Unit of competency details

Descriptor 

This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to prepare for treatment of clients and negotiate a treatment management plan with them using a nutritional medicine framework

Application 

This unit applies to work in a nutritional medicine context

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. Determine treatment strategy

1.1 Determine appropriate therapeutic principles  for treatment according to the diagnosis of client and within own skills and competence

1.2 Ascertain contraindications  and any possible complicating factors to treatment and modify treatment strategy according to nutritional medicine principles

1.3 Take into consideration treatment  and advice provided by other health care professionals in determining the strategy to be used in treatment

1.4 Select treatment strategy which is appropriate to client condition and supported on the basis of established nutritional medicine practice

1.5 Take into consideration possible client compliance  issues in specific treatment options

2. Discuss the treatment strategy with the client

2.1 Discuss proposed treatment strategy with the client

2.2 Allocate sufficient time to discuss the treatment strategy

2.3 Negotiate client compliance 

2.4 Clarify discrepancies  between the practitioner's and the client's perception of the condition

2.5 Communicate relevant information from medical or diagnostic reports, where appropriate

2.6 Explain any perceived risks to the client's condition and treatment

2.7 Clarify the responsibilities of practitioner and client  within the treatment plan

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:

• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology
• Allopathic drugs, their classifications, usage and side effects
• Community resources and support services
• Contraindications of treatment
• Drug abuse - signs, consequences, treatment and community resources available
• Drug interactions with herbal medicines
• Groups of herbs and how to distinguish between them
• Legal and ethical considerations in treating clients with herbal remedies
• Lifestyle factors relevant to treatment of specific conditions and diseases
• Major herbs with respect to their use for general symptoms, psychological and physiological indications
• Medical reports and diagnostic procedures
• Methods of preparing treatment and management plans (knowledge and understanding)
• Minor herbs in respect to their most important indications
• Pharmaceutical and herbal medicines used in pregnancy and breast feeding
• Pharmaceutical and herbal medicines used to treat disorders of each system of the body
• Pharmacodynamics of pharmaceutical and herbal medicines and the theory of drug action; factors modifying drug effect and dosage; drug toxicity and toxicology
• Possible obstacles to cure
• Remedies/treatments and dosages used to treat particular conditions
• Supplementary measures in the management of the condition/system eg dietary considerations and exercise
• The correct preparations required for specific treatment
• The interaction of treatments with foods, other herbs, nutritional supplements and drugs
• The possible responses to treatments

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:

• Access and interpret up-to-date information on herbal medicines and practices
• Access and understand reference material on the effects of current conventional drug therapies and their withdrawal
• Apply methods of treating and managing disease process of each system using nutritional medicine
• Apply methods of treating and managing disease process of each system using nutritional medicine
• Demonstrate communication and negotiation skills
• Demonstrate consideration of the impact of client vitality on selected treatments
• Demonstrate interpersonal and questioning skills
• Dispense remedies/treatments
• Identify treatment options and establish treatment regimes
• Prepare treatment plans
• Prescribe herbal medicines according to the time-frame appropriate to the client condition and the herbs selected, and to the dosage recommended for the client's age
• Provide advice
• Take into account opportunities to address waste minimisation, environmental responsibility and sustainable practice issues
• Understand and discuss medical reports and other data relevant to the case

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
• Assessment may contain both theoretical and practical components and examples covering a range of clinical situations
• 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 :

• Resources essential for assessment include:

• an appropriately stocked and equipped clinic or simulated clinic environment
• relevant texts or medical manuals
• documented processes to enable the access and interpretation of up to date information
• relevant assessment instruments
• skilled assessors

Method of assessment 

• Practical demonstration and observation in the work place
• Written assignments/projects
• Practical assignments
• Case study and scenario as a basis for discussion of issues and strategies to contribute to best practice
• Oral questioning and discussion
• Role play simulation
• Explanation of treatment plan preparations
• Research work
• 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

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 undertaken after or in conjunction with units:

• HLTCOM404C Communicate effectively with clients
• HLTNUT603B Apply a nutritional diagnostic framework
• HLTNUT604B Manage work within a clinical nutritional framework

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.

Therapeutic principles of nutritional medicine refers to :

• Practices, theories and philosophies specific to the use of nutritional medicine in the treatment of clients eg concurrent, palliative and continuing care and recognise the stage of the client's illness in terms of chronicity, tendency for the condition to degenerate or spontaneously resolve

Contraindications to treatment and possible complicating factors may include :

• Acute surgical and medical conditions such as cardiac arrest, acute hypovolaemic shock, paralytic ileus and loss of consciousness
• Traumatic injuries or conditions requiring immediate medical attention
• Life threatening situations
• Personal or life circumstances
• Ability or willingness to comply with treatment
• Allergies/sensitivities
• Past treatment history
• Current conditions/disease state
• Current medications/treatments
• Contraindications for use of certain excipients and bases

Treatments may include :

• Prescription of supplements
• Dispensing of extemporaneous preparations

Client compliance refers to :

• Ability to follow instructions or suggestions
• Willingness to follow instructions or suggestions

Discrepancies may include :

• Client is unaware of the immediate danger of their condition
• Client is over anxious about their condition
• Client is unaware of maintaining causes acting on their condition
• Practitioner is unaware of some implications of the client's condition
• Practitioner and client have a different view as to what the main problem is

Practitioner responsibilities may include :

• Isolating the sick person
• Notifying doctor about their condition
• Appropriate hygienic procedures
• Notifying state health authorities of notifiable/communicable disease
• Commitment to the treatment plan
• Discussing relevant contraindications or potential complications to treatment
• Reviewing of treatment plan

Client responsibilities may include :

• Following instruction/advice during and post treatment
• Advising practitioner of any relevant contraindications or potential complications to treatment
• Advising practitioner of compliance issues
• Commitment to the treatment plan

Treatment evaluation strategies may include :

• Discussing and reviewing of response to treatment
• Reviewing achievement of treatment goals
• Monitoring time-frame for achieving treatment goals