Reducing the Gap in Knowledge and Expectations between Clinicians and People with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or Adrenal Conditions:Simulation via Instant Messaging—Birmingham Advance: Patient and Public Involvement (SIMBA-PPI) Study

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of SIMBA as an educational intervention for both HCPs and people with either PCOS or adrenal conditions and to study the change in knowledge of people with PCOS or adrenal conditions about the conditions and expectations from the HCPs involved in their care following SIMBA-PPI sessions. Methods: Two SIMBA-PPI sessions (SIMBA-PPI Polycystic ovary syndrome (SIMBA-PCOS) and SIMBA-PPI Adrenal conditions (SIMBA-Adrenal conditions)) were conducted in September 2021 and March 2022. In both sessions, HCPs interacted with moderators on patient management through WhatsApp. Patients with respective conditions underwent workshop-style learning in the same cases. SIMBA-PCOS transcripts were also translated into Brazilian Portuguese and workshops were held in both Brazilian Portuguese and English. The two groups (HCPs and patients) were then brought together to discuss exploring gaps in knowledge and expectations. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test compared differences in pre- and post-SIMBA self-reported confidence levels in HCPs and patients. Qualitative data from the online recordings were transcribed and analysed with inductive thematic analysis to identify gaps in knowledge and expectations from managing the cases. Results: 48 HCPs and 25 patients participated in our study. When compared to pre-SIMBA confidence levels, SIMBA-PPI sessions effectively improved clinicians’ confidence in managing PCOS (40.5%, p < .001) and adrenal conditions (23.0%, p < .001) post-SIMBA. Patient participants’ confidence in HCPs significantly increased in the PCOS session (SIMBA-PCOS: 6.25%, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Integration of PPI into SIMBA improved HCPs' confidence in managing PCOS and adrenal conditions. SIMBA-PPI also improved patients’ confidence in HCPs. Our findings suggest that participating in SIMBA-PPI sessions can reduce the gap in knowledge and expectations between patients and HCPs involved in their care

Evaluation of plasma Procalcitonin concentrations in healthy foals and foals affected by septic Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome

The aim of this work was to evaluate procalcitonin concentrations in healthy foals and in foals with septic Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS). Plasma procalcitonin (PCT) concentrations were evaluated in 51 foals and SIRS scale was calculated. Foals were divided into control group (no septic SIRS criteria met) and septic SIRS group (SIRS score ≥ 2 plus evidence of sepsis or localized infection). PCT concentrations were evaluated with a commercial ELISA kit. The data were expressed as mean and standard deviation. A T-test was performed between healthy and septic SIRS groups. A ROC curve was carried out. Finally, correlation analysis between PCT concentration and SIRS scale was performed by using Pearson test. The PCT concentrations in control and septic SIRS groups were 30.0±33.1 and 178.9±76.0 pg/ml, respectively. The T-test showed differences between control group and septic SIRS group (p<0.0001). A positive linear correlation between PCT concentration and SIRS scale was observed (r=0.73, r2=0.53, p<0.0001). The ROC curve was statistically significant (p<0.0001) and the best cut-off value to determine septic SIRS was 73.04 pg/ml (87.5% sensitivity, 97.1% specificity and a likelihood ratio of 30.6). Overall, the results showed an increase in plasma PCT concentrations in septic SIRS foals. A cut-off between control and septic SIRS groups was obtained