Handover about a painful swollen calf after hip surgery
NMC OSCE practice station
Handover and escalation · 1 min to read · 8 min to perform
Try a real conversation · NMC OSCEAI practice
Complete the handover form.
Terence WalshIs it about my leg, nurse? It has been getting sorer all morning.
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Open the full station (charts, voice, result letter) →The task
You are the nurse on an orthopaedic ward. Terence Walsh, aged 69, had a right hip replacement three days ago and now has a painful, swollen left calf. You have already assessed him and your findings are in the patient folder. Telephone the on-call ward doctor, Dr Rahman, and give a handover using SBAR. Complete the handover form. Then tell Mr Walsh briefly what will happen next. Be clear about what you need from the doctor and by when.
What this station tests
- Use the SBAR structure and finish with a specific request and a timeframe.
- A low early warning score does not exclude a deep vein thrombosis; trust the clinical picture.
- Read back the plan and record who agreed what and when.
- Do not massage a swollen painful calf, and tell the patient which symptoms to report urgently.
- Explain to the patient what will happen next and answer their fears honestly.
Sources for the clinical content
- NICE NG158: Venous thromboembolic diseases: diagnosis, management and thrombophilia testing
- NICE NG89: Venous thromboembolism in over 16s: reducing the risk of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism
- Royal College of Physicians: National Early Warning Score (NEWS2)
- NMC: The Code
An original practice scenario with invented patients. Not an exam question.