Background: The COVID-19 lockdown had profound effects on society and healthcare. Cardiology departments reported declines in chest pain evaluations and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) diagnoses. However, the pattern of chest pain in primary care is not clear yet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Advance care planning (ACP) aims at empowering patients with chronic progressive disease to express and communicate their preferences for future care, but is not yet consistently applied in general practice. We explored GP residents' experiences with practicing ACP conversations through virtual simulation and its educational value.
Methods: Our study with Dutch GP residents in their first year of training used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach.
Objectives: This study aims to describe the incidence, symptom clusters and determinants of post-acute COVID symptoms using data from the COVID RADAR app in the Netherlands.
Design: Prospective cohort.
Setting: General population in the Netherlands from April 2020 to February 2022.
Bundled payments are increasingly used globally to move health care delivery in a value-based direction. However, evidence remains scant in key clinical areas. We evaluated bundled payments for maternity care in the Netherlands during the period 2016-18.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To evaluate the efficacy of topical miconazole or amorolfine compared to placebo for mild to moderately severe onychomycosis.
Design: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, with computer-generated treatment allocation at a 1:1:1 ratio.
Setting: Primary care, recruitment from February 2020 to August 2022.
Background: Lifestyle changes, especially regarding diet quality and physical activity, are important in the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This mixed-methods study explores self-initiated lifestyle changes in patients with T2D who followed a periodic fasting-mimicking diet (FMD).
Methods: Quantitative data were obtained from the Fasting In diabetes Treatment trial (November 2018 to August 2021) in which 100 participants with T2D, using metformin only or no medication, were randomised to receive a monthly 5-day FMD for twelve months next to usual care, or usual care only.
Background: In the Netherlands, population-based cancer screening programmes (CSPs) are organized aiming at cervical, breast and colorectal cancer. For a CSP to be effective, high participation rates are essential; however, there is an alarming downward trend, including wide regional variation in screening uptake. General practitioner (GP) involvement can have a stimulating effect on screening participation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Diabetic foot ulcers are feared complications of diabetes mellitus (DM), requiring extensive treatment and hospital admissions, ultimately leading to amputation and increased mortality. Different factors contribute to the development of foot ulcers and related complications. Onychomycosis, being more prevalent in patients with diabetes, could be an important risk factor for developing ulcers and related infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRestriction of dietary carbohydrates, fat and/or protein is often used to reduce body weight and/or treat (metabolic) diseases. Since diet is a key modulator of the human gut microbiome, which plays an important role in health and disease, this review aims to provide an overview of current knowledge of the effects of macronutrient-restricted diets on gut microbial composition and metabolites. A structured search strategy was performed in several databases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To explore the perspective of cardiac patients regarding the timing and manner of delivering lifestyle advice following an acute cardiac event hospitalization.
Methods: Dutch cardiac patients who experienced a cardiac event hospitalization participated in a semi-structured interview (n = 14) or a cross-sectional survey study (n = 119).
Results: Our findings indicate that cardiac patients are receptive to lifestyle advice throughout the care trajectory.
Diabetologia
July 2024
Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact on metabolic control of periodic use of a 5-day fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) programme as an adjunct to usual care in people with type 2 diabetes under regular primary care surveillance.
Methods: In this randomised, controlled, assessor-blinded trial, people with type 2 diabetes using metformin as the only glucose-lowering drug and/or diet for glycaemic control were randomised to receive 5-day cycles of an FMD monthly as an adjunct to regular care by their general practitioner or to receive regular care only. The primary outcomes were changes in glucose-lowering medication (as reflected by the medication effect score) and HbA levels after 12 months.
Onychomycosis is the most prevalent nail disease and is frequently encountered in clinical practice. Despite having multiple therapeutic options, of which systemic antifungals are the most effective, treatment is not always mandatory in all patients. Especially when considering systemic treatment, the risk of adverse reactions may outweigh the potential benefits of treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Owing to increasing antibiotic resistance, the worldwide efficacy of (HP) eradication treatment has decreased.
Aim: To determine antimicrobial resistance of HP in primary care.
Design & Setting: Retrospective cohort study using real-world routine healthcare data from 80 general practices in the Netherlands.
Introduction: Observational data are increasingly seen as a valuable source for integrated care research. Especially since the growing availability of routinely collected data and quasi-experimental methods. The aim of this paper is to describe the potentials and challenges when using observational data for integrated maternity care research, based on our experience from developing and working with the Data-InfrAstructure for ParEnts and childRen (DIAPER).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Molluscum contagiosum (MC) can cause significant burden in children. So far, pharmacological treatment has not been proven beneficial. More rigorous interventions have not been well studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBased on theoretical notions, there is consensus that alternative payment models to the common fee-for-service model have the potential to improve healthcare quality through increased collaboration and reduced under- and overuse. This is particularly relevant for maternity care in the Netherlands because perinatal mortality rates are relatively high in comparison to other Western countries. Therefore, an experiment with bundled payments for maternity care was initiated in 2017.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Previous research has shown that experiencing an acute cardiac event, such as a myocardial infarction (MI), can lead to lifestyle changes. This study aimed to explore the potential of a MI as a 'teachable moment' (TM) for positive lifestyle changes and to identify psychosocial sensemaking processes that facilitate or hinder the presence of a TM.
Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 patients who suffered their first MI and were hospitalized in a larger Dutch city.
The rise in health care costs, caused by older and more complex patient populations, requires Population Health Management approaches including risk stratification. With risk stratification, patients are assigned individual risk scores based on medical records. These patient stratifications focus on future high costs and expensive care utilization such as hospitalization, for which different models exist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common among older women. However, diagnosis is challenging because of frequent chronic lower urinary tract symptoms, cognitive impairment, and a high prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). Current urine diagnostics lack specificity, leading to unnecessary treatment and antimicrobial resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Early diagnosis and treatment of obesity in primary care may help to tackle the obesity pandemic. Nonetheless, GPs frequently fail to address obesity and demonstrate limited adherence to guidelines.
Aim: To explore Dutch GPs' perspectives on addressing obesity regarding the following three target behaviours: discussing weight; diagnosing; and referring patients with obesity.