important in helping students prepare for the subject's Assessment Tasks. This also provides students with an opportunity to meet and interact with peers. Students will learn through independent learning activities, group work, peer review, and participation in the Zoom meetings.
Independent learning activities
Readings, videos and activities will be made available online relevant to the topic of the week. Students are expected to come to Zoom meetings prepared. This will enhance the students’ ability to progress successfully throughout the subject and complete assessment items effectively. The online material aims to enhance students’ understanding of the topic or delve deeper into a more specific area, compare experiences and ideas with others, and gain feedback. Information and links to all these learning activities can be accessed via Canvas as well as the subject outline.
Zoom meetings
Zoom meetings will provide opportunities for group activities and discussion, self-assessment, peer review and formative feedback from the subject coordinator. Zoom meetings will be conducted at a time that enables the majority of students to contribute. Students are strongly encouraged to attend the Zoom meetings as these prepare students for the subject’s Assessment Tasks.
Feedback
Feedback will be frequent and takes several forms including self-assessment, peer review, automatic feedback through CANVAS from interactive activities e.g. quizzes, and from the subject interdisciplinary teaching staff. Formative feedback throughout the subject aims to increase student performance at summative assessments.
Online modules
Learning content will be delivered through structured online modules that equip students to be adaptive health professionals in palliative care.
Content (topics)
Module One
- Clinical history taking
- Physical assessment in palliative care
- Focussed abdominal assessment
- Focused respiratory assessment
Module Two
- Recognising clinical syndromes that span across body systems
- Focused neurological assessment
- Focused cardiac assessment
- Recognising and responding to clinical signs of imminent death
Assessment
Assessment task 1: OSCE structured clinical examination
| Intent: | You will be assessed through a virtual clinical palliative case scenario based on Module 1 content where you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge relating to, comprehensive palliative care clinical and physical assessment, synthesis and interpretation of assessment data, clinical decision making, reasoning and judgement, and person-centred communication. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B and C This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .0 and .0 |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Length: | Four stations, requiring variations of short answer responses, drag and drop activities and videos. |
Assessment task 2: OSCE structured clinical examination
| Intent: | You will be assessed through a virtual authentic palliative clinical case scenario based on module 2 content where you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge relating to; comprehensive palliative care clinical and physical assessment, synthesis and interpretation of assessment data, clinical decision making, reasoning and judgement, and person centred communication. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B and C This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): .0 and .0 |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Length: | Four stations, requiring variations of short answer responses, drag and drop activities and videos. |
Other resources
UTS Student Centre
Building 10
Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)
Details for student centres: www.uts.edu.au/current-students/contacts/general-contacts
For other resources/ information refer to the Faculty of Health website (www.uts.edu.au/about/faculty-health) and Canvas at: https://canvas.uts.edu.au/.
UTS Library
The Library has a wide range of resources, facilities and services to support you including textbooks, subject readings, health literature databases, workshops and bookable study rooms. There is also a team of librarians to help you with your questions available via online chat, phone and in person. W: lib.uts.edu.au, Facebook: utslibrary, Twitter: @utslibrary Tel: (02) 9514 3666.
Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.
HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support)
HELPS provides assistance with English language proficiency and academic language. Students who need to develop their written and/or spoken English should make use of the free services offered by HELPS, including academic language workshops, vacation intensive courses, drop-in consultations, individual appointments and Conversations@UTS (www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps). HELPS staff are also available for drop-in consultations at the UTS Library. Phone (02) 9514 9733.
Please see www.uts.edu.au for additional information on other resources provided to students by UTS.
The Accessibility and Financial Assistance Service
The Accessibility Service can support students with disabilities, medical or mental health conditions, including temporary injuries (e.g., broken limbs). The Accessibility Service works with Academic Liaison Officers in each Faculty to provide ‘reasonable adjustments’ such as exam provisions, assistive technology, requests and strategies for managing your studies alongside your health condition. If you’re unsure whether you need assistance, we recommend getting in touch early and we can provide advice on how our service can assist you. Make an appointment with an Accessibility Consultant (AC) on +61 2 9514 1177 or Accessibility@uts.edu.au.
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