OSCE Guides

Venepuncture Members Public

Venepuncture involves taking blood from a patient's vein. This is often very useful in the acutely unwell patients; pneumonia, pancreatitis or cholecystitis as it gives an indication of the severity of the conditions. There are a number of ways to do this; vacutainer system, needle and syringe or

Doctor Khalid
OSCE Guides

Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) Members Public

Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) or peak flow measures how fast a person can exhale from their lungs. It is measured with a device called a peak flow meter, and is useful in measuring the degree of obstruction in the airways. Patients with airway disease such as asthma can often

Doctor Khalid
OSCE Guides

Nasogastric (NG) Tube insertion Members Public

Nasogastric tube (NG) insertion essentially involves placing a plastic tube in through the patient's nose and in to their stomach. The main purposes of this are for feeding/medication or for free drainage. Often patients who have bowel obstructions will be kept nil by mouth and given an

Doctor Khalid
OSCE Guides

Intravenous (IV) Cannulation Members Public

Intravenous (IV) cannulation is a technique that involves the placement of a small plastic tube (cannula or venflon) in to a patient's vein to provide venous access. Having venous access is often important in hospitals for example to initiate IV antibiotics or for a blood transfusion. This is

Doctor Khalid
OSCE Guides

Inhaler Technique Members Public

An effective inhaler technique is one of the cornerstones of asthma and COPD treatment. This allows the medication to get to the lung where it can help control the patient's symptoms. It is also important to have an understanding of all the different inhalers available e.g. metered

Doctor Khalid
OSCE Guides

Electrocardiography Members Public

Electrocardiography (ECG) is a technique that detects the electrical signals from a patient's heart and then records it on to a strip of paper. An ECG is a basic investigation that all junior doctors have to be comfortable at doing. It allows the clinician to see the electrical

Doctor Khalid
OSCE Guides

Urethral Catheterisation Members Public

Catheterisation is an invasive practical procedure that all junior doctors must be confident with before their first on-call. It involves passing a small plastic tube through the urethra and in to the bladder. Often you will get called to the difficult ones that the nurses have not been successful with.

Doctor Khalid
OSCE Guides

Blood Pressure Measurement Members Public

Blood pressure (BP) measurement is one of the vital signs used in assessing patients. It is the pressure exerted by circulating blood on the arterial vessel walls. It is often very useful in determining a patient's clinical condition. For example, a hypotensive patient may be septic from an

Doctor Khalid
OSCE Guides