Parent phoning about an unwell toddler
PLAB 2 practice station
Telephone consultation · 1 min to read · 8 min to perform
Take a history from his mother, decide what needs to happen and when, and explain your plan to her.
Katie BrennanHello, doctor. I am sorry to bother you. It is my little boy, he has had a temperature for three days and I just do not like how he looks.
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Open the full station (charts, voice, result letter) →The task
You are a GP taking a telephone call at the surgery. Mrs Katie Brennan, aged 34, is phoning about her 18-month-old son, Oisin, who has been unwell for three days. You cannot see the child. Take a history from his mother, decide what needs to happen and when, and explain your plan to her. The examiner will not take part in the conversation.
What this station tests
- On the phone you cannot examine: lower your threshold for a face-to-face assessment when there are amber or red features.
- Ask specifically about breathing, hydration and responsiveness in a febrile child.
- Use traffic-light features to decide urgency: a child with red features who is not in immediate danger needs face-to-face assessment within 2 hours. Say clearly how soon and where.
- Give specific safety-netting including when to call 999.
- Acknowledge the parent's fears; they are often the best guide to how ill the child is.
Sources for the clinical content
- NICE NG143: Fever in under 5s: assessment and initial management
- NHS: Fever in children
- GMC Ethical hub: Remote consultations
An original practice scenario with invented patients. Not an exam question.