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.

Levelling the learning ground for healthcare professionals across the world through SIMBA: a mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the acceptance, strengths and limitations of Simulation via Instant Messaging-Birmingham Advance (SIMBA) in low/middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs), on healthcare professionals' professional development and learning. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Online (either mobile or computer/ laptop or both). PARTICIPANTS: 462 participants (LMICs: 29.7%, n=137 and HICs: 71.3%, n=325) were included. INTERVENTIONS: Sixteen SIMBA sessions were conducted between May 2020 and October 2021. Doctors-in-training solved anonymised real-life clinical scenarios over WhatsApp. Participants completed pre-SIMBA and post-SIMBA surveys. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes were identified using Kirkpatrick's training evaluation model. LMIC and HIC participants' reactions (level 1) and self-reported performance, perceptions and improvements in core competencies (level 2a) were compared using the χ2 test. Content analysis of open-ended questions was performed. RESULTS: Postsession, there were no significant differences in application to practice (p=0.266), engagement (p=0.197) and overall session quality (p=0.101) between LMIC and HIC participants (level 1). Participants from HICs showed better knowledge of patient management (LMICs: 77.4% vs HICs: 86.5%; p=0.01), whereas participants from LMICs self-reported higher improvement in professionalism (LMICs: 41.6% vs HICs: 31.1%; p=0.02). There were no significant differences in improved clinical competency scores in patient care (p=0.28), systems-based practice (p=0.05), practice-based learning (p=0.15) and communication skills (p=0.22), between LMIC and HIC participants (level 2a). In content analysis, the major strengths of SIMBA over traditional methods were providing individualised, structured and engaging sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals from both LMICs and HICs self-reported improvement in their clinical competencies, illustrating that SIMBA can produce equivalent teaching experiences. Furthermore, SIMBA's virtual nature enables international accessibility and presents potential for global scalability. This model could steer future standardised global health education policy development in LMICs.