Citizens' perspectives on relocating healthcare.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare systems around the globe are facing challenges. There are increasing demands and costs at the same time as a diminishing health workforce. Without change, healthcare will become unsustainable. The Dutch government is searching for solutions, one of which is relocating healthcare. Relocating healthcare from expensive institutions to sites closer to patients' homes is an important part of this. This relocation is expected to reduce costs and lessen shortages of personnel. However, although citizens have an important stake in this, little is known about how they think about this topic. This research aims at investigating citizens' perspectives on relocating care. METHODS: In December 2021, three open-ended questions were sent to 1,500 members of Nivel's Dutch Healthcare Consumer Panel, 796 respondents responded. In addition, two citizen platforms were organised in March and April 2022. A total of 23 citizens participated. RESULTS: Our results indicated that the following aspects are important for citizens in healthcare delivery: being treated by someone with expertise in the area of their need, familiarity with the healthcare provider and the treatment of less complex care close to home. When certain conditions are met, citizens prefer treatment for less complex care from their general practitioner rather than in a hospital. The most important condition is that the general practitioner has the right expertise regarding their health question. The willingness to relocate care from the general practitioner to other healthcare providers or to self-care is also present. One of the problems, however, is that citizens often do not know to which healthcare provider they should go or what they should do to increase self-care. CONCLUSION: From a citizens' perspective, relocating care is an acceptable solution for keeping healthcare sustainable in the future, provided that certain conditions are met.

Citizens' perspectives on relocating care: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare systems around the world are facing large challenges. There are increasing demands and costs while at the same time a diminishing health workforce. Without reform, healthcare systems are unsustainable. Relocating care, for example, from hospitals to sites closer to patients' homes, is expected to make a key contribution to keeping healthcare sustainable. Given the significant impact of this initiative on citizens, we conducted a scoping review to provide insight into the factors that influence citizens' attitudes towards relocating care. METHOD: A scoping review was conducted. The search was performed in the following databases: Pubmed, Embase, Cinahl, and Scopus. Articles had to include relocating healthcare and citizens' perspectives on this topic and the articles had to be about a European country with a strong primary care system. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 70 articles remained. RESULTS: Factors positively influencing citizens' attitudes towards relocating care included: convenience, familiarity, accessibility, patients having more control over their disease, and privacy. Factors influencing negative attitudes included: concerns about the quality of care, familiarity, the lack of physical examination, contact with others, convenience, and privacy. Furthermore, in general, most citizens preferred to relocate care in the studies we found, especially from the hospital to care provided at home. CONCLUSION: Several factors influencing the attitude of citizens towards relocating care were found. These factors are very important when determining citizens' preferences for the location of their healthcare. The majority of studies in this review reported that citizens are in favour of relocating care. In general citizens' perspectives on relocating care are very often missing in articles. It was significant that very few studies on relocation from the hospital to the general practitioner were identified.

Personalized surveillance and aftercare for non-metastasized breast cancer: the NABOR study protocol of a multiple interrupted time series design.

BACKGROUND: Follow-up of curatively treated primary breast cancer patients consists of surveillance and aftercare and is currently mostly the same for all patients. A more personalized approach, based on patients' individual risk of recurrence and personal needs and preferences, may reduce patient burden and reduce (healthcare) costs. The NABOR study will examine the (cost-)effectiveness of personalized surveillance (PSP) and personalized aftercare plans (PAP) on patient-reported cancer worry, self-rated and overall quality of life and (cost-)effectiveness. METHODS: A prospective multicenter multiple interrupted time series (MITs) design is being used. In this design, 10 participating hospitals will be observed for a period of eighteen months, while they -stepwise- will transit from care as usual to PSPs and PAPs. The PSP contains decisions on the surveillance trajectory based on individual risks and needs, assessed with the 'Breast Cancer Surveillance Decision Aid' including the INFLUENCE prediction tool. The PAP contains decisions on the aftercare trajectory based on individual needs and preferences and available care resources, which decision-making is supported by a patient decision aid. Patients are non-metastasized female primary breast cancer patients (N = 1040) who are curatively treated and start follow-up care. Patient reported outcomes will be measured at five points in time during two years of follow-up care (starting about one year after treatment and every six months thereafter). In addition, data on diagnostics and hospital visits from patients' Electronical Health Records (EHR) will be gathered. Primary outcomes are patient-reported cancer worry (Cancer Worry Scale) and overall quality of life (as assessed with EQ-VAS score). Secondary outcomes include health care costs and resource use, health-related quality of life (as measured with EQ5D-5L/SF-12/EORTC-QLQ-C30), risk perception, shared decision-making, patient satisfaction, societal participation, and cost-effectiveness. Next, the uptake and appreciation of personalized plans and patients' experiences of their decision-making process will be evaluated. DISCUSSION: This study will contribute to insight in the (cost-)effectiveness of personalized follow-up care and contributes to development of uniform evidence-based guidelines, stimulating sustainable implementation of personalized surveillance and aftercare plans. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Study sponsor: ZonMw. Retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (2023), ID: NCT05975437.

Evaluation of a standardised protocol to measure the disease burden of respiratory syncytial virus infection in young children in primary care.

BACKGROUND: A better understanding of the burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in primary care is needed for policymakers to make informed decisions regarding new preventive measures and treatments. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a protocol for the standardised measurement of the disease burden of RSV infection in primary care in children aged < 5 years. METHODS: The standardised protocol was evaluated in Italy and the Netherlands during the 2019/20 winter. Children aged < 5 years who consulted their primary care physician, met the WHO acute respiratory infections (ARI) case definition, and had a laboratory confirmed positive test for RSV (RT-PCR) were included. RSV symptoms were collected at the time of swabbing. Health care use, duration of symptoms and socio-economic impact was measured 14 days after swabbing. Health related Quality of life (HRQoL) was measured using the parent-proxy report of the PedsQL™4.0 generic core scales (2-4 years) and PedsQL™4.0 infant scales (0-2 years) 30 days after swabbing. The standardised protocol was evaluated in terms of the feasibility of patient recruitment, data collection procedures and whether parents understood the questions. RESULTS: Children were recruited via a network of paediatricians in Italy and a sentinel influenza surveillance network of general practitioners in the Netherlands. In Italy and the Netherlands, 293 and 152 children were swabbed respectively, 119 and 32 tested RSV positive; for 119 and 12 children the Day-14 questionnaire was completed and for 116 and 11 the Day-30 questionnaire. In Italy, 33% of the children had persistent symptoms after 14 days and in the Netherlands this figure was 67%. Parents had no problems completing questions concerning health care use, duration of symptoms and socio-economic impact, however, they had some difficulties scoring the HRQoL of their young children. CONCLUSION: RSV symptoms are common after 14 days, and therefore, measuring disease burden outcomes like health care use, duration of symptoms, and socio-economic impact is also recommended at Day-30. The standardised protocol is suitable to measure the clinical and socio-economic disease burden of RSV in young children in primary care.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Fall Risk Screening Strategy Among Frail Older Adults for the Primary Care Setting: A Study Protocol.

BACKGROUND: Falls are an increasing problem among older people. There are several evidence-based interventions available to prevent falls. However, these are not always well implemented in the primary care setting. General practitioners (GPs) are often the first point of contact for health issues, making them the designated professionals for providing falls prevention. Because GPs are often unaware which patients have a high fall risk and patients themselves do not always know they have a high fall risk, this study aims to evaluate the implementation of a targeted fall risk screening strategy among independently living, frail older people in the primary care setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The targeted fall risk screening strategy used in this study consists of tools for screening high fall risk and for identifying the underlying cause(s) of the high fall risk, an accredited training course in falls prevention for professionals, and service provision by certified physio- and exercise therapists who are able to offer evidence-based falls prevention interventions. This targeted fall risk screening strategy will be implemented in the primary care setting and evaluated at the level of the GP practice and at the level of the patient by using the RE-AIM model of Glasgow et al. In a pre-posttest design, data will be collected of the total number of frail older people who are screened, referred and enrolled for fall-preventive care. Furthermore, barriers and facilitators of the implementation of the fall risk screening strategy will be identified by conducting focus groups and interviews with the care providers and frail older patients. Additionally, the influence of the falls prevention interventions on frail older patients will be evaluated by using a pre-posttest design with a 12-month follow-up period during which data are collected regarding patients' stability, mobility, strength, balance, self-efficacy, health status, and daily activities. STUDY REGISTRATION: This study is approved by the Medical Ethics Committee Brabant, the Netherlands (NL61582.028.17/ P1732) and registered at the Netherlands Trial Register, NL7917.

What are essential elements of high-quality palliative care at home? An interview study among patients and relatives faced with advanced cancer.

BACKGROUND: In the Netherlands, general practitioners (GPs) and community nurses play a central role in the palliative care for home-dwelling patients with advanced cancer and their relatives. To optimize the palliative care provision at home, it is important to have insight in the elements that patients and relatives consider essential for high-quality palliative care, and whether these essentials are present in the actual care they receive. METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 patients with advanced cancer and 14 relatives. The participants discussed their experiences with the care and support they received from the GP and community nurses, and their views on met and unmet needs. Interview data were analysed according to the principles of thematic analysis. RESULTS: Patients as well as relatives considered it important that their GP and community nursing staff are medically proficient, available, person-focused and proactive. Also, proper information transfer between care professionals and clear procedures when asking for certain resources or services were considered essential for good palliative care at home. Most interviewees indicated that these essential elements were generally present in the care they received. However, the requirements of 'proper information transfer between professionals' and 'clear and rapid procedures' were mentioned as more difficult to meet in actual practice. Patients and relatives also emphasized that an alert and assertive attitude on their own part was vital in ensuring they received the care they need. They expressed worries about other people who are less vigilant regarding the care they receive, or who have no family to support them in this. CONCLUSIONS: Medical proficiency, availability, a focus on the person, proper information transfer between professionals, clear procedures and proactivity on the part of GPs and community nursing staff are considered essential for good palliative care at home. Improvements are particularly warranted with regard to collaboration and information transfer between professionals, and current bureaucratic procedures. It is important for care professionals to ensure that the identified essential elements for high-quality palliative care at home are met, particularly for patients and relatives who are not so alert and assertive.

The impact of health symptoms on health-related quality of life in early-stage breast cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: In breast cancer patients, treatment-related health symptoms can occur that may affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to determine the impact of health symptoms on HRQoL in breast cancer patients up to 5 years after diagnosis. METHODS: Females surgically treated for early-stage breast cancer diagnosed between 2012 and 2016 (n = 876) were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry and invited for a survey about current health symptoms ('Symptoms and Perceptions questionnaire', SaP) and HRQoL ('EORTC-QLQ-C30'). From the latter, functioning and global health were included. Mean scores were compared to norm population scores (T test). Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to determine the association between health symptoms and global health and functioning. RESULTS: 404 patients (46%) responded. The median age was 62.2 ± 10.9 years. Respondents had significantly lower mean scores for role, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning than the general population. The most frequently reported health symptoms were musculoskeletal (including pain/complaints in lower/upper extremities/back/neck; 71%) and central nervous system symptoms (including concentration impairment, dizziness, neuralgia; 66%), and fatigue (63%). While most symptoms affected functioning, irrespective of time since diagnosis, especially fatigue, musculoskeletal, central nervous system, and gastrointestinal symptoms were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with lower functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of health symptoms that occur after breast cancer treatment were associated with lower functioning of patients in daily life. This paper urges healthcare providers to support breast cancer patients in alleviating or coping with health symptoms, even years after end of treatment, to improve their functioning.

Prescription patterns of lipid lowering agents among older patients in general practice: an analysis from a national database in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Dutch cardiovascular risk management guidelines state almost every older adult (≥70 years) is eligible for a lipid lowering drug (LLD). However, life expectancy, frailty or comorbidities may influence this treatment decision. OBJECTIVE: investigate how many older adults, according to age, frailty (Drubbel-frailty index) and comorbidities were prescribed LLDs. METHODS: data of 244,328 adults ≥70 years from electronic health records of 415 Dutch general practices from 2011-15 were used. Number of LLD prescriptions in patients with (n = 55,309) and without (n = 189,019) cardiovascular disease (CVD) was evaluated according to age, frailty and comorbidities. RESULTS: about 69% of adults ≥70 years with CVD and 36% without CVD were prescribed a LLD. LLD prescriptions decreased with age; with CVD: 78% aged 70-74 years and 29% aged ≥90 years were prescribed a LLD, without CVD: 37% aged 70-74 years and 12% aged ≥90 years. In patients with CVD and within each age group, percentage of LLD prescriptions was 20% point(pp) higher in frail compared with non-frail. In patients without CVD, percentage of LLD prescriptions in frail patients was 11pp higher in adults aged 70-74 years and 40pp higher in adults aged ≥90 years compared to non-frail. Similar trends were seen in the analyses with number of comorbidities. CONCLUSION: in an older population, LLD prescriptions decreased with age but-contrary to our expectations-LLD prescriptions increased with higher frailty levels.

Patient-reported health problems and healthcare use after treatment for early-stage breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: A clear picture of treatment-related health problems following breast cancer treatment is useful in anticipating the informational and other needs of patients during follow-up. This study aimed to identify treatment-related health problems in breast cancer patients up to five years after diagnosis. Secondly, the use of care associated with these health problems was identified. METHODS: 876 surgically-treated female patients diagnosed between 2012 and 2016 with early-stage breast cancer were asked to complete an online survey about their current health problems and use of care. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to determine the effect of patient and treatment characteristics on health problems. RESULTS: 404 patients responded (46%). The median age was 62.0 years (SD:10.9). Apart from breast surgery, patients had been treated with radiotherapy (72%), chemotherapy (49%), anti-hormonal therapy (57%), and axillary dissection (21%). Ninety-three percent experienced one or more health problems. Over 50% of respondents experienced fatigue, psychological problems, and health problems regarding the breast, and/or musculoskeletal, central nervous, and reproductive system. Treatment with chemotherapy was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with an increased risk of health problems, respectively fatigue (OR:2.00), respiratory (OR:1.81), gastrointestinal (OR:1.87), central nervous (OR:3.40), and skin problems (OR:2.62). Use of healthcare for one or more health problems was reported by 64% of respondents. DISCUSSION: Almost all patients experienced health problems up to five years after breast cancer diagnosis, with a range of complaints that were consistently present over time. Factors associated with the development of health problems are useful for better informing patients beforehand and targeting follow-up care.

[Time trends in prevalence of chronic diseases and multimorbidity not only due to aging: data from general practices and health surveys]. / Toename in chronische ziekten en multimorbiditeit.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic diseases and multimorbidity are common and expected to rise over the coming years. The objective of this study is to examine the time trend in the prevalence of chronic diseases and multimorbidity over the period 2001 till 2011 in the Netherlands, and the extent to which this can be ascribed to the aging of the population. METHODS: Monitoring study, using two data sources: 1) medical records of patients listed in a nationally representative network of general practices over the period 2002-2011, and 2) national health interview surveys over the period 2001-2011. Regression models were used to study trends in the prevalence-rates over time, with and without standardization for age. RESULTS: An increase from 34.9% to 41.8% (p<0.01) in the prevalence of chronic diseases was observed in the general practice registration over the period 2004-2011 and from 41.0% to 46.6% (p<0.01) based on self-reported diseases over the period 2001-2011. Multimorbidity increased from 12.7% to 16.2% (p<0.01) and from 14.3% to 17.5% (p<0.01), respectively. Aging of the population explained part of these trends: about one-fifth based on general practice data, and one-third for chronic diseases and half of the trend for multimorbidity based on health surveys. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of chronic diseases and multimorbidity increased over the period 2001-2011. Aging of the population only explained part of the increase, implying that other factors such as health care and society-related developments are responsible for a substantial part of this rise.

[Inter-practice variation in polypharmacy prevalence amongst older patients in primary care]. / Bij iedere huisarts evenveel pillen?

PURPOSE: Complex medication management in older people with multiple chronic conditions can introduce practice variation in polypharmacy prevalence. This study aimed to determine the inter-practice variation in polypharmacy prevalence and examine how this variation was influenced by patient and practice characteristics. METHODS: This cohort study included 45,731 patients aged 55 years and older with at least one prescribed medication from 126 general practices that participated in NIVEL Primary Care Database in the Netherlands. Medication dispensing data of the year 2012 were used to determine polypharmacy. Polypharmacy was defined as the chronic and simultaneous use of at least five different medications. Multilevel logistic regression models were constructed to quantify the polypharmacy prevalence variation between practices. Patient characteristics (age, gender, socioeconomic status, number, and type of chronic conditions) and practice characteristics (practice location and practice population) were added to the models. RESULTS: After accounting for differences in patient and practice characteristics, polypharmacy rates varied with a factor of 2.4 between practices (from 12.4% to 30.1%) and an overall mean of 19.8%. Age and type of conditions were highly positively associated with polypharmacy, and to a lesser extent a lower socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: Considerable variation in polypharmacy rates existed between general practices, even after accounting for patient and practice characteristics, which suggests that there is not much agreement concerning medication management in this complex patient group. Initiatives that could reduce inappropriate heterogeneity in medication management can add value to the care delivered to these patients.

[Trends in suicidal behaviour in Dutch general practice, 1983-2013]. / Suïcidepreventie in de huisartsenpraktijk, 1983-2013* * Dit onderzoek werd eerder gepubliceerd in BMJ Open (2016;6:e010868) met als titel 'Trends in suicidal behaviour in Dutch general practice 1983-2013: a retrospective observational study'. Afgedrukt met toestemming. NIVEL Nederlands instituut voor onderzoek van de gezondheidszorg, Utrecht.Dr. D.P. de Beurs, klinisch psycholoog; dr.ir. M. Hooiveld, epidemioloog; dr.ir. J.C. Korevaar, epidemioloog; dr. G.A. Donker, huisarts-epidemioloog. Vrije Universiteit, afd. Klinische Psychologie, Amsterdam.Prof.dr. A.J.F.M. Kerkhof, klinisch psycholoog.Contactpersoon: dr. G.A. Donker (g.donker@nivel.nl).

OBJECTIVE: We investigated trends in suicidal behaviour as reported by Dutch general practices from 1983 to 2013. Also, we analysed the relationship with patient characteristics and with the financial crisis of 2008. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. METHOD: We estimated age-adjusted and gender-specific trends in suicides (342) and attempted suicides (1614), as registered in 1983-2013 under ICPC code P77 by 40 Dutch general practices participating in the NIVEL Primary Care Database sentinel station. Secondary outcomes, on the basis of supplementary questions in the GP Information System (Huisartsen Informatie Systeem), were the relationship between suicidal behaviour, earlier treatments and patient characteristics. Also, we analysed separate frequencies for the periods 1983-2007 and 2008-2013. RESULTS: Join-point analyses revealed a significant rise in male suicides from 2008 (b = 0.32, SE = 0.1, p = 0.008), and an increase in male suicide attempts since 2009 (b = 0.19, SE = 0.04, p < 0.001). Female suicidal behaviour showed a steady decrease in 1989-2013: b = -0.03, SE = 0.007, p < 0.0001 for female suicide, b = -0.02, SE = 0.002, p < 0.001 for female attempts. Almost half of the suicidal patients had visited their GP one month before the event. In 31% of these patients, the GP had recognized suicidal behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: Since 2008, there was a rise in the male suicide rate while female suicide behaviour has continued to decline. Training in the early recognition of suicide ideation in depressive patients might improve suicide prevention in primary care.

A methodological comparison of two European primary care databases and replication in a US claims database: inhaled long-acting beta-2-agonists and the risk of acute myocardial infarction.

PURPOSE: Results from observational studies on inhaled long-acting beta-2-agonists (LABA) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) risk are conflicting, presumably due to variation in methodology. We aimed to evaluate the impact of applying a common study protocol on consistency of results in three databases. METHODS: In the primary analysis, we included patients from two GP databases (Dutch-Mondriaan, UK-CPRD GOLD) with a diagnosis of asthma and/or COPD and at least one inhaled LABA or a "non-LABA inhaled bronchodilator medication" (short-acting beta-2-agonist or short-/long-acting muscarinic antagonist) prescription between 2002 and 2009. A claims database (USA-Clinformatics) was used for replication. LABA use was divided into current, recent (first 91 days following the end of a treatment episode), and past use (after more than 91 days following the end of a treatment episode). Adjusted hazard ratios (AMI-aHR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) were estimated using time-dependent multivariable Cox regression models stratified by recorded diagnoses (asthma, COPD, or both asthma and COPD). RESULTS: For asthma or COPD patients, no statistically significant AMI-aHRs (age- and sex-adjusted) were found in the primary analysis. For patients with both diagnoses, a decreased AMI-aHR was found for current vs. recent LABA use in the CPRD GOLD (0.78; 95 % CI 0.68-0.90) and in Mondriaan (0.55; 95 % CI 0.28-1.08), too. The replication study yielded similar results. Adjusting for concomitant medication use and comorbidities, in addition to age and sex, had little impact on the results. CONCLUSIONS: By using a common protocol, we observed similar results in the primary analysis performed in two GP databases and in the replication study in a claims database. Regarding differences between databases, a common protocol facilitates interpreting results due to minimized methodological variations. However, results of multinational comparative observational studies might be affected by bias not fully addressed by a common protocol.

Effect of the partner's health and support on cancer patients' use of general practitioner care.

OBJECTIVE: Cancer and its treatment often have a profound impact on patients, leading to increased health care use in the years after diagnosis. Social support is an important determinant of health care use. Partners of cancer patients may not always be able to provide all support patients need and patients may then revert to professional health care. We examined whether partners' health and the support they provide affect the use of general practitioner (GP) care in cancer patients. METHODS: Cancer patients aged ≥18, diagnosed <20 years ago with a cancer type with a 5-year survival rate >20% and no distant metastases were sent a questionnaire, along with their partners. Patients' self-reported recent use of GP care, i.e. whether they had discussed health problems with the GP in the past year, was assessed. Partner support as perceived by the patient was measured on three scales: Active engagement, protective buffering and overprotection. RESULTS: We included 219 patients and partners. Many patients discussed physical and emotional problems with their GP (60% and 28% of patients, respectively). Patients were less likely to discuss physical problems when they experienced active engagement and protective buffering, the latter only for females. CONCLUSION: Partner support affects use of GP care in cancer patients. GPs should therefore pay attention to the support style of the partner. GPs could ask about the support provided by the partner and inform both patients and partners about support groups where they can share experiences.

The combined effect of cancer and chronic diseases on general practitioner consultation rates.

AIM: More than two-thirds of cancer patients have one or more chronic diseases besides cancer. The purpose of this study was to get detailed insight into the combined effect of cancer and chronic diseases on general practitioner (GP) consultation rates. METHODS: From the NIVEL Primary Care Database we identified cancer patients with diabetes mellitus (n=629), osteoarthritis (n=425), coronary artery disease (n=466), COPD (n=383) or without a chronic disease (n=1507), diagnosed with cancer between 2002 and 2010. They were matched on sex, age, practice and chronic disease to 6645 non-cancer controls. RESULTS: 2-5 years after diagnosis, cancer patients without a chronic disease had on average 6.5 GP contacts per year, those with a comorbid disease almost twice as many (ranging from 10 for osteoarthritis to 12.4 for COPD). A similar difference was seen in non-cancer controls. The number of GP contacts for chronic diseases did not differ between cancer patients and controls. The increase in the number of GP consultations with age and number of chronic diseases was similar in cancer patients and controls. Consultation rates were similar in cancer patients and controls if they were stratified by number of chronic diseases while counting cancer as a chronic disease. CONCLUSIONS: Two to five years after diagnosis, cancer leads to an increase in GP contacts that is similar to having a chronic disease. This increase does not differ between those with and without a chronic disease and cancer does not seem to increase the impact of having a chronic disease.

Predictors of influenza in the adult population during seasonal and A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic influenza periods.

We aimed to assess whether the characteristics of influenza-like illness (ILI) cases in the general population were similar during the seasonal and pandemic A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza periods. We conducted a study using a general population database, which included demographic (sex, age) and clinical (underlying medical conditions, influenza vaccination status) information on more than 80 000 subjects. We assessed the most important predictors of ILI during each season by using multiple logistic regression. We descriptively compared whether they were similar during different seasons. The model, including all demographic and clinical characteristics, showed that age ⩾60 years decreased the odds for ILI by 52% and 81% during the seasonal and A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic periods, respectively. Being vaccinated decreased the odds of ILI for seasonal influenza by 32%, while suffering from the comorbidities other than lung or cardiovascular diseases doubled the odds of ILI during the A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic.

Economic analysis of chromosome testing in couples with recurrent miscarriage to prevent handicapped offspring.

STUDY QUESTION: Which strategy is least expensive to prevent the birth of a handicapped child in couples with recurrent miscarriage (RM); parental chromosome analysis followed by amniocentesis in case of carrier status of one of the parents, or amniocentesis in all ongoing pregnancies without the knowledge of parental carrier status? SUMMARY ANSWER: For virtually all couples with RM amniocentesis in all ongoing pregnancies without the knowledge of parental carrier status is less expensive in preventing the birth of a handicapped child than parental chromosome analysis followed by amniocentesis in case of carrier status of one of the parents. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: One of the causes of RM is a balanced chromosome abnormality in one of the partners. If one of the partners is carrier of a balanced structural chromosomal abnormality, the risk of offspring with an unbalanced structural chromosome abnormality is increased. Like all couples, couples with RM also have an age-dependent risk for fetal aneuploidy, of which trisomy 21 is most common. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Model-based economic analysis to compare costs and effects of two strategies in couples with RM to prevent the birth of a handicapped child in case of ongoing pregnancy. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Comparison of two strategies in women with RM: strategy (I) parental chromosome analysis followed by amniocentesis in pregnancy in case of carrier status of one of the parents and strategy (II) amniocentesis in all ongoing pregnancies without the knowledge of carrier status. No testing was the reference strategy. Data on probabilities and costs were derived from the literature. Incremental costs and effects were calculated [incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER)]. Effectiveness was expressed as the number of prevented births of handicapped child equivalents compared with no testing. In these calculations, the birth of a handicapped child was valued 10 times worse than the loss of a viable pregnancy due to amniocentesis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Depending on the risk for carrier status, the ICER for Strategy I (parental chromosome analysis followed by amniocentesis in case of carrier status of one of the parents) varied between € 226,000 and € 6,556,000 per prevented handicapped child equivalent. For Strategy II (amniocentesis in all ongoing pregnancies without the knowledge of carrier status), the ICER varied between € 2000 and € 233 000 per prevented handicapped child equivalent. Strategy I was less expensive than Strategy II only for a small subgroup of couples with maternal age <23 years, three or more previous miscarriages and a family history of RM. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Our analysis is not a plea for amniocentesis in all women with RM. Individual risk assessment with serum markers and nuchal translucency is probably more effective at lower cost. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This analysis can be used by clinicians to explain the chances of adverse pregnancy outcome in couples with RM, as well as by policy makers in health-care economics. Future guidelines on RM might be more restrictive from the perspective of the limited health-care resources that we have available.

For which health problems do cancer survivors visit their General Practitioner?

Primary health care use of cancer patients is increased, even years after active treatment. Insight into the reasons for this could help in developing and improving guidelines and planning of health care, which is important given the expected increase in cancer survivors. Using data from the Netherlands Information Network of Primary Care, we selected 1256 adult breast cancer, 503 prostate cancer and 487 colorectal cancer patients diagnosed between 2001 and 2006. We compared diseases and complaints for which they contacted their General Practitioner (GP) 2-5 years after diagnosis to age and sex matched non-cancer controls from the same practice. Cancer patients consulted their GP more often than controls for acute symptoms such as abdominal pain and fatigue (18% more in breast cancer, 26% more in prostate cancer) and infections, such as cystitis or respiratory infections (45% in breast cancer and 17% in colorectal cancer). Consultations for chronic diseases and psychosocial problems were slightly increased: breast cancer patients had more contacts related to diabetes (55%), sleep disturbance (60%) and depression (64%), prostate cancer patients had more contacts related to hypertension (53) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 34%). Adverse drug effects were almost twice as often observed in prostate and colorectal cancer patients than in controls. Fear of cancer recurrence was noted as the reason for consulting the GP in only 20 patients. Concluding, increased primary health care use in cancer survivors is mostly related to common infections and acute symptoms, which may be due to direct effects of cancer treatment or increased health concerns.

Bronchoalveolar Activation of Coagulation and Inhibition of Fibrinolysis during Ventilator-Associated Lung Injury.

Background and Objective. Bronchoalveolar coagulopathy is a characteristic feature of pulmonary inflammation. We compared bronchoalveolar and systemic levels of coagulation in patients who did and patients who did not develop ventilator-associated lung injury (VALI). Methods. Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of lower tidal volumes versus conventional tidal volumes in patients without acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome at the onset of mechanical ventilation. Results. Ten patients with VALI and 10 random control patients without lung injury during the course of mechanical ventilation, but all ventilated with conventional tidal volumes, were compared. Patients who developed VALI showed both bronchoalveolar activation of coagulation (increase in thrombin-antithrombin complex levels P < 0.001 versus baseline) and inhibition of fibrinolysis (decline in plasminogen activator activity P < 0.001 versus baseline). The later seemed to be dependent on higher levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (P = 0.001 versus baseline). Patients who developed VALI also showed elevated systemic thrombin-antithrombin complex levels and decreased systemic plasminogen activator activity levels. Conclusions. VALI is characterized by bronchoalveolar coagulopathy. Systemic and bronchoalveolar coagulopathy at the onset of mechanical ventilation may be a risk factor for developing VALI in patients ventilated with conventional tidal volumes.

Adoption and implementation of the original strict glycemic control guideline is feasible and safe in adult critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Three trials of tight glucose control (TGC) found clinical benefit of normalization of blood glucose levels in the intensive care unit (ICU). Implementation of TGC was imperfect in subsequent trials, since attained blood glucose levels (BGLs) never reached the targets as in the original trials of TGC. We investigated whether implementation of the TGC guideline as used in the original trials of TGC is feasible and safe. METHODS: In this study 3 ICUs adopted and implemented the TGC guideline as used in the original trials of TGC using a multifaceted practice change strategy; 3 ICUs that did not change their blood glucose control guideline served as controls. TGC was practiced by physicians and nurses during the first 12-month (period-2), thereafter exclusively by nurses (period-3). Blood glucose metrics 12-month before (period-1) and 24-month after implementation of the guideline were compared. RESULTS: The analysis included 1321 in period-1, 1169 and 1006 patients in period-2, and -3, respectively, in the intervention ICUs, and 3110 patients in the control ICUs. After implementation of the new TGC guideline, patients in intervention ICUs had lower median BGLs (105 [IQR: 85-130] mg/dL vs. 119 [99-150] mg/dL in period-1, P<0.001; and vs. 113 [95-141] mg/dL in control ICUs, P<0.001). The incidence of severe hypoglycemia initially increased, but again decreased when exclusively nurses practiced TGC, and was not associated with increased mortality or morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the original TGC guideline is feasible and safe. Our study suggests a learning effect over time.