De-escalating an angry relative: delayed discharge
A timed 10-minute communication OSCE station with reading time, a warning bell and an examiner-style weighted checklist including critical items, marked the way a real examiner would mark it.
Communication10 min15 checklist items
- Station type
- Communication
- Time
- 10 minutes, after 60s reading
- Total marks
- 25
- Critical items
- 2 (missing one fails the station)
Candidate instructions
You are a foundation year 1 doctor on the acute medical ward. You are asked to speak with Sarah Jenkins, the daughter of an inpatient, Mrs Patricia Jenkins, aged 79. Mrs Jenkins was admitted with a lower respiratory tract infection and is now clinically fit for discharge. However, the discharge has been delayed twice: yesterday because the pharmacy had not processed her discharge prescription, and today because the community physiotherapy team has not yet confirmed a home safety assessment. Sarah has come to the ward and is very angry. Your task is to de-escalate the situation, explore her concerns, and agree a plan for discharge. You have 10 minutes to complete this task.
How the station runs
- 60 seconds of reading time with the instructions above, and nothing else.
- 10 minutes on the clock, with a warning bell before the end.
- The examiner's checklist, 15 weighted items worth 25 marks, revealed only when the station ends.
- Your score, with a critical-fail flag if a safety-critical item was missed.
The checklist stays hidden until the station is over, exactly as it would outside the exam room.
Log in to run "De-escalating an angry relative: delayed discharge"
A free account starts the clock: reading time, the station itself with a warning bell, then the examiner's checklist and your score.
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Educational content for students and clinicians in training. It does not replace professional judgement, local protocols or current prescribing information.