One-year evaluation of people recovering from COVID-19 receiving allied primary healthcare: A nationwide prospective cohort study.

Background: A Dutch nationwide prospective cohort study was initiated to investigate recovery trajectories of people recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and costs of treatment by primary care allied health professionals.

Objectives: The study described recovery trajectories over a period of 12 months and associated baseline characteristics of participants recovering from COVID-19 who visited a primary care allied health professional. It also aimed to provide insight into the associated healthcare and societal costs.

Deriving Treatment Decision Support From Dutch Electronic Health Records by Exploring the Applicability of a Precision Cohort-Based Procedure for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Precision Cohort Study.

Background: The rapidly increasing availability of medical data in electronic health records (EHRs) may contribute to the concept of learning health systems, allowing for better personalized care. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was chosen as the use case in this study.

Objective: This study aims to explore the applicability of a recently developed patient similarity-based analytics approach based on EHRs as a candidate data analytical decision support tool.

Evaluation of Primary Allied Health Care in Patients Recovering From COVID-19 at 6-Month Follow-up: Dutch Nationwide Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Patients recovering from COVID-19 often experience persistent problems in their daily activities related to limitations in physical, nutritional, cognitive, and mental functioning. To date, it is unknown what treatment is needed to support patients in their recovery from COVID-19.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the primary allied health care of patients recovering from COVID-19 at 6-month follow-up and to explore which baseline characteristics are associated with changes in the scores of outcomes between baseline and 6-month follow-up.

Healthcare utilization patterns for knee and hip osteoarthritis before and after changes in national health insurance coverage: a data linkage study from the Netherlands.

Introduction: Medical guidelines aim to stimulate stepped care for knee and hip osteoarthritis, redirecting treatments from hospitals to primary care. In the Netherlands, this development was supported by changing health insurance coverage for physio/exercise therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate healthcare utilization patterns before and after health changes in health insurance coverage.

Opioid prescribing in out-of-hours primary care in Flanders and the Netherlands: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Background: Increased opioid prescribing has raised concern, as the benefits of pain relief not always outweigh the risks. Acute and chronic pain is often treated in a primary care out-of-hours (OOH) setting. This setting may be a driver of opioid use but the extent to which opioids are prescribed OOH is unknown.

Challenging the challenge hypothesis on testosterone in fathers: Limited meta-analytic support.

In fathers testosterone levels are suggested to decrease in the context of caregiving, but results seem inconsistent. In a meta-analysis including 50 study outcomes with N = 7,080 male participants we distinguished three domains of research, relating testosterone levels to parental status (Hedges' g = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.

Vasopressin Differentially Affects Handgrip Force of Expectant Fathers in Reaction to Own and Unknown Infant Faces.

The underlying mechanisms of paternal responses to infant signals are poorly understood. Vasopressin has previously been proposed to affect these responses. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design ( = 25 expectant fathers), we examined the effect of vasopressin administration on the use of excessive handgrip force during exposure to infant crying versus matched control sounds, while participants saw morphed images representing their own infant versus an unknown infant.

Effects of vasopressin on neural processing of infant crying in expectant fathers.

In a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject magnetic resonance imaging study, we examined the effect of 20 IU intranasal vasopressin on the neural processing of infant crying in 25 fathers-to-be. We explored whether familial background modulates vasopressin effects, and whether vasopressin differentially affects cry processing coupled with neutral or emotional contextual information. Participants listened to cries accompanied by neutral ('this is an infant') or emotional ('this infant is sick/bored') contextual information, and neutral control sounds ('this is a saw').

Nature and management of duplicate medication alerts.

Objective: To investigate the nature of duplicate medication (DM) alerts, their management by community pharmacists, and potential characteristics of DM alerts that lead to interventions by pharmacists.

Methods: Observational study in 53 community pharmacies. Each pharmacist registered the nature and management of 24 DM alerts on a structured form.

Periconceptional parental conditions and perimembranous ventricular septal defects in the offspring.

Background: The perimembranous ventricular septal (pVSD) defect is the most common congenital heart disease phenotype. Several parental factors are associated with pVSD risk in the offspring. To contribute to the future prevention of pVSDs, we investigated associations with nongenetic parental conditions.

Association between ADHD drug use and injuries among children and adolescents.

To study the association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug use and the incidence of hospitalization due to injuries. A random sample of 150,000 persons (0-18 years) was obtained from the Dutch PHARMO record linkage system. An ADHD medication cohort as well as an up to six age/sex/index date sampled control cohort with no history of ADHD drug use was formed.

Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after total knee or hip replacement: treatment pattern and outcomes.

Purpose: To determine the thromboprophylactic treatment pattern and occurrence of venous thromboembolism (VTE), major bleeding, and wound infections in patients undergoing total knee replacement (TKR) or total hip replacement (THR).

Methods: From the PHARMO database, all patients ≥ 18 years hospitalized for TKR or THR between January 2003 and September 2008 were selected. Patients with pharmacy data up to 3 months after hospitalization were included in the study cohort.

Pharmacologic treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children: incidence, prevalence, and treatment patterns in the Netherlands.

Background: The prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the associated use of stimulant medications may have increased in the Netherlands in recent years, but there is a lack of data to confirm this trend. This retrospective analysis examined the incidence, prevalence, and treatment pattern of ADHD among children from a large sample representation of the general population of the Netherlands and represents the first such analysis in a large cohort of European children.

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence and prevalence of children receiving initial pharmacotherapy for ADHD between 2000 and 2007 in the Netherlands and to describe treatment patterns (including persistence and adherence to ADHD medications) in this pediatric population.

Treatment stabilization in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: data from the Netherlands.

Objective: To evaluate the number of patients reaching stable treatment with a stimulant (methylphenidate or dexamphetamine) or non-stimulant (atomoxetine) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication approved for use in the Netherlands, and the time to treatment stabilization among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years.

Research Design And Methods: Prescription data from the PHARMO medical record linkage system from 48 geo-demographic areas in the Netherlands (2003-2006) were analyzed from newly treated patients with ADHD aged 6-17 years. Only patients with ≥ 5 dispensings for any ADHD drug during follow-up (at least 12 months) and no missing information on type of drug, strength, and number of pills per day were included.

Psoriasis may not be an independent predictor for the use of cardiovascular and anti-diabetic drugs: a 5-year prevalence study.

Most studies investigating the association between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease have shown a significant relationship. This comparison study investigated the association between psoriasis and prevalent use of cardiovascular drugs. Drug exposure data for 1998 to 2006 were extracted from the Dutch PHARMO-Record Linkage System database.

Current issues around the pharmacotherapy of ADHD in children and adults.

Background: New drugs and new formulations enter the growing market for ADHD medication. The growing awareness of possible persistence of ADHD impairment beyond childhood and adolescence resulting in increased pharmacotherapy of ADHD in adults, is also a good reason for making an inventory of the what is generally known about pharmacotherapy in ADHD.

Aim: To discuss current issues in the possible pharmacotherapy treatment of ADHD in children, adolescents and adults with respect to the position of pharmacotherapy in ADHD treatment guidelines, the pharmacoepidemiological trends, and current concerns about the drugs used.

Relationship between duration of compliant bisphosphonate use and the risk of osteoporotic fractures .

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between duration of compliant bisphosphonate use and the risk of osteoporotic fractures.

Methods: The PHARMO database was used to identify new female bisphosphonate users, aged ≥ 45 years or with diagnosed post-menopausal osteoporosis in the period of January 1996 - June 2004. Within this cohort a matched case-control study was performed.

Can folic acid protect against congenital heart defects in Down syndrome?

Background: Several studies have suggested a protective effect of folic acid (FA) on congenital heart anomalies. Down syndrome (DS) infants are known to have a high frequency of heart anomalies. Not all children with DS suffer from heart anomalies, which raises the question whether maternal factors might affect the risk of these anomalies.

The potential of the European network of congenital anomaly registers (EUROCAT) for drug safety surveillance: a descriptive study.

Background: European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT) is a network of population-based congenital anomaly registries in Europe surveying more than 1 million births per year, or 25% of the births in the European Union. This paper describes the potential of the EUROCAT collaboration for pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety surveillance.

Methods: The 34 full members and 6 associate members of the EUROCAT network were sent a questionnaire about their data sources on drug exposure and on drug coding.

Clomiphene and hypospadias on a detailed level: signal or chance?

Background: Clomiphene, a drug used to induce ovulation, is chemically related to diethylstilbestrol (DES). DES is associated with vaginal cancer and infertility among daughters and with hypospadias among second-generation male offspring. Because clomiphene has a long half-life and metabolites have been found in feces up to 6 weeks after administration, fetal exposure is possible if the mother took this drug prior to becoming pregnant.

Folic acid sensitive birth defects in association with intrauterine exposure to folic acid antagonists.

Since the protective effect of folic acid (FA) on birth defects is well known, it is reasonable to assume intrauterine exposure to FA antagonists increases the risk on these defects. We have therefore performed case-control analyses to investigate the risk of intrauterine exposure to FA antagonists, using data on births from the EUROCAT Northern Netherlands registry from 1997 to 2002. Of the 815 cases, 11 were exposed to a FA antagonist compared to 16 of the 1402 controls.

Drug use by pregnant women and comparable non-pregnant women in The Netherlands with reference to the Australian classification system.

Objective: To describe drug use in pregnancy, and compare drug use of pregnant women with non-pregnant women with respect to possible teratogenicity.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study based on pharmacy records from 1997 to 2001 was performed. Pregnant women and matched non-pregnant women (same physician and age) were identified.