BACKGROUND
Antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to the first-line antibiotics is seriously compromising the treatment and control of gonorrhea. Ceftriaxone, an extended-spectrum cephalosporin, is the most widely therapeutic agent recommended in Europe for gonococcal sexually transmitted infections. Ceftriaxone is the gold standard for proctitis and orchitis/epididymitis, two common gonococcal infections affecting adults. Notwithstanding, increasing data on bacterial resistance encourage a review of the latest evidence to check the recommendations in current clinical practice guidelines.
OBJECTIVES
To find new evidence to assess the update of the recommendations for the treatment of proctitis and orchitis/epididymitis included in the Antimicrobial Therapeutic Guide (Spanish National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance).
METHODS
The methodological process performed through a systematic review is part of a project coordinated jointly by the Andalusian Health Technology Assessment Area and the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices. Once the retrieved evidence is assessed and synthesized, a panel of experts will decide to adapt or adopt the recommendations based on the context of resistances in the Spanish Health System by using GRADE-ADOLOPMENT methodology.
RESULTS
Two high-quality guidelines were identified recommending the increase up to 1g of ceftriaxone as single dose: the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre Guideline (2023), for proctitis; and the European Association of Urology Guideline (2024), for orchitis/epididymitis. Therefore, a revision of the current guideline recommendations appears to be appropriate according to the evidence.
DISCUSSION FOR SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACTS
Emerging trends in antibiotic resistance should be continuously monitored to update the established treatments and incorporate them into clinical practice.

Background
Effective guideline implementation requires cross-sector collaboration to ensure relevance in diverse healthcare settings. In the Netherlands, the Infection Prevention Guidelines Collaboration (IPGC) develops generic infection prevention (IP) guidelines. However, these proved insufficient for implementation in long-term care (LTC). To address this, SKILZ, as an IPGC partner, initiated a collaborative adaptation process to tailor the guidelines to LTC. This serves as a blueprint for broader guideline adaptation processes. Besides, it accelerates the process and reduces costs.

Objective
To develop a structured, collaborative approach for adapting generic guidelines to specific healthcare settings, preventing duplication of work, enhancing implementation, time efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

Methods
By engaging LTC professionals early in the process, SKILZ fostered cross-sector collaboration to ensure adapted guidelines align with real-world practice. Experts and healthcare professionals contributed through interviews and consultations, while literature on guideline adaptation methodologies was reviewed. The adaptation process consisted of a core-group of healthcare professionals and during the adaptation meetings they focused on: 1) proportionality: balancing infection prevention with patients’ well-being, 2) subsidiarity: using the least restrictive approaches to achieve IP goals, and 3) contextualization: adjusting terminology, level of detail, and feasibility for long-term care settings.

Results & Prospects
This collaborative adaptation model fosters ownership among stakeholders, improving guideline adoption, efficiency and costs. SKILZ is currently adapting ten generic IP guidelines for LTC, with plans to expand to other domains, such as mental health. The approach will be evaluated in 2026, aiming to establish a sustainable model for cross-sector guideline adaptation.

Background
Disability is common yet not well understood in Sub-Saharan Africa. Growing attention is being given to research evidence to improve the social inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs). This is inclusive of guidelines.

Objectives
This paper reports on a process to monitor and evaluate evidence databases to encourage improvements in website and content accessibility for PWDs. We examined five evidence communities’ databases by:

Assessing website accessibility through web browsers.
Assessing the accessibility of resources within these databases.
Providing feedback from the evaluation to evidence producers.
Methodology
A cross-sectional study was conducted on five online evidence databases using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), a universal standard for web accessibility. A purposive sample of 25 resources was evaluated.

Results
The five database websites scored an average 78.6% compliance (range: 73%–87%) with WCAG best practices. However, the 25 assessed resources scored 52.5% compliance (range: 12.5%–70%). Accessibility is crucial for equitable evidence use, yet barriers persist in reaching, understanding, and using these resources.

Conclusion
Even though these evidence databases are considered as enabling inclusion and diversity within the evidence ecosystem their contents are not fully accessible to people with disability and only partially met the WCAG recommendations.

Background
Guideline developers have increasingly engaged various groups of interest-holders (previously often called “stakeholders”) during different stages of guideline development. However, reporting on interest-holder engagement in practice guidelines often lacks transparency.

Objective
The RIGHT (Reporting Items of Practice Guidelines in Healthcare) working group, in collaboration with the MuSE Consortium, aims to develop an extension of the RIGHT statement for reporting interest-holder engagement: the RIGHT-MuSE checklist.

Methods
We will follow methods recommended by the EQUATOR Network. The RIGHT-MuSE checklist consists of twelve steps: 1. Identifying the need for the checklist; 2. Obtaining funding; 3. Drafting a protocol and registering the project; 4. Establishing the working groups; 5. Reviewing background work; 6. Generating an initial list of items; 7. Conducting consensus surveys; 8. Holding consensus meetings; 9. Drafting the final RIGHT-MuSE checklist; 10. Developing an explanatory document; 11. Conducting a pilot test of the checklist; and 12. Disseminating the checklist.

Results
We have registered RIGHT-MuSE on the EQUATOR Network. So far, 19 representatives of different interest-holder groups, invited by the coordination team, have agreed to join the RIGHT-MuSE consensus panel and participate in the upcoming consensus survey and meeting. An initial version of the checklist, including eight topics and 15 items, has been generated. We plan to hold the consensus meeting in May 2025 and present the final RIGHT-MuSE checklist during the conference.

Discussion for scientific abstracts:
Once the checklist is finalized and published, we will actively promote and implement it to foster the development of more trustworthy practice guidelines.

Background: Gender bias is a significant yet underexplored factor influencing the management of gastrointestinal and liver diseases. Studies have identified differences in the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and response to therapy in women from men due to a sex-specific genetic, hormonal and immune background. However, the extent to which clinical practice guidelines incorporate these differences remains unclear.
Methods: This study aims to map gender-related disparities in symptom presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes by analyzing gastroenterology and hepatology guidelines. We will prioritize guidelines with clear recommendations and evidence summary from leading academic societies and journals. Journal selection will be guided by the Journal Citation Reports of the Web of Science, including the 10 highest-impact gastroenterology and hepatology journals of 2023 and 4 general medical journals (NEJM, The Lancet, JAMA, and The BMJ). We will extract the following data: (a) guideline characteristics, (b) development methodology, (c) number and content of recommendations, and (d) presence of sex-disaggregated in recommendations, evidence summary or any rationale in the full-text. Data collection, screening, extraction and evaluation will be performed by pairs of researchers, with discrepancies at all stages resolved through discussion.
Results: This study is ongoing and detailed results will be presented at the Colloquium.
Conclusion: Our findings will contribute to a broader understanding of gender disparities and support more equitable care for female patients. Further guidelines may benefit from integrating sex-specific considerations, emphasizing the need for tailored outcomes, data and recommendations in the development process.

Background:
Most older adults wish to age in place and participate in their communities. Evidence-based clinical guidelines can support this goal, but disseminating these guidelines among occupational therapists and ensuring their implementation is challenging.

Objectives:
To disseminate an evidence-based guideline and enhance occupational therapists’ compliance with recommendations to improve aging in place.

Methods:
In the pilot project, occupational therapists were trained to implement recommendations from an evidence-based guideline. The implementation strategy combined the Johanna Bridge Institute's approach with Peters' 5-step guideline implementation method (2020). Experiences from this pilot inform a national roll-out.

Results:
A professional and interprofessional network was established to disseminate the guideline and pilot its implementation. Evikey, a national evidence-based platform, was called in for dissemination. Higher education students and an NGO were involved to facilitate the implementation proces.
Four occupational therapists (both juniors and seniors) piloted the recommendations.
During the identification phase, the Know-Do Gap was analyzed through interviews with therapists and management. An interdisciplinary team of stakeholders was formed to ensure sustainability. In the context analysis phase, barriers and facilitators were identified and prioritized. In the implementation phase, strategies were operationalized to enhance capacity building, including tailored podcasts and peer learning sessions. The evaluation phase involved developing quality indicators, with outcomes used to adjust the implementation strategy as needed. With government support, the adjusted implementation plan will be rolled out nationally.

Conclusion:
A robust professional and interprofessional network, conducting a pilot and providing implementations tools tailored to the involved professionals are prerequisite for sustainable national roll-out.

Background: Vaccines stimulate immune responses, reducing childhood morbidity and mortality. Although Africa's immunization coverage has improved, it hasn't reached target levels. Effective communication and collaborative reminder systems are vital for boosting vaccine uptake. Evaluations indicate varying global immunization rates and stress the importance of ongoing efforts to overcome challenges, especially in rural areas.
Objectives: This project aimed to enhance vaccination uptake in the Bali Health District by promoting evidence-based communication between healthcare providers and caregivers. It utilized audits to identify, address, and sustain best practices through strong partnerships.
Methods: The project employed the JBI PACES and GRiP frameworks for evidence-based healthcare, focusing on improving clinical communication and collaboration. It involved conducting baseline and follow-up audits, engaging stakeholders, and implementing strategies within the Bali Health District. Key stakeholders included healthcare providers, caregivers, community leaders, and local health authorities. The objective was to enhance vaccination uptake through effective communication and strengthened partnerships.
Results: The baseline audit revealed low compliance with best practices, with all criteria scoring below 40%, and criteria 6 and 7 scoring zero. Implemented strategies included evidence summaries, stakeholder questionnaires, decision-making models, SMS summaries, and coaching tools. Follow-up audits showed significant improvements in compliance, especially within public health units, addressing various barriers identified by stakeholders. Collaborative efforts and strong partnerships were crucial to these improvements.
Discussion: Tailored clinical communication strategies and structured guidelines significantly improved PENTA vaccine uptake and reduced vaccine hesitancy among children under five in Bali Health District, Cameroon.

Background: Integrated healthcare requires exchange of expertise and coordination within the healthcare system to ensure quality, safety, and efficiency. Although opportunities for professional exchange among nurses exist, they are not universally accessible and sometimes remain unknown. Strengthening digital exchange can facilitate collaboration and evidence-based practice, which includes the experience of nursing professionals, patient needs, available resources and research findings.
Objective: The overall goal was to promote exchange among nursing experts to support an integrated and evidence-based practice . The subgoals were to identify digital requirements for an exchange platform for nursing experts, develop the platform, and evaluate its use and sustainability.
Methods: The project followed an iterative process during development with regular user engagement. We created a requirements catalog based on a literature review and interviews with six nursing experts. Seven nursing experts, four researchers, and one student assistant tested a prototype, before being made publicly available. We will evaluate the platform use by analysing access to the platform and content after 12months.
Results: A logical and intuitive structure was essential for user acceptance. Desired features included the ability to ask and answer questions, share files, and easily find content via a search function. A notification system for new posts or replies was also suggested. The tested prototype met most requirements with minor adjustments before public release.
Discussion: The platform now called “NurseConnect” enables collaborative problem-solving and cross-sector exchange. Sharing of expertise and knowledge and intersectional collaboration may save resources and enhances integrated care across settings, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Background: Meta- research has highlighted the scientific, ethical, and resource costs of redundant studies. The value of new studies can be enhanced if prior research is explicitly considered during the planning phase.
Objective: To enhance engagement in research within and beyond health by promoting use of an evidence-based research (EBR) approach – systematically and transparently integrating prior research to inform a new study while incorporating the perspectives of relevant end users to ensure that the research addresses meaningful questions in a valid, efficient, and accessible manner.
Methods: The Group Research on Valuable Research (GROVR) was initiated at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences in Bergen, Norway as a collaborative platform to develop, implement, and disseminate EBR. During virtual and in-person meetings, members exchange ideas and provide feedback on research projects aligned with three core pillars – meta-research on EBR, developing the EBR concept, and implementing the EBR approach.
Results: Since its start in 2021, GROVR has expanded to 18 members across the globe. Members include doctoral and post-doctoral students, as well as middle and late career researchers, fostering substantial mentorship and collaboration. Various health disciplines within and beyond healthcare are represented, including ethics, mental health, musculoskeletal health, and nutrition. GROVR activities have led to over 20 papers.
Discussion: GROVR in now a Research Interest Group of the EBRNetwork – an international network across disciplines aiming to advance the transparent and systematic use of evidence to inform decisions about research (https://ebrnetwork.org/). Participation in GROVR is open to all EBRNetwork members.

Background: Despite apartheid's official end in 1994, South Africa continues to struggle with profound healthcare inequalities disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. The healthcare system faces severe workforce shortages, deteriorating infrastructure, and systemic inefficiencies, with nurse-to-patient ratios far exceeding WHO recommendations.

Literature Review: Research indicates that in public sector facilities, particularly in rural and township areas, nurses often care for 20-25 patients simultaneously, significantly impacting treatment outcomes for prevalent communicable diseases.

Research Methods: This study employs qualitative case study methodology to examine successful global approaches to addressing social determinants of health (SDH) and their potential application to the South African context.

Findings: Analysis of initiatives from Brazil, New Zealand, and Rwanda reveals transferable strategies including formalized cross-sectoral collaboration, strategic utilization of community health workers, decentralized implementation with centralized coordination, integrated data systems, and culturally responsive approaches.

Discussion: These findings highlight the need for nursing practice to evolve beyond traditional clinical boundaries toward more collaborative approaches addressing social determinants.

Recommendations: Comprehensive strategies for nursing education, policy development, practice innovation, research initiatives, and leadership development are proposed to better equip South African nurses to address SDH.

Conclusion: By expanding nursing roles to encompass social determinant assessment and intervention, nurses can serve as critical agents in breaking cycles of disadvantage that perpetuate poor health outcomes in high-burden communities, requiring a fundamental reconceptualization of nursing's societal role.

Keywords: healthcare inequalities, social determinants of health, nursing practice, South Africa, cross-sectoral collaboration, community health workers