Results consultations, explained so they land

What makes a results case

A results case gives you information the patient does not yet have, or has half-understood from a letter or an app. Your job is to find out what they already know and fear, explain the result in plain English, say what it means for them, and agree what happens next. Often there is a second layer: a result that changes their plans, a lifestyle conversation, or a worry that has been building since they saw the word on the screen.

Some results are reassuring, some uncertain, and some serious. For serious results, see breaking bad news in the SCA.

How the RCGP domains apply

These summaries are ours. The domain names are the RCGP's; read its own descriptors on the marking and results page and in the SCA consultation toolkit. See how the SCA is marked for the grades and pass mark.

A practical structure

1. Check what they know. “What did you understand from the message you got?” or “What were you hoping this test would show?”
2. Clarify the context. Symptoms now, anything new, medicines, and the questions that change how you read the result.
3. Give the headline. One sentence: normal, not quite normal, or needs action. Then the detail they need, not every number.
4. Explain what it means for them. Link the result to their life, their symptoms and their worries.
5. Agree the next step. Repeat test, treatment, lifestyle change or referral, with timescales. Share the decision where there are options.
6. Check and safety-net. Ask them to tell you what they will do next, and what would make them get in touch sooner.

Common pitfalls

• Reading numbers aloud. A list of values without meaning helps nobody. Lead with what the result means.
• Missing a second abnormality. Read the whole brief. A mildly raised value alongside the one you were asked about may matter more.
• Over-reassuring. “It’s nothing to worry about” can be wrong when the next step is uncertain.
• Under-explaining uncertainty. Say what the result can and cannot tell you, and what will settle the question.
• No follow-up plan. If a repeat test is needed, say when and who will arrange it.

Natural phrases

• “Before I go through it, what have you been told so far?”
• “The short version is that it’s mostly reassuring, but there’s one thing I want to look at again.”
• “Your kidneys are working a bit less well than they should for your age.”
• “This test can’t tell us what’s causing it. What it does tell us is that we need to look a little further.”
• “Just so I know I’ve explained it well, how would you describe it to your partner?”

For more, see the explaining phrase bank.

Practice results cases

Each of these cases centres on a test result: blood tests, imaging, screening, swabs and investigations.

• The positive FIT result · Telephone
• Abnormal LFTs — alcohol concern · Video
• "The letter says I’ve got kidney disease — am I going on dialysis?" · Telephone
• "My test was positive — does this mean he’s cheated?" · Telephone
• "The X-ray says I’m ‘bone on bone’ — am I crippled?" · Video
• "But the X-ray was clear" · Telephone
• "So I haven’t got diabetes — I’m fine then?" · Telephone
• "There was blood on my dip test — but I can’t see any" · Video
• "My cholesterol’s really high — but I’m fit and slim, it must be a mistake" · Video
• "My B12 is low — can’t I just take a tablet or eat better instead of injections?" · Video
• "My sperm test came back abnormal — does this mean we’ll never have kids, and is it my fault?" · Video
• "My pregnancy sugar test came back high — does this mean my baby’s in danger?" · Video
• “The nurse said my heart tracing wasn’t quite right — what does that mean?” · Telephone
• “The nurse did the blowing test — I just need a stronger inhaler, don’t I?” · Video
• “You wanted to speak to me about my blood tests — I was only having them before starting a statin” · Telephone
• The result nobody actioned · Video

Each case page shows the candidate brief you would read in the 3-minute window. The learning points sit behind a spoiler, so read the brief, practise, then look. The full case, with the role-player script and examiner checkpoints, is in The Hot Seat.

How to practise

Read a case brief, set a 12-minute timer and run it with a partner, the AI patient or out loud on your own. The Hot Seat holds the full case bank with a scorecard for each case. The Consultation Conversation Lab drills the Relating to others skills (cues, ideas and concerns, shared plans), and Worked Example Consultations show what a passing consultation sounds like from start to finish. The IMG Track includes plain-English explaining drills that help with results cases. Then put a few of these cases into your next mock exam.

Frequently asked questions

More SCA guides