Publications by authors named "Kristel van Asselt"

Introduction: This study aimed to assess whether brief stop-smoking advice given to women who smoke and visit their general practice for cervical cancer screening improves smoking cessation outcomes.

Methods: This two-arm cluster-randomised controlled trial was conducted in 75 Dutch general practices. Participants in the intervention group received brief stop-smoking advice based on the Ask-Advise-Connect method, delivered by a practice assistant.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cancer patients report that they lack support from healthcare providers when it comes to returning to or maintaining employment. In the education of general practitioners (GPs) in the Netherlands, there is little attention given to discussing work participation with patients. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate a newly developed education program for GPs in training that focuses on discussing work participation with cancer patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The concept of "positive health" emerged from the need for a holistic and more dynamic perspective on health, emphasising the ability of individuals to adapt and self-manage. The positive health conversation tool helps understand how people score on six positive health dimensions. However, skills within these dimensions to maintain or improve health have not yet been described.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Digital interventions are increasingly used to support smoking cessation. Ex-smokers iCoach was a widely available app for smoking cessation used by 404,551 European smokers between June 15, 2011, and June 21, 2013. This provides a unique opportunity to investigate the uptake of a freely available digital smoking cessation intervention and its effects on smoking-related outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this article, the new Dutch pediatric guideline Brief Resolved Unexplained Event is discussed, which replaces the old guideline Apparent Life Threatening Event. The main goal of the new guideline is identification of a group of low-risk infants who need not be admitted to the hospital and in which only limited diagnostic workup is indicated. Three fictional cases are presented to highlight the major changes in management of infants who present with an unexplained event.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The health of women during the periconception period and pregnancy is important for a healthy start of the child. All care providers can make a major contribution to this. In this learning article we provide answers to a number of questions that have been collected from the professional field about preconception care and care for vulnerable pregnant women.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak impacted health care. We investigated its impact on the time to referral and diagnosis for symptomatic cancer patients in The Netherlands. We performed a national retrospective cohort study utilizing primary care records linked to The Netherlands Cancer Registry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To describe general practitioners (GPs) experiences with the impact COVID-19 on the duration of cancer detection.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey study among Dutch GPs.

Results: Fifty-eight GPs participated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the Netherlands, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic saw shifts in primary health service provision away from physical consultations, cancer-screening programs were temporarily halted, and government messaging focused on remaining at home. In March and April 2020, weekly cancer diagnoses decreased to 73% of their pre-COVID levels, and 39% for skin cancer. This study aims to explore the effect of the COVID pandemic on patient presentations for cancer-related symptoms in primary care in The Netherlands.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Colon cancer survivorship care constitutes both follow-up and aftercare. GP involvement may help to personalise care.

Aim: To explore patients' experiences of GP-led versus surgeon-led survivorship care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To develop optimal cancer survivorship care programs, this study assessed the quality of prostate cancer follow-up care as experienced by patients shortly after completion of primary treatment.

Methods: We surveyed 402 patients with localized prostate cancer participating in a randomized controlled trial comparing specialist versus primary care-based follow-up. For the current study, we used patient-reported data at the time of the first follow-up visit at the hospital, prior to randomization.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is currently comparing the effectiveness of specialist- versus primary care-based prostate cancer follow-up. This process evaluation assesses the reach and identified constructs for the implementation of primary care-based follow-up. A mixed-methods approach is used to assess the reach and the implementation through the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: An umbilical infection (omphalitis) is frequent in de neonatal period. The infection usually presents as a relatively mild cellulitis. However, in rare cases omphalitis has a complicated course.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Breast cancer survivors can be at high risk of having work-related problems. Previous studies suggest that GPs could discuss work participation with cancer patients and provide guidance. The aim this study is to explore the experiences and expectations of breast cancer survivors with their GPs' role regarding guidance on work participation and return to work.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To explore views of general practitioners (GPs) and occupational physicians (OPs) on the role of GPs in work guidance of cancer patients.

Methods: Between 2016 and 2019, two focus groups with GPs (N = 17) and two focus groups with OPs (N = 10) were conducted. Focus group discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cervical screening could be an appropriate routine moment to provide female smokers with tailored stop smoking advice. In Dutch general practice, cervical smears are performed by practice assistants.

Objectives: This study was performed in preparation for a randomised trial to identify potential barriers and enablers for a brief stop smoking strategy performed by trained practice assistants after routine cervical screening.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Cervical cancer screening in general practice could be a routine moment to provide female smokers with stop smoking advice and support. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of a stop smoking strategy delivered by trained practice assistants after the cervical smear, and to evaluate the implementation process.

Methods And Analysis: The study is a two-arm, pragmatic cluster randomised trial, in Dutch general practice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this article we describe the causes and diagnostic work-up of unintentional weight loss. It is defined as loss of weight of at least 5% in 6 months. There is both attention to somatic and functional causes of weight loss, as well as iatrogenic causes like side-effects of medication.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF