Associations between macrovascular and renal microvascular dysfunction in type 2 diabetes and non-diabetes: the HELIUS study.

Background: Although the associations between measures of macrovascular and microvascular dysfunctions are well characterized in diabetes, there is limited data on these associations in individuals without diabetes. We compared the associations between macrovascular dysfunction and renal microvascular dysfunction in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and without diabetes.

Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data from the multiethnic Healthy Life in an Urban Setting (HELIUS) study (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), including 986 participants with T2D and 7680 participants without diabetes were done.

Self-referrals to the A&E department during out-of-hours: patients' motives and characteristics.

Objective: To determine self-referrals' motives to visit the accident & emergency departments (AED) and to compare their characteristics to patients contacting the GP cooperative.

Methods: Postal questionnaires were send to AED self-referrals and logistic regression analysis was used to contrast self-referrals to patients contacting the GP cooperative.

Results: For a study population of 62,000, during 4 months, 5547 contacts were registered with the GP cooperative, along with 808 AED contacts, 344 of whom (43%) were self-referrals.

Nurse telephone triage in out-of-hours GP practice: determinants of independent advice and return consultation.

Background: Nowadays, nurses play a central role in telephone triage in Dutch out-of-hours primary care. The percentage of calls that is handled through nurse telephone advice alone (NTAA) appears to vary substantially between GP cooperatives. This study aims to explore which determinants are associated with NTAA and with subsequent return consultations to the GP.