Publications by authors named "Henk C P M Van Weert"

Purpose: To evaluate general practitioners' (GPs) experiences with providing cancer survivorship care and explore readiness for implementation.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey study was nested within two randomized-controlled trials conducted in the Netherlands between 2015 and 2023, comparing GP- with specialist-led survivorship care for patients with colon or prostate cancer. An adapted version of the normalisation measure development (NoMAD) survey was distributed among participating GPs.

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Background/objectives: The most important risk factor for recurrent pancreatitis after an episode of acute alcoholic pancreatitis is continuation of alcohol use. Current guidelines do not recommend any specific treatment strategy regarding alcohol cessation. The PANDA trial investigates whether implementation of a structured alcohol cessation support program prevents pancreatitis recurrence after a first episode of acute alcoholic pancreatitis.

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Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent syndrome with considerable disease burden, healthcare utilization and costs. Timely diagnosis is essential to improve outcomes. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) in detecting HF in primary care.

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Background: Heart failure (HF) is a common cardiac syndrome with a high disease burden and poor prognosis in our aging populations. Understanding the characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed HF is essential for improving care and outcomes. The AMSTERDAM-HF study is aimed to examine the population characteristics of patients with incident HF.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated the effectiveness of incorporating free-text Dutch consultation notes in predicting colorectal cancer (CRC) among primary care patients, comparing it with existing models.
  • The model that combined both traditional predictive features and free-text data showed significantly better performance (AUROC: 0.823) than models using only tabular (0.767) or text data (0.797).
  • Results suggest that free-text notes might enhance prediction accuracy, potentially reducing unnecessary referrals to specialists for suspected CRC cases.*
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Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess cost-effectiveness of general practitioner (GP) versus surgeon-led colon cancer survivorship care from a societal perspective.

Methods: We performed an economic evaluation alongside the I CARE study, which included 303 cancer patients (stages I-III) who were randomised to survivorship care by a GP or surgeon. Questionnaires were administered at baseline, 3-, 6-, 12-, 24- and 36-months.

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Article Synopsis
  • - In the I CARE study, colon cancer patients were assigned to receive follow-up care from either general practitioners (GPs) or surgeons to analyze the impact on recurrence detection and time to recurrence.
  • - Out of 303 patients, slightly more recurrences were detected in the surgeon group compared to the GP group, but the difference was minimal and both groups showed similar outcomes in terms of mortality rates.
  • - The study concluded that follow-up care from GPs is just as effective as that from surgeons for detecting cancer recurrences and does not result in significant differences in patient survival rates.
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Purpose: We aimed to assess participant-reported factors associated with non-follow-up with colonoscopy in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening.

Methods: In May 2019, we distributed a nationwide cross-sectional questionnaire (n = 4,009) to participants in the Dutch CRC screening program who received a positive fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Among respondents who reported no colonoscopy, we assessed the presence of a contraindication, and those without were compared with those who reported colonoscopy by logistic regression analysis.

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Background: Timely diagnosis of heart failure (HF) is essential to optimize treatment opportunities that improve symptoms, quality of life, and survival. While most patients consult their general practitioner (GP) prior to HF, the early stages of HF may be difficult to identify. An integrated clinical support tool may aid in identifying patients at high risk of HF.

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Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of three tests-radial pulse palpation, an electronic blood pressure monitor and a handheld single-lead ECG device-for opportunistic screening for unknown atrial fibrillation (AF).

Design: We performed a diagnostic accuracy study in the intention-to-screen arm of a cluster randomised controlled trial aimed at opportunistic screening for AF in general practice. We performed radial pulse palpation, followed by electronic blood pressure measurement (WatchBP Home A) and handheld ECG (MyDiagnostick) in random order.

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Purpose: To describe colon cancer patients' needs and how healthcare providers respond to these needs during routine follow-up consultations in hospital.

Methods: A multicenter qualitative observational study, consisting of follow-up consultations by surgeons and specialized oncology nurses. Consultations were analyzed according to Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences.

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Objective: Patients treated for colon cancer report many symptoms that affect quality of life (QoL). Survivorship care aims at QoL improvement. In this study, we assess associations between symptoms and seeking supportive care and lower QoL and QoL changes overtime during survivorship care.

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Background: With more patients in need of oncological care, there is a growing interest to transfer survivorship care from specialist to general practitioner (GP). The ongoing I CARE study was initiated in 2015 in the Netherlands to compare (usual) surgeon- to GP-led survivorship care, with or without access to a supporting eHealth application (Oncokompas).

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were held at two separate points in time (i.

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Aim: This study aimed to determine whether patients suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) with a pre-OHCA diagnosis of heart disease have higher survival chances than patients without such a diagnosis and to explore possible underlying mechanisms.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study in 3760 OHCA patients from the Netherlands (2010-2016) was performed. Information from emergency medical services, treating hospitals, general practitioner, resuscitation ECGs and civil registry was used to assess medical histories and the presence of pre-OHCA diagnosis of heart disease.

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Background: Timely detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) is important because of its increased risk of thrombo-embolic events. Single time point screening interventions fall short in detection of paroxysmal AF, which requires prolonged electrocardiographic monitoring, usually using a Holter. However, traditional 24-48 h Holter monitoring is less appropriate for screening purposes because of its low diagnostic yield.

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Objectives: The I CARE study (Improving Care After colon canceR treatment in the Netherlands) aims to compare surgeon-led to general practitioner (GP)-led colon cancer survivorship care. Recruitment to the trial took longer than expected. In this descriptive study, recruitment is critically reviewed.

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Background: Colon cancer is associated with an increased risk of physical and psychosocial morbidity, even after treatment. General practitioner (GP) care could be beneficial to help to reduce this morbidity. We aimed to assess quality of life (QOL) in patients who received GP-led survivorship care after treatment for colon cancer compared with those who received surgeon-led care.

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Background And Purpose: Hypertension is common in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and carries an additional risk for complications, most notably stroke and bleeding. We assessed the history of hypertension, level of blood pressure control, and an interaction with the choice of oral anticoagulants on clinical outcomes.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that randomised patients to novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) or vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) and reported outcomes stratified by presence of hypertension.

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Introduction: Early recognition of individuals with increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains challenging. SCA research so far has used data from cardiologist care, but missed most SCA victims, since they were only in general practitioner (GP) care prior to SCA. Studying individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in GP care may help solve this problem, as they have increased risk for SCA, and rich clinical datasets, since they regularly visit their GP for check-up measurements.

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Aims: To validate a multivariable risk prediction model (Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology model for atrial fibrillation (CHARGE-AF)) for 5-year risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in routinely collected primary care data and to assess CHARGE-AF's potential for automated, low-cost selection of patients at high risk for AF based on routine primary care data.

Methods: We included patients aged ≥40 years, free of AF and with complete CHARGE-AF variables at baseline, 1 January 2014, in a representative, nationwide routine primary care database in the Netherlands (Nivel-PCD). We validated CHARGE-AF for 5-year observed AF incidence using the C-statistic for discrimination, and calibration plot and stratified Kaplan-Meier plot for calibration.

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Objective: To investigate whether opportunistic screening in primary care increases the detection of atrial fibrillation compared with usual care.

Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial.

Setting: 47 intention-to-screen and 49 usual care primary care practices in the Netherlands, not blinded for allocation; the study was carried out from September 2015 to August 2018.

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Background: Handheld single-lead electrocardiograms (1L-ECG) present a welcome addition to the diagnostic arsenal of general practitioners (GPs). However, little is known about GPs' 1L-ECG interpretation skills, and thus its reliability in real-world practice.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of GPs in diagnosing atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF/Afl) based on 1L-ECGs, with and without the aid of automatic algorithm interpretation, as well as other relevant ECG abnormalities.

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Objectives: The 25-item Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) is the most used questionnaire to assess vestibular symptoms. However, the abbreviated 10-item DHI-S is more suitable for daily practice. The objective of this study was to assess validity, reliability, responsiveness, optimal cutoff point for substantial impairment, and minimally important change (MIC) of the DHI-S in general practice.

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The aims of this study are (1) to evaluate the performance of current triage for chest pain; (2) to describe the case mix of patients undergoing triage for chest pain; and (3) to identify opportunities to improve performance of current Dutch triage system for chest pain. Chest pain is a common symptom, and identifying patients with chest pain that require urgent care can be quite challenging. Making the correct assessment is even harder during telephone triage.

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