Fact Sheet: Pneumonia

Client Information Pack: GUIDELINES This document provides guidelines for the Client Information Package. This document is intentionally designed to be clear and give an accurate guide to what is required to complete the assessments.

ASSESSMENT Grading Schema 1 Item On-Campus Assessment Value Presentation Present a client education package for a given disease. Formative peer feedback will be used in the development of the package

General Information: 

This assessment is worth 30% of the semester’s mark. You need to choose a specific condition or situation (it may be a specific disease) related to one (or more) of the body systems we cover in this unit. You will then build sequentially through these different assessment tasks that culminate in the presentation of a Client Education Package about that condition or situation to the class. Your task is to prepare and present an information package on that particular topic and how the situation or condition (or disease) impacts and alters the normal anatomy and physiology of that particular body system. It is important to keep in mind this unit is about normal anatomy and physiology. So, while we are using pathology examples to present in our Client Information Package, the emphasis should be on the normal anatomy and physiology of the body system affected and then what has gone wrong. More specific detail about how the assessment is broken down is given below

What is the aim of this assessment?

In terms of skill development, this assessment is specifically designed to develop your initial skills in interpreting a question, researching the topic, organising material, making a plan, critical thinking about what should be presented (due to restricted time and space), and structuring a clear verbal expression of your understanding. Quality verbal communication is a transferable skill, that is to say you can apply it to any content or employment situation you may need to. It is also a skill employers value and expect university graduates to have, especially in health-related areas.

In terms of understanding content, this assessment uses the principles of repetition: the repeated access of information in different forms to increase depth and integration of understanding. The fact sheet, practice presentation, and final presentation give you the opportunity to study a specific area of anatomy and physiology in more detail and repeated consideration of this information should promote deeper learning. We are intentionally providing you with an example of how anatomy and physiology is an integrative science and how you can integrate information for your studies, this should be kept in mind while studying this and other units.

First Task: Decide on a specific condition or situation (it may be a specific disease) Deciding on a specific condition or situation (or disease) will be very easy for some people who have a specific interest in an area or disease, for example, you or one of your family members may have a disease they want to know more about. For others, however, it may take a little bit of thought. The key is to get this done quickly so you can start thinking about the information you need. Below is a table with several options you may like to pick from. These are recommendations, if you have a different idea; please contact me to discuss it. Please keep in mind that most diseases will be associated with more than one system and in this unit and this assessment, we are predominantly interested in normal anatomy and physiology

Musculo-skeletal system

Acromegaly, Giantis, Osteopenia, Osteoporosis. Bone spurs, Craniosynostosis, Osteoarthritis, Osteitis deformans, (Paget’s disease) Osteitis pubis, Osteomyelitis, Fractures, Myasthenia Gravis, Synovitis, Ankylosing spondylitis

Cardiovascular system

Anaemia, Arteriosclerosis, Atherosclerosis, Deep vein thrombosis, Haemophilia, Hypertension, Hypotension, Myocardial Infarction, Pulmonary embolism, Mitral valve prolapse, White coat hypertension, Syncope, Haemolytic disease of the newborn.

Respiratory system

Asthma, Emphysema, Hyperventilation, Hypoventilation, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Pneumothorax, Hypercapnia, Hypocapnia

Renal/Urinary system

Nephritis, Glomerulonephritis, Polycystic kidney disease, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Glucosuria or Glycosoria, Renal calculi Incontinence

Gastro-intestinal (GIT) system

Reflux (e.g. gastroesophageal reflux), Gastritis, Colitis, Pyloric stenosis, Constipation/diarrhoea, Dysphagia, Peptic ulcer

Reproductive system

Reproductive tract infections, Placenta previa, Sexually transmitted infections HIV/AIDS, Benign prostate hypertrophy, Cryptorchidism, Ectopic pregnancy, Dysmenorrhea, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Impotence, Endometriosis

Fact Sheet Structure: 

Remember, the aim of the fact sheet is to convey information to someone. Therefore, it is good if it looks like a fact sheet you may see at your doctor’s. As you know from lecture slides and handouts, a good structure with not too much information is useful if the aim is to convey information. Within the Fact sheet, a good way to structure something is with headings or subheadings. You do not have to use headings, however, if you think they help your structure please do use them. It is important to remember the purpose of the fact sheet is to inform someone who needs this information. To achieve this, the fact sheet should also be set out well. It does not need to be over-the-top with many pictures; one or two pictures should be enough (they must be central to the presentation content). However, it does need to be something easy to read. Two pages of line after line of words is not attractive for the reader and is not a fact sheet. Try and space it out with subheadings, pictures and some blank space or text boxes (for example). It is fine if the text is single spaced but it should be typed, in an easily legible font (e.g. Times New Roman 12 pt font) and remember, this is being designed as a handout so keep presentation in mind. It is not an essay and should not be presented as such. 

Who is my audience? Because we are presenting this in class, the content needs to be at least at the level that has been presented in the lecture. This does not mean it needs to be complicated, it just means you will generally need to get down to the cell level. So it can be written in a simple style for a lay audience, however, the detail still needs to be covered. This is something I try to do in my lectures. 

Format: The assignment should be typed, in an easily legible font (e.g. Times New Roman 12 pt font) and remember this is being designed as a handout so keep presentation in mind. It is not an essay and should not be presented as such. Subheadings, at least for the different sections (fact sheet, definitions, and references) are encouraged. Diagrams or pictures are allowed, however, they must be central to the presentation. 

Order of content for the fact sheet: As you are talking about a disease it would be good to start with a brief introduction of the disease and the associated symptoms. Then go on to talk about the normal anatomy and  physiology and how the disease results in abnormal anatomy and physiology. Finish with the disease, perhaps some interesting facts would be appropriate in this section. About half of the talk and fact sheet should be on the normal anatomy and physiology and the rest on the disease and abnormal anatomy and physiology. If you keep in your mind that it is for someone with the disease, so they can understand more about it, that should help. 

How many systems do I need to cover?

Regarding the systems of the body, you only need to cover one system but it must be a system we are covering in Systems Physiology. For example, several people have enquired about doing diseases of the nervous system; unfortunately we are not covering the nervous system this semester so that talk and fact sheet would be marked down. However, if you can relate the nervous system disease to the muscular system (for example), that is fine. The disease you choose must be related to at least one of the systems we study. It does not need to be related to more than one system. However, when you choose a disease it is often associated with more than one system but that is just because of the inter-relatedness of the human systems. You can talk about more than one system if you feel it is appropriate or required. However, remember your space and time limitations.