All terms
Managing uncertainty
Being honest when you do not yet have a diagnosis or answer, explaining the plan to find out, and safety-netting clearly in the meantime.
Saying "I’m not certain yet, so here’s what we’ll do to find out" is safe and credible. Fabricating certainty to reassure is unsafe and loses marks.
More glossary terms
- ABCDE approachA systematic method for assessing and treating an acutely unwell patient — Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure — dealing with each before moving on.
- AMPLE historyA focused emergency history — Allergies, Medications, Past history, Last meal, Events — taken quickly in acute situations.
- ARCPThe annual assessment that decides whether a doctor in training has met the competencies to progress to the next stage.
- AVPU scaleA rapid way to grade consciousness — Alert, responds to Voice, responds to Pain, Unresponsive — used in initial assessment.
Put it into practice
Rehearse PLAB 2 stations with AI simulated patients and get structured feedback after every consultation.
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