The efficacy of physiotherapy upon shoulder function following axillary dissection in breast cancer, a randomized controlled study.

Background: Many patients suffer from severe shoulder complaints after breast cancer surgery and axillary lymph node dissection. Physiotherapy has been clinically observed to improve treatment of these patients. However, it is not a standard treatment regime.

Efficacy of duct tape vs placebo in the treatment of verruca vulgaris (warts) in primary school children.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of duct tape compared with placebo in the treatment of verruca vulgaris.

Design And Setting: A randomized placebo-controlled trial in 3 primary schools in Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Participants: One hundred three children aged 4 to 12 years with verruca vulgaris.

Development of out-of-hours primary care by general practitioners (GPs) in The Netherlands: from small-call rotations to large-scale GP cooperatives.

Background: Over the last 10 years, care outside office hours by primary care physicians in The Netherlands has experienced a radical change. While Dutch general practitioners (GPs) formerly performed these services in small-call rotations, care is nowadays delivered by large-scale GP cooperatives.

Methods: We searched the literature for relevant studies on the effect of the out-of-hours care reorganization in The Netherlands.

Out-of-hours primary care. Implications of organisation on costs.

Background: To perform out-of-hours primary care, Dutch general practitioners (GPs) have organised themselves in large-scale GP cooperatives. Roughly, two models of out-of-hours care can be distinguished; GP cooperatives working separate from the hospital emergency department (ED) and GP cooperatives integrated with the hospital ED. Research has shown differences in care utilisation between these two models; a significant shift in the integrated model from utilisation of ED care to primary care.

Forearm blood flow and oxygen consumption in patients with bilateral repetitive strain injury measured by near-infrared spectroscopy.

Despite the social impact of repetitive strain injury (RSI), little is known about its pathophysiological mechanism. The main objective of this study was to assess the local muscle oxygenation (mVO2) and blood flow (mBF) of the forearm in individuals with RSI during isometric contractions of the forearm. We employed the non-invasive optical technique near-infrared spectroscopy to assess forearm VO2 and BF.

The impact of a primary care physician cooperative on the caseload of an emergency department: the Maastricht integrated out-of-hours service.

Objective: To determine the effect of an out-of-hours primary care physician (PCP) cooperative on the caseload at the emergency department (ED) and to study characteristics of patients utilizing out-of-hours care.

Design: A pre-post intervention design was used. During a 3-week period before and a 3-week period after establishing the PCP cooperative, all patient records with out-of-hours primary and emergency care were analyzed.

Follow-up care by patient's own general practitioner after contact with out-of-hours care. A descriptive study.

Background: Little is known about the care process after patients have contacted a GP cooperative for out-of-hours care. The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of patients who seek follow-up care after contact with a GP cooperative for out-of-hours care, and to gain insight into factors that are related to this follow-up care.

Methods: A total of 2805 patients who contacted a GP cooperative for out-of-hours care were sent a questionnaire.

General practitioners' satisfaction with and attitudes to out-of-hours services.

Background: In recent years, Dutch general practitioner (GP) out-of-hours service has been reorganised into large-scale GP cooperatives. Until now little is known about GPs' experiences with working at these cooperatives for out-of-hours care. The purpose of this study is to gain insight into GPs' satisfaction with working at GP cooperatives for out-of-hours care in separated and integrated cooperatives.

Reliability of videotaped observational gait analysis in patients with orthopedic impairments.

Background: In clinical practice, visual gait observation is often used to determine gait disorders and to evaluate treatment. Several reliability studies on observational gait analysis have been described in the literature and generally showed moderate reliability. However, patients with orthopedic disorders have received little attention.