HLTASXH003 — Provide sexual health care

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• complete a sexual health assessment and provide health care for a total of five Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander client to collectively include: • females • males • people across the lifespan
• for each of the five clients: • determine requirements for specific examinations and pathology tests according to their individual presentation • complete a physical examination to assess genital and other symptoms • collect and process swabs, urine and blood samples for pathology testing, and interpret results • evaluate all assessment information and report own interpretation of client’s current sexual health status to health care team • consult with the health care team to verify assessment results and confirm client’s conditions • develop and document a sexual health care plan based on the client’s needs and consultation with multidisciplinary team members • administer clinical treatments for sexual health conditions based on the client’s needs and within scope of practice, and collectively cover at least five different treatments across the five clients • according to their individual needs, provide clear information and explanations about: • assessment outcomes • self-care treatments • available sexual health resources and support services • monitor the client’s ongoing sexual health care and evaluate, in consultation with the health care team, outcomes against their health care plan • document, in client records, accurate details of: • sexual health history • examinations and tests completed • evaluation notes about each client’s initial sexual health status and progression against care plan • treatments, information and referrals provided
• from assessments personally completed or from case study assessment documentation: • identify signs of the following sexually transmitted infections (STIs): • chlamydia • gonorrhoea • syphilis • trichomoniasis • herpes simplex virus (HSV) • genital warts or human papillomavirus (HPV) • human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) • hepatitis A, B or C • report one case of a notifiable STI according to procedural and legal requirements

Knowledge evidence

• organisational policies and procedures for: • maintaining client confidentiality • client recording keeping • contact tracing for sexually transmitted infections
• local state or territory legal requirements, and associated organisational procedures for reporting notifiable STIs and blood borne viruses
• organisational responsibilities and role boundaries of those involved in providing sexual health assessments, care plans and treatments: • Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health practitioners • medical practitioners, registered nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary care team
• how multidisciplinary health teams work together to coordinate sexual health treatments and care, and how to facilitate referrals
• the role of standard treatment protocols in sexual health assessments, care plans and treatments: • types that are used by primary health care organisations including Standard Treatment Manuals (STM) and how to access • purpose, format and inclusions • how to use to identify requirements for sexual health assessment examinations and tests, plans and treatments
• key information collected and recorded in medical histories for sexual health assessments
• the concept of a sexual health and blood borne virus risk assessment, and key questions asked to obtain a sexual and social behaviour history
• techniques used to gather information about clients’ sexual history with sensitivity and cultural safety: • using questions that normalise sexual activity and sexual health issues • using statements that are non-judgemental • tailoring discussions and questions to clients of different genders, ages across the lifespan and sexual orientation • tailoring discussions and questions to avoid gender specific cultural taboos
• formats and typical inclusions of written sexual health care plans
• overview anatomy and physiology of the male and female genitourinary systems to include: • structure of the systems and associated organs • system and organ functions, at a basic level • medical terminology and plain language usage for client explanations
• non-STI sexual health conditions for men and women: • major signs and symptoms of common conditions: • infertility • menopause • disease and dysfunction of genitourinary system organs including prostate disease and cervical cancer and human papillomavirus as the main cause of cervical cancer • breast cancer • examinations and tests used to assess • overview of treatments used to manage
• types of sexual practices that can risk STI transmission and types of protection that can be used to minimise risk: • unprotected sex with multiple partners • unprotected anal and vaginal sex including receptive and insertive • unprotected male, female and anal oral sex • male and female condoms including dental dams and latex gloves
• how blood borne viruses including HIV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C are generally grouped with STIs but can be transmitted by both sexual contact and other modes
• non-sexual contact modes of transmission and risk factors for blood borne viruses including HIV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C: • faeco-oral via food, water and close personal contact • blood to blood transmission: • unsafe drug injecting • unsafe tattooing practices • mother to unborn baby • exposure to unscreened blood products used in medical procedures outside Australia
• types of infection control precautions used for: • genital and other physical examinations relevant to sexual health assessments • collection of specimens including blood, swabs, and urine for pathology testing
• equipment and procedures for examining: • men including inspection of the penis, including meatus, retracted foreskin, scrotum and perineum • women including inspection of external genitalia, perineum and speculum examination of vagina and cervix • throat and oral mucosa • skin of the face, trunk, forearms and palms
• equipment and correct methods of collection, storage and transport for tests: • urethral swab • rectal swab • vaginal swab • endocervical swab • throat swab • urine first pass • blood
• typical inclusions of pathology request forms, and the importance of accuracy when completing
• for each of the following STIs, signs and symptoms in men and women, common treatments and client self-care strategies: • chlamydia • gonorrhoea • syphilis • trichomoniasis • herpes simplex virus (HSV) • genital warts and human papillomavirus (HPV) • human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) • hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C
• types of STI treatments administered by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health practitioners and associated standard treatment protocols, equipment and infection control precautions for administering
• ways in which contact tracing is managed for sexually transmitted infections: • diagnosing practitioner’s role and responsibilities • client’s role and responsibilities
• how to use client information systems and recall functions to follow-up clients for ongoing care, monitoring and evaluation
• types of men’s and women’s sexual health support services available in the community, state or territory, including sexual assault crisis services, and: • how to access information about the types of information resources and services they offer • how clients can access services and the role of health practitioners in facilitating access

Foundation skills

• Reading skills: interpret detailed familiar organisational policies and procedures interpret sometimes complex and unfamiliar standard treatment protocols and client records involving medical terminology and abbreviations.
• Writing skills: produce detailed plans using clear language easily understood by both clients and health care team members use fundamental sentence structure, health terminology and abbreviations to complete forms and reports that require factual information.
• Oral communication skills: use appropriate terms to tailor discussions and questions to clients of different genders, ages across the lifespan and sexual orientation elicit information from clients in a sensitive, non-judgmental way.
• Numeracy skills: interpret sometimes complex medical numerical data and abbreviations in standard treatment protocols and client records interpret pathology test results involving graphs, percentages and ratios.
• Planning and organising skills: determine a structured approach for health assessments and complete physical examinations and tests in a logical, time efficient sequence.
• Technology skills: select and use medical equipment suited to purpose of physical examination, clinical tests and client characteristics.

Unit content sourced from training.gov.au — © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Auditori is not affiliated with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Questions about assessing HLTASXH003