BackgroundPrivacy and confidentiality are central components of patient care and are of particular importance in obstetrics and gynaecology, where clinical situations of a sensitive nature regularly occur. The layout of the emergency department (ED) in maternity units is often not conducive to maintaining privacy.MethodOur study aimed to discover if changing the environment could improve patients’ experiences in the ED. We surveyed patients and asked specific questions about their perception of privacy in the ED. We then repeated the survey following renovations to the ED which involved replacing curtained patient areas with walled cubicles.ResultsThere were 75 pre-renovation surveys and 82 post-renovation surveys completed. Before the renovations took place, only 21% (n = 16) found their privacy to be adequate during their visit to the ED. However this rose to 89% (n = 73) post-renovation.ConclusionOur study showed that patients’ perception of privacy and confidentiality significantly improved following refurbishment of the ED.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-018-3782-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Androgen excess in women typically presents clinically with hirsutism, acne or androgenic alopecia. In the vast majority of cases, the underlying aetiology is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common chronic condition that affects up to 10% of all women. Identification of women with non-PCOS pathology within large cohorts of patients presenting with androgen excess represents a diagnostic challenge for the endocrinologist, and rare pathology including nonclassic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, severe insulin resistance syndromes, Cushing's disease or androgen-secreting tumours of the ovary or adrenal gland may be missed in the absence of a pragmatic screening approach. Detailed clinical history, physical examination and biochemical phenotyping are critical in risk-stratifying women who are at the highest risk of non-PCOS disorders. Red flag features such as rapid onset symptoms, overt virilization, postmenopausal onset or severe biochemical disturbances should prompt investigations for underlying neoplastic pathology, including dynamic testing and imaging where appropriate. This review will outline a proposed diagnostic approach to androgen excess in women, including an introduction to androgen metabolism and provision of a suggested algorithmic strategy to identify non-PCOS pathology according to clinical and biochemical phenotype.

ObjectivesThis study examined the effect of using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) routinely to assess and address depressive symptoms and diabetes distress among adults with type 2 diabetes.DesignA systematic review of published peer-reviewed studies.Data sourcesMedline, Embase, CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched.Eligibility criteriaStudies including adults with type 2 diabetes, published in English, from the inception of the databases to 24 February 2022 inclusive; and where the intervention included completion of a PROM of depressive symptoms and/or diabetes distress, with feedback of the responses to a healthcare professional.Data extraction and synthesisUsing Covidence software, screening and risk of bias assessment were conducted by two reviewers independently with any disagreements resolved by a third reviewer.ResultsThe search identified 4512 citations, of which 163 full-text citations were assessed for eligibility, and nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Five studies involved assessment of depressive symptoms only, two studies assessed diabetes distress only, and two studies assessed both. All studies had an associated cointervention. When depressive symptoms were assessed (n=7), a statistically significant between-group difference in depressive symptoms was observed in five studies; with a clinically significant (>0.5%) between-group difference in HbA1c in two studies. When diabetes distress was assessed (n=4), one study demonstrated statistically significant difference in depressive symptoms and diabetes distress; with a clinically significant between-group difference in HbA1c observed in two studies.ConclusionStudies are sparse in which PROMs are used to assess and address depressive symptoms or diabetes distress during routine clinical care of adults with type 2 diabetes. Further research is warranted to understand how to integrate PROMs into clinical care efficiently and determine appropriate interventions to manage identified problem areas.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020200246.

BackgroundParticipation in social networking sites is commonplace and the micro-blogging site Twitter can be considered a platform for the rapid broadcasting of news stories.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the Twitter status updates and subsequent responses relating to a number of perinatal deaths which occurred in a small maternity unit in Ireland.MethodsAn analysis of Twitter status updates, over a two month period from January to March 2014, was undertaken to identify the key themes arising in relation to the perinatal deaths.ResultsOur search identified 3577 tweets relating to the reported perinatal deaths. At the height of the controversy, Twitter updates generated skepticism in relation to the management of not only of the unit in question, which was branded as unsafe, but also the governance of the entire Irish maternity service. Themes of concern and uncertainty arose whereby the professional motives of the obstetric community and staffing levels in the maternity services were called into question.ConclusionsTwitter activity provides a useful insight into attitudes towards health-related events. The role of the media in influencing opinion is well-documented and this study underscores the challenges that clinicians face in light of an obstetric media scandal. Further study to identify how the obstetric community could develop tools to utilize Twitter to disseminate valid health information could be beneficial.