The experiences and needs of relatives of intensive care unit patients during the transition from the intensive care unit to a general ward: A qualitative study.

Background: Relatives of intensive care unit (ICU) patients play an important role as caregivers and can experience emotional distress, also referred to as post-intensive care syndrome-family. A deeper understanding of what relatives go through and what they need may provide input on how to strengthen family-centred care and, in the end, contribute to the reduction of symptoms of post-intensive care syndrome-family.

Method: This is a qualitative descriptive study with semistructured face-to-face interviews after ICU transfers.

Comparison of two methods for performing treatment reviews by pharmacists and general practitioners for home-dwelling elderly people.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: There is room for improvement in pharmacotherapy for elderly outpatients. Studies have shown that collaborating health care professionals [e.g.

Treatment reviews of older people on polypharmacy in primary care: cluster controlled trial comparing two approaches.

Background: Older people are prone to problems related to use of medicines. As they tend to use many different medicines, monitoring pharmacotherapy for older people in primary care is important.

Aim: To determine which procedure for treatment reviews (case conferences versus written feedback) results in more medication changes, measured at different moments in time.

Analysis of polypharmacy in older patients in primary care using a multidisciplinary expert panel.

Background: Many older patients suffer from chronic diseases for which medicines should be used. Because of the higher number of medicines used and decline in hepatic and renal function, older patients are more prone to problems caused by these medicines. Therefore, it is important to review pharmacotherapy concerning older patients in primary care in a reliable way.

Donor selection criteria to maximize double platelet products (DPP) by platelet apheresis.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease brought us to perform a study to diminish donor exposure from transfusion of platelet concentrates. The current study aimed to develop donor selection criteria that maximize the likelihood of deriving single donor platelets and producing double platelet products (DPP). Donors were recruited among plasmapheresis donors and among other donors when the selected donors did not show up.

Testing a European set of indicators for the evaluation of the management of primary care practices.

Background: Effective practice management is an important prerequisite for offering good clinical care. Internationally valid, reliable and feasible indicators and instruments are needed to describe and compare the management of primary care practices in Europe.

Objective: This paper describes development and evaluation of the European Practice Assessment instrument and indicators (Engels Y, Campbell S, Dautzenberg M et al.

Developing a framework of, and quality indicators for, general practice management in Europe.

Objectives: To develop a framework for general practice management made up of quality indicators shared by six European countries.

Methods: Two-round postal Delphi questionnaire in the setting of general practice in Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Six national expert panels, each consisting of 10 members, primarily primary care practitioners and experts in the field of quality in primary care participated in the study.

Repeat prescribing: scale, problems and quality management in ambulatory care patients.

The reported scale of repeat prescriptions ranges from 29% to 75% of all items prescribed, depending on the definition of repeat prescribing and other variables. It is likely that a substantial part of repeat prescribing by general practitioners (GPs) occurs without direct doctor-patient contact. While this reduces the workload for the GP and is convenient for the patient, it does not provide the adequate control that is needed to ensure that every repeat prescription is still appropriate, effective and well tolerated, and that it is still being viewed upon and taken by the patient as intended.