Patient-to-patient bullying in secure psychiatric services : exploring the value of official records for documenting patient-to-patient bullying

The study presented here examines the reporting of patient-to-patient bullying in a high secure psychiatric hospital housing adult men. It examines official records of bullying recorded on Suspected Bullying Report forms (SBRs), noting motivations for bullying and exploring how information was recorded. Its subsidiary aim was to explore the value of official records, presenting comparison data from three patient bullying surveys completed at the same hospital. All suspected reports of bullying in the hospital documented for a two-year period were collected. The patient surveys included data from three data-sets collected at the same hospital over a five-year period. The prediction that the patient surveys would suggest a higher level of bullying behaviours than official records was confirmed. Results for official records also demonstrated that motivation for bullying was either not recorded or was reported as a typology, bullying was not likely to be recorded as hospital incidents, and perpetrators were unlikely to be offered supportive intervention. The results are discussed with regard to the value of official records as a reporting mechanism

Equine Endocrine Disease: Challenges With Case Definition for Research

Equine endocrine disease is an important area for equine research, requiring an appropriate case definition for inclusion and criteria for exclusion from disease. Defining a case for research may be different from criteria for clinical diagnosis. Further, clinical diagnosis recommendations have been changing regularly, making this area challenging for equine scientists. This review discusses the diagnosis of major equine endocrine diseases, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, equine metabolic syndrome and insulin dysregulation, focusing on the most appropriate diagnostic methods for research case definitions. Different diagnostic methods, including use of reference intervals and clinical decision limits, will be discussed with their relative merits for use in case definition for research

Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: Identifying research priorities for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis through a priority setting partnership

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is the most prevalent endocrine disorder of older equids. To date, key research areas likely to have the greatest impact on equine health have not been identified. In human medicine, public and patient involvement is widely used to inform research agendas. This study aimed to engage with veterinary surgeons and horse owners to identify evidence gaps ('uncertainties') and prioritise these into a list of the 10 most important PPID research questions. The James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) Framework was adapted. Questions about the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of PPID were gathered via an online survey targeting veterinary surgeons and horse owners with experience of PPID. Thematic analysis was used to form a longlist of collated indicative research questions (CIRQs), defined by the JLA as true 'evidence uncertainties' when not answered by a published, clinically relevant, up-to-date systematic review. In an interim prioritisation survey, questions were ranked by weighted scores creating a shortlist of 25 that were taken forward to the PSP workshop, where participants reached a consensus on the top 10. Useable responses containing ≥1 question were received from 524 respondents (92.6% owners, n = 485; 7.4% veterinary surgeons, n = 39). After screening for relevance, 1,260 individual questions were included in thematic analysis, resulting in 47 CIRQs. Interim prioritisation votes for the CIRQs were received from 360 respondents. The top 10 questions prioritised at the PSP workshop focused on long-term prognosis, diagnostic accuracy, efficacy of pergolide treatment, alternative treatment/management strategies and potential treatment options for poor responders to pergolide. The quantity of questions generated indicates an extensive number of uncertainties regarding the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of PPID. The top 10 research questions will help to inform key areas for evidence synthesis and knowledge translation, and to direct future research into areas most important to end users involved in caring for and treating animals with PPID

Diagnosis of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction.

Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is common in aged horses. The majority of horses respond well to treatment, but treatment is lifelong, meaning accurate diagnosis of PPID is important. Similar to any condition, there is no perfect laboratory test to diagnose PPID and accuracy is affected by the characteristics of the population in which the test is being evaluated. This review details the importance of consideration of clinical factors and diagnostic test accuracy. Basal adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) concentration is used most frequently in practice and has very good diagnostic accuracy when used in combination with clinical judgement and the correct application of diagnostic thresholds. The thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test can be used in horses with equivocal test results following basal ACTH testing, or to evaluate subtle cases due to its improved accuracy