Measuring the impact of influenza vaccination in the Netherlands using retrospective observational primary care, hospitalisation and mortality data.

We aimed to estimate the impact of influenza vaccination in the Netherlands using general practitioner medical records for 2011-2020. We found that vaccinees had higher consultation rates for influenza-like-illness, acute respiratory infections, and pneumonia, as well as antibiotic use, hospitalisations, and several control diagnoses (i.e.

Improving Diagnosis and Care for Patients With Sarcoma: Do Real-World General Practitioners Data and Prospective Data Collections Have a Place Next to Clinical Trials?

There has been growing interest in the use of real-world data (RWD) to address clinically and policy-relevant (research) questions that cannot be answered with data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) alone. This is, for example, the case in rare malignancies such as sarcomas as limited patient numbers pose challenges in conducting RCTs within feasible timeliness, a manageable number of collaborators, and statistical power. This narrative review explores the potential of RWD to generate real-world evidence (RWE) in sarcoma research, elucidating its application across different phases of the patient journey, from prediagnosis to the follow-up/survivorship phase.

The prediagnostic general practitioner care of sarcoma patients: A real-world data study.

Background: Limited understanding exists regarding early sarcoma symptoms presented during general practitioner (GP) consultations. The study explores GP visit patterns and recorded diagnoses in the 12 months preceding sarcoma diagnosis.

Methods: Sarcoma cases diagnosed from 2010 to 2020 were identified through the Netherlands Cancer Registry alongside general practice data.

Lessons learned from the development of a national registry on dementia care and support based on linked national health and administrative data.

Introduction: This paper provides insight into the development of the Dutch Dementia Care and Support Registry and the lessons that can be learned from it. The aim of this Registry was to contribute to quality improvement in dementia care and support.

Methods: This paper describes how the Registry was set up in four stages, reflecting the four FAIR principles: the selection of data sources (Findability); obtaining access to the selected data sources (Accessibility); data linkage (Interoperability); and the reuse of data (Reusability).

Development of machine learning models to predict cancer-related fatigue in Dutch breast cancer survivors up to 15 years after diagnosis.

Purpose: To prevent (chronic) cancer-related fatigue (CRF) after breast cancer, it is important to identify survivors at risk on time. In literature, factors related to CRF are identified, but not often linked to individual risks. Therefore, our aim was to predict individual risks for developing CRF.

Investigating brain uptake of a non-targeting monoclonal antibody after intravenous and intracerebroventricular administration.

Monoclonal antibodies play an important role in the treatment of various diseases. However, the development of these drugs against neurological disorders where the drug target is located in the brain is challenging and requires a good understanding of the local drug concentration in the brain. In this original research, we investigated the systemic and local pharmacokinetics in the brain of healthy rats after either intravenous (IV) or intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of EGFRvIII-T-Cell bispecific (TCB), a bispecific monoclonal antibody.

Varying severities of symptoms underline the relevance of personalized follow-up care in breast cancer survivors: latent class cluster analyses in a cross-sectional cohort.

Purpose: Insights into the severity of co-existing symptoms can help in identifying breast cancer survivors in need of symptom management. We aimed to identify subgroups of breast cancer survivors based on patterns of symptom severity, and characteristics associated with these subgroups.

Methods: We selected surgically treated stage I-III breast cancer survivors 1-5 years post-diagnosis from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (N = 876).

Opportunities and obstacles in linking large health care registries: the primary secondary cancer care registry - breast cancer.

Background: The growing volume of health data provides new opportunities for medical research. By using existing registries, large populations can be studied over a long period of time. Patient-level linkage of registries leads to even more detailed and extended information per patient, but brings challenges regarding responsibilities, privacy and security, and quality of data linkage.

Evaluating quality of care at the end of life and setting best practice performance standards: a population-based observational study using linked routinely collected administrative databases.

Background: A high percentage of people dying at home, and a low percentage of people being admitted to hospital and dying there are regarded as indicators of appropriate care at the end of life. However, performance standards for these quality indicators are often lacking, which makes it difficult to state whether an indicator score falls between the ranges of good or poor quality care. The aim of this study was to assess quality indicators concerning place of death and hospital care utilization in people with diseases relevant for palliative care, and to establish best practice performance standards based on indicator scores in 31 regions in the Netherlands.

Antibiotic Prescribing in Dutch Daytime and Out-of-Hours General Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Database Study.

COVID-19 restrictions have resulted in major changes in healthcare, including the prescribing of antibiotics. We aimed to monitor antibiotic prescribing trends during the COVID-19 pandemic in Dutch general practice, both during daytime and out-of-hours (OOH). Routine care data were used from 379 daytime general practices (DGP) and 28 OOH-services over the period 2019-2021.

Adverse health effects after breast cancer up to 14 years after diagnosis.

Background: The number of breast cancer survivors increases, but information about long-term adverse health effects in breast cancer survivors is sparse. We aimed to get an overview of the health effects for which survivors visit their general practitioner up to 14 years after diagnosis.

Methods: We retrieved data on 11,671 women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000-2016 and 23,242 age and sex matched controls from the PSCCR-Breast Cancer, a database containing data about cancer diagnosis, treatment and primary healthcare.

Prevalence of Health Problems and Health-Care Use in Partners of People with Dementia: Longitudinal Analysis with Routinely Recorded Health and Administrative Data.

Introduction: This study aims to provide insight into the prevalence of health problems and the frequency of general practitioner (GP) contacts in cohabiting partners of persons with dementia, during the year prior to the dementia diagnosis and up to 3 years after the diagnosis.

Methods: Partners of persons with dementia and a matched control group of partners of persons without dementia were identified in the routinely recorded electronic health records of 451 Dutch general practices in 2008-2015. These data were used to examine the prevalence of the partners' health problems.

Kynurenine pathway metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid and blood as potential biomarkers in Huntington's disease.

Converging lines of evidence from several models, and post-mortem human brain tissue studies, support the involvement of the kynurenine pathway (KP) in Huntington's disease (HD) pathogenesis. Quantifying KP metabolites in HD biofluids is desirable, both to study pathobiology and as a potential source of biomarkers to quantify pathway dysfunction and evaluate the biochemical impact of therapeutic interventions targeting its components. In a prospective single-site controlled cohort study with standardised collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, phenotypic and imaging data, we used high-performance liquid-chromatography to measure the levels of KP metabolites-tryptophan, kynurenine, kynurenic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine, anthranilic acid and quinolinic acid-in CSF and plasma of 80 participants (20 healthy controls, 20 premanifest HD and 40 manifest HD).

Identifying multimorbid patients with high care needs - A study based on electronic medical record data.

Background: Patients with multimorbidity who frequently contact the general practice, use emergency care or have unplanned hospitalisations, may benefit from a proactive integrated care intervention. General practitioners are not always aware of who these 'high need' patients are. Electronic medical records are a potential source to identify them.

How Transitions in Dementia Care Trajectories Affect Health Problems in Partners: A Longitudinal Analysis With Linked Health and Administrative Data.

Objectives: To evaluate whether the prevalence of health problems in cohabiting partners of people with dementia differs between the year before and the year after 3 transitions: the diagnosis of dementia, institutionalization, and the death of the person with dementia.

Methods: Individuals with dementia and their partners were identified on the basis of data in the electronic health records (EHRs) of 451 Dutch general practices. EHRs were also the data source on their health problems, which were linked to the Dutch population registry and health administration data with demographic characteristics, date of institutionalization, and date of death.

Identifying high-need patients with multimorbidity from their illness perceptions and personal resources to manage their health and care: a longitudinal study.

Background: A proactive person-centred care process is advocated for people with multimorbidity. To that aim, general practitioners may benefit from support in the identification of high-need patients, i.e.

An oral care programme for adults- Evaluation after 15 years.

The present retrospective analysis sought to investigate the impact of the oral care programme (OCP) for adults provided at the Department of Conservative and Preventive Dentistry, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Germany, on oral health parameters. The OCP was modular and included oral hygiene instruction/professional toothcleaning, nutrition counselling, fluoridation and re-motivation. From 1999-2014, data from 1665 patients (55.

The impact of health symptoms on health-related quality of life in early-stage breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: In breast cancer patients, treatment-related health symptoms can occur that may affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to determine the impact of health symptoms on HRQoL in breast cancer patients up to 5 years after diagnosis.

Methods: Females surgically treated for early-stage breast cancer diagnosed between 2012 and 2016 (n = 876) were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry and invited for a survey about current health symptoms ('Symptoms and Perceptions questionnaire', SaP) and HRQoL ('EORTC-QLQ-C30').

Social functioning and subclinical psychosis in adolescence: a longitudinal general adolescent population study.

Objectives: To investigate the longitudinal relationship between subclinical psychotic symptoms and social functioning in a representative general population sample of adolescents.

Method: Data were derived from a routine general health screening of 1909 adolescents in a circumscribed region. Baseline measurement was in the second grade of secondary school (T0), and follow-up occurred approximately 2 years later (T1).

Availability and effectiveness of decision aids for supporting shared decision making in patients with advanced colorectal and lung cancer: Results from a systematic review.

Introduction: Shared decision making is not always commonplace in advanced colorectal or lung cancer care. Decision aids (DAs) might be helpful. This review aimed (a) to provide an overview of DAs for patients with advanced colorectal or lung cancer and assess their availability; and (b) to assess their effectiveness if possible.

The involvement of primary care physicians in care for childhood cancer survivors.

Background: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at risk of developing long-term morbidity, which is likely to be presented to a primary care physician (PCP). Therefore, insight into CCS's PCP-based health care use is needed. We investigated the volume and underlying health problems of PCP-based health care use and the determinants for PCP-based health care use in CCS.

Patient-reported health problems and healthcare use after treatment for early-stage breast cancer.

Background: A clear picture of treatment-related health problems following breast cancer treatment is useful in anticipating the informational and other needs of patients during follow-up. This study aimed to identify treatment-related health problems in breast cancer patients up to five years after diagnosis. Secondly, the use of care associated with these health problems was identified.

Feasibility and acceptability of follow-up for prostate cancer in primary care: a pilot study.

Background: The number of patients with prostate cancer is increasing, which puts additional pressure on health care. GP-led follow up may help reduce costs, travel time for patients, and workload for urologists and improve continuity of care.

Aim: To test the feasibility and acceptability of a new clinical pathway for GP-led prostate cancer follow-up.

Healthy elderly and influenza vaccination.

In many countries, those at risk for complications due to influenza are invited for influenza vaccination, to prevent serious consequences for themselves and those around them. However, vaccination rates are decreasing. The first invitation for vaccination may provide an opportunity to convey ample information about the (dis)advantages of vaccination.