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Domain – Military and veteran health (case)
- Communication and consultation skills
- How will you build a therapeutic relationship with Geoffrey? What are the barriers to achieving this? How would you ask about his military service? How would this differ for a similar case in a female? How would this be different if Geoffrey was an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander?
- Clinical information gathering and interpretation
- How do you identify that a patient is a current or former member of the defence forces? Why is it important to know which arm(s) of the defence force (Navy, Army, Air Force) Geoffrey served in? What are the sensitivities about history-taking for a current of former defence force member? How would you assess for conditions specific to Geoffrey’s military service? (Refer to guiding topics section.) How would you rapidly assess Geoffrey’s safety and the safety of others?
- Making a diagnosis, decision making and reasoning
- In Geoffrey’s case, what is the interplay between his physical health, mental health, sleep and alcohol use? What key features would you be looking for when making any diagnoses? How would you prioritise Geoffrey’s differential and possible diagnoses?
- Clinical management and therapeutic reasoning
- What are your management objectives for Geoffrey? How would you prioritise these? What might Geoffrey’s expectations be of this visit? Are you likely to resolve these issues today? If not, how will you manage them?
- Preventive and population health
- What are some of the barriers to Geoffrey accessing treatment? How would Geoffrey’s health literacy affect his ability to access support and treatment? How would you involve his partner, family and any other supports?
- Professionalism
- If you were providing Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) funded services, what are your professional obligations when interacting with the Department? If Geoffrey was a current ADF member and you were his medical officer, what would your responsibilities be to his employer?
- General practice systems and regulatory requirement
- If you were providing Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) funded services, what are your professional obligations when interacting with the Department? If Geoffrey was a current ADF member and you were his medical officer, what would your responsibilities be to his employer?
- Procedural skills
- How would you use an ADF Post-discharge GP Health Assessment or a DVA Coordinated Veterans’ Care Program assessment in Geoffrey’s situation?
- Managing uncertainty
- How does the complexity of Geoffrey’s presentation add to the uncertainty of management? What strategies would you use to manage this uncertainty?
- Identifying and managing the significantly ill
- patient What would be your concerns and red flags about Geoffrey? How would you assess and manage suicidal ideation? How would you assess Geoffrey’s safety and the safety of others, such as his supports and family?
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