AMC counselling cases that patients can understand
Nov 10, 2026
Start with the decision the patient faces
In AMC counselling cases, knowing the condition is only the starting point. You also need to discover what the patient believes, explain the information relevant to their decision and respond when their priorities differ from yours. A polished speech can miss all three.
The AMC assessment domains include accessible communication, patient understanding and respectful responses to concerns. Counselling also involves explaining the diagnosis, options and prognosis, including the benefits and risks of proposed management. These are useful anchors when reviewing a practice consultation.
Before speaking, identify the task. Are you explaining a diagnosis, discussing treatment or helping someone decide about a procedure? Write that purpose in one sentence during practice. Then organise the conversation around it.
An original case with a specific concern
Consider this fictional teaching case. Helen, 58, has been assessed as having knee osteoarthritis. She has stopped her usual walks because she believes pain means further joint damage. Her question is, “Should I save the knee until I can get it replaced?” The task is to discuss ongoing management.
An opening such as “What have you been told about your knee, and what worries you about walking?” gives you a starting point. Helen then explains that she wants to walk to the local shops independently. You now have a practical goal to return to throughout the discussion.
Avoid beginning with a catalogue of treatments. First acknowledge the concern and ask permission to explain how activity fits into care. Keep Helen involved rather than assuming that her request for surgery settles the decision.
Explain one useful idea at a time
The Australian Osteoarthritis of the Knee Clinical Care Standard recommends tailored physical activity and exercise to improve pain and function. It also supports individualised information and ongoing review. That allows a clear explanation: “We can work towards keeping you active with exercises suited to your knee and your goals.”
Follow with a pause: “How does that fit with what you had understood?” If Helen still believes all discomfort is harmful, address that belief before adding more detail. The standard advises explaining that exercise is safe for knee osteoarthritis and can be adjusted to the person’s pain and circumstances.
Keep the explanation clinically accurate without turning it into a lecture. Avoid promising a particular outcome or saying that surgery will never be needed. Discuss the next decision, the information still required and how progress will be reviewed. This article’s case illustrates communication technique; real treatment needs an individual assessment.
Make shared decisions audible
Shared decision-making brings clinical evidence together with the patient’s preferences and circumstances. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care describes it as a conversation about reasonable options and what matters to the person.
In practice, ask Helen what might make the agreed activity plan difficult. Does she need support to get started? What would count as useful improvement? Her answers should change the detail of your plan. A question about preferences achieves little if the next sentence ignores the reply.
When presenting options, explain the purpose, likely benefits, relevant disadvantages and practical demands in familiar language. If you use a medical term, explain it immediately. Give the patient room to disagree, ask for clarification or request time to think.
Check the explanation rather than testing the patient
Teach-back asks the patient to explain key information in their own words, allowing you to identify what needs another explanation. NSW Clinical Excellence Commission guidance presents it as a check on communication and recommends explaining again when understanding is incomplete.
Try: “I want to check that I explained this clearly. How would you describe the plan when you get home?” If Helen repeats the idea of avoiding all movement, return to that point using different wording. Finish by agreeing on the next step and review arrangements.
A focused spoken practice drill
Use a four-minute rehearsal with a colleague: one minute to explore Helen’s concern, two to explain and discuss the next step, and one to check understanding. These are coaching intervals, not official AMC station timings. Ask your colleague to identify one unexplained term and one moment when you could have listened longer.
PassGP’s AI Oral Examiner supports structured spoken practice. Use that approach to rehearse a concise explanation aloud, then check its clinical content against current guidance and seek human feedback on the interaction. Repeat the same case with a different patient concern so that your explanation stays responsive.
Explore PassGP’s AMC clinical preparation resources and choose one counselling topic to practise aloud today.
