An exploration of available methods and tools to improve the efficiency of systematic review production: a scoping review.

Background: Systematic reviews (SRs) are time-consuming and labor-intensive to perform. With the growing number of scientific publications, the SR development process becomes even more laborious. This is problematic because timely SR evidence is essential for decision-making in evidence-based healthcare and policymaking.

Extra-intestinal pathogenic lineages of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing are associated with prolonged ESBL gene carriage.

Objectives: Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL-Ec) are frequently acquired during international travel, contributing to the global spread of antimicrobial resistance. Human-adapted ESBL-Ec are predicted to exhibit increased intestinal carriage duration, resulting in a higher likelihood of onward human-to-human transmission. Yet, bacterial determinants of increased carriage duration are unknown.

Measurement properties of the childhood bladder and bowel dysfunction questionnaire.

Objectives: The childhood bladder and bowel dysfunction questionnaire (CBBDQ) was previously found feasible, structurally valid, with good internal consistency. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the remaining measurement properties according to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN).

Methods: A prospective cohort study among parents of children aged 5-12 years was conducted.

Disease severity-based subgrouping of type 2 diabetes does not parallel differences in quality of life: the Maastricht Study.

Aims/hypothesis: Type 2 diabetes is a highly heterogeneous disease for which new subgroups ('clusters') have been proposed based on disease severity: moderate age-related diabetes (MARD), moderate obesity-related diabetes (MOD), severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD) and severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD). It is unknown how disease severity is reflected in terms of quality of life in these clusters. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the cluster characteristics and cluster-wise evolution of quality of life in the previously defined clusters of type 2 diabetes.

Implementation of a Decision Aid for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis in Orthopedics: A Mixed-Methods Process Evaluation.

Background: In orthopedics, the use of patient decision aids (ptDAs) is limited. With a mixed-method process evaluation, we investigated patient factors associated with accepting versus declining the use of the ptDA, patients' reasons for declining the ptDA, and clinicians' perceived barriers and facilitators for its use.

Methods: Patients with an indication for joint replacement surgery ( = 153) completed questionnaires measuring demographics, physical functioning, quality of life (EQ-5D-3L), and a visual analog scale (VAS) pain score at 1 time point.

Measurement of treatment burden in patients with multimorbidity in the Netherlands: translation and validation of the Multimorbidity Treatment Burden Questionnaire (NL-MTBQ).

Background: Multimorbidity is a growing problem. The number and complexity of (non-)pharmaceutical treatments create a great burden for patients. Treatment burden refers to the perception of the weight of these treatments, and is associated with multimorbidity.

Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome after intercontinental travel: a prospective multicentre study.

By longitudinally following a large cohort of intercontinental travellers, this study highlights the importance of considering multiple risk factors to comprehend post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). Stomach cramps, antibiotic use and nausea during travel were amongst the variables that predicted PI-IBS development following an episode of traveller’s diarrhoea.

Adolescents and youths' opinions about the factors associated with cannabis use: a qualitative study based on the I-Change model.

Background: To learn about the experiences and opinions of adolescent non-consumers and regular cannabis users about cannabis use and the factors that determine its use, using the I-Change explanatory model as a basis.

Methods: Qualitative methodology with a content analysis was used. Focus groups were conducted with adolescents who were non-regular cannabis users (those who had not tried cannabis or had only experimented with it before) and semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescent and young adult in recovery who were in a detoxification program.

Experiences of Peri-partum Urinary Incontinence from a Women's and Health Care Perspective: A Qualitative Study.

Objectives: Urinary incontinence (UI) is highly prevalent peri-partum. To gain more understanding regarding the gap between the prevalence of UI and actual help seeking behaviour of peri-partum women, this study aims to understand, (1) how peri-partum women experience UI and which factors influence these experiences and (2) the perspective of health care professionals on UI during pregnancy, and the first year after childbirth.

Methods: A qualitative approach was used, using semi-structured interviews with adult pregnant and up to 1 year post-partum women and a focus group with health care professionals (HCP's) involved in the care of pregnant and post-partum women.

Cognitive Functioning in Survivors of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Compared With a Matched General Population Sample-The Maastricht Observational Study of Late Effects After Stem Cell trAnsplantation Study.

Although cognitive problems can recover over time, a subgroup of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) survivors experience persistent cognitive problems in the long term. Despite these implications, studies assessing cognitive functioning in HCT survivors are limited. The aim of the present study was (1) to quantify the prevalence of cognitive impairment in patients treated with HCT who survived at least 2 years and to compare these with a matched reference group representing the general population; (2) to identify potential determinants of cognitive functioning within the HCT survivor group.

Evaluating task shifting to the clinical technologist in Dutch healthcare: A mixed methods study.

Background: Expected rise in the demand for healthcare and a dropping supply of healthcare professionals, has generated an increased interest in the most effective deployment of healthcare professionals. Consequently, task shifting has become a common strategy to redistribute tasks between established professional groups, however, little is known about the effects of shifting tasks to emerging professional groups. The aim of this study was to evaluate a legal amendment to facilitate task shifting to an emerging profession in Dutch healthcare: Clinical Technologists (CTs).

A search for relevant contextual factors in intervention studies: a stepwise approach with online information.

Objective: The aim of the present study is to describe a stepwise approach to study which contextual factors might moderate the effect of healthcare interventions and to test feasibility of this approach within the D-SCOPE project.

Design: Exploratory case study.

Setting: In the D-SCOPE project, a complex intervention by means of home visits was set up to improve access to tailored care in three municipalities (Ghent, Knokke-Heist and Tienen).

Extracellular histone release by renal cells after warm and cold ischemic kidney injury: Studies in an ex-vivo porcine kidney perfusion model.

Extracellular histones are cytotoxic molecules involved in experimental acute kidney injury. In patients receiving a renal transplant from donors after circulatory death, who suffer from additional warm ischemia, worse graft outcome is associated with higher machine perfusate extracellular histone H3 concentrations. We now investigated temperature-dependent extracellular histone release in an ex vivo porcine renal perfusion model, and subsequently studied histone release in the absence and presence of non-anticoagulant heparin.

Measuring Active Purchasing in Healthcare: Analysing Reallocations of Funds Between Providers to Evaluate Purchasing Systems Performance in the Netherlands.

Background: Purchasing systems aim to improve resource allocation in healthcare markets. The Netherlands is characterized by four different purchasing systems: managed competition in the hospital market, a non-competitive single payer system for long-term care (LTC), municipal procurement for home care and social services, and self-procurement via personal budgets. We hypothesize that managed competition and competitive payer reforms boost reallocations of provider market share by means of active purchasing, ie, redistributing funds from high-quality providers to low-quality providers.

Prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome and is characterised by a decreased physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors. Pre-frailty is a risk-state before frailty. A systematic literature review (SLR) and meta-analysis was conducted to: (1) estimate the prevalence of (pre-)frailty in RA patients; (2) explore whether variation in instruments influences (pre-)frailty prevalence.

Exploring the feasibility of a network of organizations for pain rehabilitation: What are the lessons learned?

Background And Aims: Integration of care is lacking for chronic musculoskeletal pain patients. Network Pain Rehabilitation Limburg, a transmural health care network, has been designed to provide integrated rehabilitation care from a biopsychosocial perspective to improve patients' levels of functioning. This feasibility study aims to provide insight into barriers and facilitators for the development, implementation, and transferability.

Treating spondyloarthritis early: does it matter? Results from a systematic literature review.

Objective: To summarize evidence on the relationship between early treatment (definition based on symptom/disease duration or radiographic damage) and treatment clinical response in patients with SpA.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in studies on SpA patients treated with NSAIDs or biological/targeted synthetic DMARDs addressing the impact of symptom/disease duration or presence of radiographic damage on treatment response assessed by any disease activity outcome. For categorical outcomes, relative risk, relative risk ratio and number needed to treat were calculated, and for continuous outcomes, differences in differences, to compare groups stratified based on symptom/disease duration or the presence of radiographic damage.

Exhaled Breath Analysis for Investigating the Use of Inhaled Corticosteroids and Corticosteroid Responsiveness in Wheezing Preschool Children.

Exhaled breath analysis has great potential in diagnosing various respiratory and non-respiratory diseases. In this study, we investigated the influence of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of wheezing preschool children. Furthermore, we assessed whether exhaled VOCs could predict a clinical steroid response in wheezing preschool children.

Towards responsible ctDNA-based multi-cancer screening: a preliminary exploration and discussion of ethically relevant aspects.

While testing for easily accessible biomarkers in the circulation ("liquid biopsy") has found its way to clinical cancer care, a further expected development is its use as a "universal" early detection test in population screening for cancer. A promising marker for such screening is circulating cell-free fragments of tumor DNA, shed into the circulation during tumor cell turnover. Several blood-based "multicancer early detection (MCED) tests" have recently been developed - but still need validation in large-scale studies involving non-patient populations.