Assessor Resource

SIRCHCS303
Advise on asthma management

Assessment tool

Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024


This unit applies to community pharmacy employees working as pharmacy assistants or dispensary assistants. Pharmacy assistants work directly with customers, supporting their asthma management. In situations where asthma sufferers require referral to a pharmacist for therapeutic advice, or where the supply of Pharmacist Only Medicines or products is required, the pharmacy assistant gathers information, refers the customer on, and then supports the pharmacist by finalising the supply of medicines and products.

A person undertaking this role is required to work under the supervision of a pharmacist.

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to develop an understanding of the asthma condition and provide information on products, services and self-care practices to support a customer’s asthma management.

You may want to include more information here about the target group and the purpose of the assessments (eg formative, summative, recognition)

Prerequisites

SIRCHCS201

Support the supply of Pharmacy Medicines and Pharmacist Only Medicines


Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills.




Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

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

Evidence of the ability to:

follow pharmacy protocols and procedures when supplying asthma-related medicines, aids and equipment

apply knowledge of the common symptoms and basic causes of asthma

apply knowledge of medicine, aids and equipment appropriate to treat or manage asthma when demonstrating, recommending and supplying products

identify and refer to relevant sources of information, assist the customer and maintain personal currency of knowledge

provide information to customers in ways appropriate to customer needs and demonstrate appropriate techniques to confirm understanding

recognise and act on situations or requests requiring referral to a pharmacist.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure that competency is:

observed by the assessor or the technical expert working in partnership with the assessor as described in the assessment guidelines

demonstrated across a range of customers over sufficient time to include handling of a range of contingencies

demonstrated in a real or simulated pharmacy environment, which may include customer interruptions and involvement in other related activities normally expected in the pharmacy.

Assessment must ensure access to:

pharmacy protocols and procedures

relevant documentation, such as:

asthma medicines, products and service information

self-care and lifestyle advice

a range of real or simulated customers with different asthma treatment or care requirements

a range of asthma medicines and products.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

observation of the candidate in the workplace:

following pharmacy procedures to establish customer requirements

demonstrating use and care of asthma management equipment to customers, such as spacers and inhalers

recommending and supplying asthma-related medicines and equipment to a range of customers

identifying and acting on triggers for referral to a pharmacist

written or oral questions appropriate to the language and literacy level of the learner to test relevant underpinning knowledge

role plays to confirm communication skills to meet diverse customer requirements

review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended.


Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assingnment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)


Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills

communication skills to:

interact with the customer to:

ask questions to identify and confirm requirements

provide information

confirm understanding

explain pharmacy asthma services

recommend and supply asthma medications, aids and equipment

provide advice on lifestyle, self-care practices, specialist services and practitioners

refer to a pharmacist or other pharmacy staff where relevant

use language and concepts appropriate to cultural differences

use and interpret non-verbal communication

learning skills to maintain currency of knowledge about asthma and related medicines and products that can be supplied without the involvement of a pharmacist

literacy skills to:

interpret product and self-care information

use specialist information and services to support the management of asthma health conditions

follow pharmacy procedures

planning and organising skills to organise work to meet customer service requirements

technology skills to:

access and use information systems required by the role

demonstrate procedures for using relevant aids and equipment that may assist customers requiring asthma medicines or products

teamwork skills to operate as part of a pharmacy team, providing relevant information and seeking advice from a pharmacist and other pharmacy staff as required

Required knowledge

aids and equipment that may be of assistance to customers in managing asthma-related conditions

common triggers that can contribute to or exacerbate asthma

common symptoms of asthma and related conditions

common side effects of taking asthma medicines

personal role boundaries, responsibilities and circumstances under which referral to a pharmacist or other pharmacy staff is required

pharmacy protocols and procedures relating to the supply of asthma-related products, including:

collecting required information from customers

collecting and supplying information to an agent acting on behalf of a customer

identifying and acting on triggers for referral to a pharmacist

identifying and supplying the relevant medicines, information, aids and equipment to meet customer needs

respecting and protecting customer privacy

physiological effects of asthma on the body

product and health condition terminology

role boundaries and responsibilities and circumstances under which referral to a pharmacist is required

sources of information, advice and specialist services relating to asthma, including:

Asthma Council of Australia

Asthma Foundation

Consumer Medicine Information (CMI)

state and territory children’s hospital online health information fact sheets

use of asthma management plans to support management of asthma

use, care and storage requirements for aids and equipment

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. 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) may also be included.

Symptoms may include:

shortness of breath

wheezing

a dry, irritating and continual cough:

at night

in the morning

when active.

Asthma-related medicines and productsmay include:

relievers

inhaled bronchodilators

preventers

symptom controllers

equipment, including:

spacer devices

nebulisers

pressurised aerosols (puffers)

masks for adults and children

breath-activated metered dose inhalers or other delivery devices

peak flow meters.

Sources of informationmay include:

Asthma Council of Australia

Asthma Foundation

CMI

children’s hospital online health information fact sheets.

Protocols and proceduresmay include:

interacting with the customer to establish:

who the product is for

condition

symptoms

duration of symptoms

if the customer has seen a doctor for other existing health conditions

other medicines that the customer is currently using

assessing customer responses to questions

own confidence that the product or service requested by the customer or envisaged by the pharmacy assistant is right for the customer’s symptoms.

Customer may include people:

from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with varying mental and physical abilities

visiting the pharmacy, contacting the pharmacy by phone, or in their own home

with special needs, such as:

the elderly

infants

who are:

drug or alcohol affected

emotionally unstable

mentally unstable

physically unwell.

Common triggers may include:

colds

exercise

changes in the weather

cigarette smoke

house dust mites

pets

pollens.

Triggers for referral to a pharmacist may include:

customer who is:

a child under 2

an aged person

pregnant or breastfeeding

taking other medicines

customer who has:

had the complaint for some time

other health conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure

used the product before but is not satisfied with its efficacy

customer appears to be:

sick

angry

confused

dissatisfied

uncertain

under the influence of drugs or alcohol

pharmacy assistant is unsure and needs confirmation of the medicine selected (even if the product has been requested by name)

request for Pharmacist Only Medicine.

Scheduled medicinesmay include:

Pharmacy Medicines (S2)

Pharmacist Only Medicines(S3)

Prescription Only Medicines (S4).

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Recognise signs and symptoms of the asthma condition. 
Identify contributing factors and groups at risk of the asthma condition. 
Identify and locate the pharmacy range of asthma-related medicines and products. 
Identify and access sources of information on asthma management. 
Follow pharmacy protocols and procedures to identify the customer, and customer needs and symptoms, including common triggers, duration and severity. 
Check if customer is on an asthma action plan. 
Confirm relevant symptoms, their duration and their severity. 
Identify and act on triggers for referral to a pharmacist. 
Follow pharmacy procedures to respect and protect customer privacy. 
Finalise supply of scheduled medicines and products to customer or follow pharmacist therapeutic advice where required. 
Explain and demonstrate use, care and maintenance of aids and equipment as appropriate to customer needs. 
Explain to customer the pharmacy services available to support asthma management. 
Suggest sources of lifestyle and self-care advice where relevant to desired health-care outcomes. 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

SIRCHCS303 - Advise on asthma management
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

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Assessment Record Sheet

SIRCHCS303 - Advise on asthma management

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: