Should systemic antibiotics be prescribed in periodontal abscesses and pericoronitis? A systematic review of the literature.

This study assessed whether systemic antibiotics are beneficial or harmful in patients who present with an acute periodontal abscess or pericoronitis, with or without systemic involvement, and, if antibiotics are beneficial, which type, dosage, and duration are the most effective. Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were screened from 1948 up to 1 April 2022 for systematic reviews, randomised clinical trials (RCTs), and other studies. Dedicated websites were consulted for systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines, and health technology assessments on the topic.

Pathophysiology and mechanism of long COVID: a comprehensive review.

Background: After almost 2 years of fighting against SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the number of patients enduring persistent symptoms long after acute infection is a matter of concern. This set of symptoms was referred to as "long COVID", and it was defined more recently as "Post COVID-19 condition" by the World health Organization (WHO). Although studies have revealed that long COVID can manifest whatever the severity of inaugural illness, the underlying pathophysiology is still enigmatic.

Study designs for clinical trials applied to personalised medicine: a scoping review.

Objective: Personalised medicine (PM) allows treating patients based on their individual demographic, genomic or biological characteristics for tailoring the 'right treatment for the right person at the right time'. Robust methodology is required for PM clinical trials, to correctly identify groups of participants and treatments. As an initial step for the development of new recommendations on trial designs for PM, we aimed to present an overview of the study designs that have been used in this field.

Dietary antioxidant supplements and risk of keratinocyte cancers in women: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Experimental studies suggested that antioxidants could protect against skin carcinomas. However, epidemiological studies on antioxidant supplement use in relation to basal-cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) risks yielded inconsistent findings, and few prospective studies have been conducted to date. We aimed to investigate the associations between antioxidant supplement intake and keratinocyte cancer (KC) risk.

Economies of scale and optimal size of maternity services in Belgium: A Data Envelopment Analysis.

This article uses a Data Envelopment Analysis to measure scale efficiency of maternity services in Belgium and estimate the minimum efficient scale in this context. Using administrative data for all maternity services in Belgium in 2016, the minimum efficient scale is estimated at 557 deliveries per year, which is above the currently prevailing norm of 400 deliveries per year. In particular, the closure of 17 small maternity services could improve efficiency without reducing accessibility.

Health literacy: What lessons can be learned from the experiences and policies of different countries?

Background: Adequate levels of health literacy (HL) are crucial to ensure good quality of health, social life and wellbeing. HL is a mediating factor in health disparities. Low HL hampers interaction with healthcare.

Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic: Initial responses in 2020 in selected social health insurance countries in Europe.

Countries with social health insurance (SHI) systems display some common defining characteristics - pluralism of actors and strong medical associations - that, in dealing with crisis times, may allow for common learnings. This paper analyses health system responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in eight countries representative of SHI systems in Europe (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Switzerland). Data collection and analysis builds on the methodology and content in the COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor (HSRM) up to November 2020.

Belgian population norms for the EQ-5D-5L, 2018.

Purpose: Health-related quality of life outcomes are increasingly used to monitor population health and health inequalities and to assess the (cost-) effectiveness of health interventions. The EQ-5D-5L has been included in the Belgian Health Interview Survey, providing a new source of population-based self-perceived health status information. This study aims to estimate Belgian population norms for the EQ-5D-5L by sex, age, and region and to analyze its association with educational attainment.

A qualitative study about cancer outpatients' experiences with selective taste control of bread as a self-care intervention.

Aim: Alterations in taste are distressing side effects for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The Center for Gastrology (Belgium) developed a self-care intervention based on taste control. This intervention contains an assessment of the individual taste and food hedonics.

Developing a quality management system for the European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA): toward European HTA collaboration.

Objectives: The European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) was established in 2006 and comprises over eighty organizations from thirty European countries. In its fifth project phase (Joint Action 3), EUnetHTA set up a quality management system (QMS) to improve the efficiency and standardization of joint work. This article presents EUnetHTA's new QMS and outlines experiences and challenges during its implementation.

Are systemic antibiotics indicated in children presenting with an odontogenic abscess in the primary dentition? A systematic review of the literature.

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to assess (1) whether systemic antibiotics are beneficial or harmful in healthy children who present with an odontogenic abscess in the primary dentition with or without systemic involvement and (2) if antibiotics are beneficial, which type, dosage and duration are the most effective.

Materials And Methods: Electronic databases (Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) were screened from 1948 up to August 2020. No filters with respect to study design were applied.

Silicone adhesive multilayer foam dressings as adjuvant prophylactic therapy to prevent hospital-acquired pressure ulcers: a pragmatic noncommercial multicentre randomized open-label parallel-group medical device trial.

Background: Silicone adhesive multilayer foam dressings are used as adjuvant therapy to prevent hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (PUs).

Objectives: To determine whether silicone foam dressings in addition to standard prevention reduce the incidence of PUs of category 2 or worse compared with standard prevention alone.

Methods: This was a multicentre, randomized controlled medical device trial conducted in eight Belgian hospitals.

Measuring physical activity with activity monitors in patients with heart failure: from literature to practice. A position paper from the Committee on Exercise Physiology and Training of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.

The aims of this paper were to provide an overview of available activity monitors used in research in patients with heart failure and to identify the key criteria in the selection of the most appropriate activity monitor for collecting, reporting, and analysing physical activity in heart failure research. This study was conducted in three parts. First, the literature was systematically reviewed to identify physical activity concepts and activity monitors used in heart failure research.

Developing an agency's position with respect to patient involvement in health technology assessment: the importance of the organizational culture.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to map the PI culture at KCE in the context of the development of organization-wide supported position statements about PI.

Methods: A nominal group technique was used to measure the PI culture at KCE. Arguments for and against PI and conditions for PI in different phases of the HTA process were collected.

An overview of critical decision-points in the medical product lifecycle: Where to include patient preference information in the decision-making process?

Background: Patient preference (PP) information is not effectively integrated in decision-making throughout the medical product lifecycle (MPLC), despite having the potential to improve patients' healthcare options. A first step requires an understanding of existing processes and decision-points to know how to incorporate PP information in order to improve patient-centric decision-making.

Objectives: The aims were to: 1) identify the decision-making processes and decision-points throughout the MPLC for industry, regulatory authorities, and reimbursement/HTA, and 2) determine which decision-points can potentially include PP information.

Improved survival in patients with head and neck cancer treated in higher volume centres: A population-based study in Belgium.

Objectives: The study investigated the association between hospital volume and observed survival of patients with a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods: Overall, 9245 patients diagnosed with HNSCC between 2009 and 2014, were identified in the population-based Belgian Cancer Registry. This database was coupled with other databases providing information on diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, vital status, and comorbidities.

Comorbidity in head and neck cancer: Is it associated with therapeutic delay, post-treatment mortality and survival in a population-based study?

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the relationship between comorbidities and therapeutic delay, post-treatment mortality, overall and relative survival in patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC).

Patients And Methods: 9245 patients with a single HNSCC diagnosed between 2009 and 2014 were identified in the Belgian Cancer Registry. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was calculated for 8812 patients (95.

Head and Neck Cancer in Belgium: Quality of Diagnostic Management and Variability Across Belgian Hospitals Between 2009 and 2014.

The study assessed the quality of diagnosis and staging offered to patients with a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the variability across Belgian hospitals. In total, 9,245 patients diagnosed with HNSCC between 2009 and 2014, were identified in the population-based Belgian Cancer Registry (BCR). The BCR data were coupled with other databases providing information on diagnostic and therapeutic procedures reimbursed by the compulsory health insurance, vital status data, and comorbidities.

Opportunities and challenges for the inclusion of patient preferences in the medical product life cycle: a systematic review.

Background: The inclusion of patient preferences (PP) in the medical product life cycle is a topic of growing interest to stakeholders such as academics, Health Technology Assessment (HTA) bodies, reimbursement agencies, industry, patients, physicians and regulators. This review aimed to understand the potential roles, reasons for using PP and the expectations, concerns and requirements associated with PP in industry processes, regulatory benefit-risk assessment (BRA) and marketing authorization (MA), and HTA and reimbursement decision-making.

Methods: A systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature published between January 2011 and March 2018 was performed.

The impact of an ageing population on the required hospital capacity: results from forecast analysis on administrative data.

Purpose: In this study, we evaluate the impact of population ageing on the required hospital capacity.

Methods: We used hospital discharge (years 2003-2014) and population data to estimate the required hospital capacity by 2025 for older inpatients (≥ 75 years) taking into account population changes and trends in hospital admission rates and length of stay. In addition, we developed an alternative scenario to evaluate the impact of accelerated ageing based on the peaks in population ageing from 2030 onwards.

Impact of shortened length of stay for delivery on the required bed capacity in maternity services: results from forecast analysis on administrative data.

Background: We examine the implications of reducing the average length of stay (ALOS) for a delivery on the required capacity in terms of service volume and maternity beds in Belgium, using administrative data covering all inpatient stays in Belgian general hospitals over the period 2003-2014.

Methods: A projection model generates forecasts of all inpatient and day-care services with a time horizon of 2025. It adjusts the observed hospital use in 2014 to the combined effect of three evolutions: the change in population size and composition, the time trend evolution of ALOS, and the time trend evolution of the admission rates.