Unit of competency details

Descriptor 

This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required interpret information gathered when taking the homœopathic case and to make and review accurate homoeopathic diagnosis over the course of treatment

Application 

This unit applies to work in homœopathy

Employability Skills 

This unit contains Employability Skills

Elements define the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

The Performance Criteria specify the level of performance required to demonstrate achievement of the Element. Terms in italics are elaborated in the Range Statement.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Analyse and interpret information received

1.1 Physical examination findings are correlated with the case history

1.2 Information is gathered, assessed for priority and acted upon within the practitioner's capability

1.3 Information is organised and recorded in a way that can be interpreted readily by other professionals and according to clinic guidelines

1.4 Clinical disease is assessed according to signs and symptoms of condition , and results of investigations

1.5 Condition is classified  according to stage of disease  and homœopathic nosology

1.6 Professional judgment is used to draw sound conclusions and prognosis from the data collected

1.7 All signs and symptoms are elicited in a thorough and objective manner to avoid prejudiced or premature conclusions

2. Make a homœopathic diagnosis

2.1 Appropriate analysis techniques  are applied

2.2 What is to be treated  in the client is identified

2.3 Expected natural course of disease  is established

2.4 A meaningful totality  of symptoms is established

2.5 Information is organised and recorded in a way that can be interpreted readily by other professionals and according to clinic guidelines

3. Critically evaluate the homoeopathic diagnosis

3.1 A critical evaluation of homoeopathic diagnosis is applied in an ongoing manner

3.2 The client's progress is systematically monitored and the initial homoeopathic diagnosis or clinical impression reassessed

3.3 History and clinical data is effectively combined to obtain a differential diagnosis of possible medicines, to select the most homoeopathic medicine, and to establish prognosis and therapeutic expectations 

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge :

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

This includes knowledge of:

• Anatomy and physiology of the body systems
• Basic nutritional requirements for the various ages and stages of life
• Case analysis and management according to homœopathic principles
• Clinical disease
• Data analysis techniques
• Disease processes and the natural history of disease
• Homoeopathic materia medica of sufficient scope and depth (derivation of data, systems of classification, keynotes, clinical indications) to enable accurate differentiation of indicated medicines in a broad range of acute and chronic conditions
• Homœopathic symptomatology
• Knowledge and understanding of types of further investigation available
• Obstacles to cure
• Posology
• Referral process
• Relevant testing and assessment options and procedures
• Signs and symptoms of disease and disorder/dysfunction
• Susceptibility and sensitivity
• The capabilities and limitations of homœopathic treatment
• The contribution of the different schools of thought and historical theories of clinical practice
• The effects of medicinal disease
• The importance of striking rare, unusual and peculiar symptoms
• The relationships between homoeopathic medicines
• The use of alternating and intercurrent homoeopathic medicines and antidotes

continued  ...

Essential knowledge  (contd ):

• The various approaches to prescribing including consideration of:

• totality of characteristic symptoms
• keynote characteristic symptoms
• central theme of a homoeopathic medicine
• constitutional basis
• miasmatic indications
• aetiology
• use of organopathic medicines
• prophylactic use
• ladder-like prescribing
• tautopathy

Essential skills :

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

This includes the ability to:

• Apply differential assessment
• Demonstrate homoeopathic differential diagnostic skills
• Effectively use homoeopathic repertories
• Establish a meaningful totality from the client's signs and symptoms
• Establish urgency for treatment required
• Identify clinical signs of nutritional imbalance
• Interpret investigative findings
• Manage medical emergencies
• Prioritise presenting conditions
• Research allopathic drugs, including iatrogenic potential, interactions, and requirements for withdrawal
• Write referrals

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this competency unit :

• The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
• Observation of performance in the workplace or a simulated workplace (defined as a supervised clinic) is essential for assessment of this unit
• Consistency of performance should be demonstrated over the required range of situations relevant to the workplace
• Where, for reasons of safety, space, or access to equipment and resources, assessment takes place away from the workplace, the assessment environment should represent workplace conditions as closely as possible
• Assessment of sole practitioners must include a range of clinical situations and different client groups covering at minimum, age, culture and gender
• Assessment of sole practitioners must consider their unique workplace context, including:

• interaction with others in the broader professional community as part of the sole practitioner's workplace
• scope of practice as detailed in the qualification and component competency units
• holistic/integrated assessment including:

• working within the practice framework
• performing a health assessment
• assessing the client
• planning treatment
• providing treatment

Context of and specific resources for assessment :

• An appropriately stocked and equipped clinic or simulated clinic environment
• Relevant texts or medical manuals
• Relevant paper-based assessment instruments
• Appropriate assessment environment

Method of assessment 

• Observation and practical demonstration in the work place
• Written assignments/projects or questioning should be used to assess knowledge
• Case study and scenario as a basis for discussion of diagnostic technique
• Clinical skills involving direct client care are to be assessed initially in a simulated clinical setting (laboratory). If successful, a second assessment is to be conducted during workplace application under direct supervision
• Homoeopathic diagnosis from assessment notes or simulated assessments

Access and equity considerations :

• All workers in the health industry should be aware of access and equity issues in relation to their own area of work
• All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
• In recognition of particular health issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities

Related units :

This unit should be assessed in conjunction with the following related units:

• HLTCOM404C Communicate effectively with clients
• HLTHOM604B Perform clinical screening examination and assessment
• HLTHOM610C Take the homœopathic case

RANGE STATEMENT 

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Assessment according to signs and symptoms of condition must include :

• Chief complaint(s)
• Aetiology
• Chronological sequence of symptoms
• Physical generals - characteristic and common
• Mentals - characteristic and common
• Particulars - characteristic and common
• Concomitants

And may include :

• Physical evidence
• Behavioural evidence
• Sensations
• Onset
• Duration
• Location
• Causation
• Direction of chief complaint
• Ameliorating and aggravating factors
• Symptom qualities (intensity, severity, nature of complaint)
• Non-verbal signs
• Functional and pathological disturbances

Classification according to stage of disease must include at least one of the following :

• Acute disease - individual, sporadic, epidemic, acute, and sub-acute
• Chronic disease partially developed or incurable

• local or one sided manifestation as a physical and/or mental

• Chronic disease fully developed

• miasmatic disease, simple or mixed
• environmental, life style and iatrogenic influences

• Consequence of suppression of symptoms and/or discharges on the future development of disease
• Life threatening condition

Analysis techniques may include :

• Boger's hierarchy
• Kent's hierarchy
• Boenninghausen's hierarchy
• Other more recent homœopathic hierarchical techniques
• Conceptual image
• Evolutionary totality
• Standardised case record method
• Perception of essence/core/whole state
• Totality of symptoms
• Keynotes and/or keynote combinations
• Strange, rare and peculiars
• Miasmatic interpretation
• Layer and lesion concepts
• Synthetic prescribing
• Homœopathic computer analysis

What is to be treated must include :

Natural course of disease includes :

• Natural duration of disease
• Progress, extension, radiation and pace
• Probability of remission

Meaningful totality must include consideration of at least one of the following :

• The relevant aphorisms in the Organon of Medicine  5th/6th Edition
• Hering's principles
• Boger's principles
• Kent's principles
• Boenninghausen's principles
• Other relevant basis for a totality

Prognosis and therapeutic expectations includes :

• Cure
• Palliation of incurable condition
• Severe aggravation
• Progression of disease
• Reduction of miasmatic condition
• Changes in emotional state and/or relationship dynamics
• Removal of layer, lesion or acute state and emergence of new symptoms