Quality Checklist Learning Objectives

Prostate Cancer UK has developed learning objectives, for health and social care professional education activity focused on prostate cancer. These learning objectives are reflective of our Quality Checklist.

Our Quality Checklist is a series of 15 indicators of care quality, which describe the care that men with prostate cancer should receive at each step of the patient pathway; from the point of diagnosis through to the end of life. The Quality Checklist is written for patients, and more information about the Quality Checklist can be found here

The Quality Checklist learning objectives are written for health and social care professionals and provide suggested aims and objectives for educational activity. The learning objectives outline Prostate Cancer UK’s priority areas for education.

If your education activity focuses mainly on prostate cancer you will need to specify in your application form which of the Quality Checklist Learning Objectives your activity targets. Your application will be assessed on your ability to demonstrate how the activity meets at least one or more of the Quality Checklist Learning Objectives.

If your activity focuses mainly on benign disease you will be asked to outline your activity’s learning objectives separately as part of the application process. You will need to ensure that your activity meets one or more of our priority areas for education, as outlined in the application form.  

Aims

  • To educate professionals in current best practice guidelines for prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment and management.
  • To enable professionals to help empower prostate cancer patients and improve the overall patient experience.
  • To help professionals understand their role as part of a wider service for prostate cancer care, and to equip them with ideas for helping to improve these services.

Suggested learning objectives for courses

By the end of the session / course delegates should be able to:

  • Explain to patients the pros and cons of the PSA blood test, the digital rectal examination (DRE) and biopsies, and recognise the importance of allowing patients the opportunity to discuss these tests with a doctor or nurse.
  • Recognise the importance of providing a face-to-face consultation with patients when giving a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
  • Discuss with patients the details of all the appropriate treatment options available to them, including information on possible side effects; and recognise the importance of allowing patients the opportunity to discuss these treatment options with a doctor or nurse.
  • Discuss with patients the opportunities for accessing the best treatment options and drugs, as recommended by their doctor.
  • Explain to patients the importance of attending regular check-ups, and identify means of helping patients access the most appropriate service to help manage the side effects of their treatment.
  • Recognise the importance of providing patients with timely specialist support to manage any side effects and identify the best referral mechanisms for these services.
  • Signpost and discuss with patients the support services that are available to them, such as financial advice, emotional support and advice on leading a healthy lifestyle; and provide patients with information in a format that meets their needs.
  • Identify means of helping the partners, friends and family members of prostate cancer patients access information and support at every step, in order to help them understand prostate cancer, the treatment options and their side effects
  • Demonstrate ways of encouraging the partners, friends and family members of prostate cancer patients to be involved throughout the journey, such as by including them in discussions or consultations where the patient agrees
  • Provide patients who are receiving a diagnosis with appropriate written information about the type of prostate cancer they have and their treatment options
  • Explain to patients the details of their care plan, specifically the follow up tests and care they can expect to receive and how regularly this plan should be reviewed
  • Explain to patients how to manage pain and other symptoms, and provide both written and verbal information on the financial, emotional and support services available to them
  • Discuss sensitively with patients their options for choosing where they die and their preferred care plan
  • Demonstrate the importance of working effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team, knowing who should be involved and when, to ensure that patient care is properly coordinated, allowing the patient access to appropriate clinical expertise at every step
  • Discuss with patients, following diagnosis, the importance and means of accessing a specialist nurse to co-ordinate their care and provide consistent support for the patient, their partner and their family members
  • Initiate the appropriate referral for a specialist nurse
  • Identify means of informing the partners, friends and family members of patients about the information, support and bereavement services available to them