Liaise with clients with medical conditions to identify and agree their needs and objectives for exercise and physical activity programmes

URN: SKAEAF17
Business Sectors (Suites): Exercise and fitness
Developed by: SkillsActive
Approved on: 30 Mar 2021

Overview

​This standard is about the competence required to identify and support clients with various medical conditions needs and objectives. This is likely to be the initial stage of meeting a client to establish an effective relationship while gathering suitable information to inform programme design. 

They will normally be working without direct supervision but could be under the direction of a physiotherapist, Medical Officer or GP.


Performance criteria

You must be able to:

  1. meet with the client at an appropriate time and place

  2. establish a rapport and engage the client using appropriate techniques

  3. explain yours and the clients' role and responsibilities in the process

  4. show sensitivity and empathy to clients and the information they provide

  5. effectively communicate with the client that encourages them to engage openly and honestly

  6. implement a process of informed consent for the collection of information and exercise prescription

  7. conduct pre-exercise screening to establish clients risk stratification

8. identify appropriate methods of collecting relevant client information and data based on their condition

  1. collect the information needed to plan an exercise and physical activity programme

  2. research unfamiliar medical conditions and medications using different methods to source scientific data

  3. liaise with other professionals regarding the information received

  4. discuss with clients the health benefits of physical activity for their conditions

  5. liaise with clients to agree goals appropriate to their needs and conditions

  6. ensure the goals are suitable and adhere to the clients risk stratification and industry good practice

  7. work in accordance with all relevant legislation, guidelines, policies, procedures and protocols

16. plan an exercise programme that is appropriate to the participants needs, conditions, goals and level of fitness

  1. ensure appropriate components of fitness and principles of training are applied

Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

1. the current legislation, guidelines, policies, procedures and protocols which are relevant to your work practice and to which you must adhere

  1. the principles of anatomy and physiology including skeletal, cardiovascular, myofascial, nervous, endocrine, energy and digestive system.

  2. how to apply anatomy and physiology when planning and delivering exercise and physical activity programmes for clients with specified medical conditions

  3. the components of health and skill related fitness and how to apply these into an exercise and physical activity programmes for clients with specified medical conditions

  4. the scope and professional boundaries of your practice

  5. the relationship between exercise, physical activity and specified medical conditions

  6. how to gather relevant information to plan safe, effective exercise and physical activity programmes for clients with specified medical conditions

  7. the importance of meeting the client at the correct time and place to provide a professional setting

  8. how to build rapport with different clients

10. the importance of establishing roles and responsibilities at the start to ensure the best outcome

11. why it is important to provide sensitivity and empathy to the clients

12. the ethical considerations involved in ongoing maintenance of exercise behaviour including respecting inter-professional boundaries and clients confidentiality

  1. how your communication skills can influence the quality of information received, the clients commitment and motivation

  2. how to gain informed consent from the clients and why this is important

  3. risk stratification processes and how to use this to complete pre-exercise screening to show whether the client is at low, medium or high risk of an adverse event occurring during exercise and physical activity

  4. how to identify appropriate methods for gathering information and data from clients

  5. how to collect and analyse information using recognised methods

  6. credible sources of scientific information that can be used to research unfamiliar medical conditions and medications

  7. how to interact with others involved in the process

20.  the health benefits of physical activity for clients medical conditions

  1. how to ensure the goals agreed with the clients meet their needs, conditions and stage of readiness to change

  2. how to plan an agree SMART goals adhering to risk stratification and current level of ability

  3. how to record goals in an appropriate format


Scope/range


Scope Performance

Methods

  1. pre-exercise screening/risk stratification tools

  2. reports

  3. interviews

  4. questionnaire

  5. observations

  6. physical assessments

  7. risk assessments

  8. on-going research

Principles of training

1. specificity
2. overload
3. recovery
4. adaptation
5. reversibility


Scope Knowledge


Values


Behaviours


Skills


Glossary


Links To Other NOS

​This standard links to SKAEAF18, SKAEAF19 and SKAEAF20 


External Links


Version Number

3

Indicative Review Date

31 Mar 2024

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

SkillsActive

Original URN

SKAEF19

Relevant Occupations

Coach / Instructor, Sport, Leisure and Recreation, Sports and Fitness Occupations

SOC Code

3433

Keywords

medical conditions; exercise referral; exercise; physical activity