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Purpose: Head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment often leads to physical and psychosocial impairments. Rehabilitation can overcome these limitations and improve quality of life. The aim of this study is to obtain an overview of rehabilitation care for HNC, and to investigate factors influencing rehabilitation provision, in Dutch HNC centers, and to some extent compare it to other countries. Methods: An online survey, covering five themes: organizational structure; rehabilitation interventions; financing; barriers and facilitators; satisfaction and future improvements, among HNC healthcare- and financial professionals of Dutch HNC centers. Results: Most centers (86%) applied some type of rehabilitation care, with variations in organizational structure. A speech language therapist, physiotherapist and dietitian were available in all centers, but other rehabilitation healthcare professionals in less than 60%. Facilitators for providing rehabilitation services included availability of a contact person, and positive attitude, motivation, and expertise of healthcare professionals. Barriers were lack of reimbursement, and patient related barriers including comorbidity, travel (time), low health literacy, limited financial capacity, and poor motivation. Conclusion: Although all HNC centers included offer rehabilitation services, there is substantial practice variation, both nationally and internationally. Factors influencing rehabilitation are related to the motivation and expertise of the treatment team, but also to reimbursement aspects and patient related factors. More research is needed to investigate the extent to which practice variation impacts individual patient outcomes and how to integrate HNC rehabilitation into routine clinical pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The standard aftercare treatment (according to the AO guideline) for surgically treated trauma patients with fractures of the tibial plateau is non-weight bearing or partial weight bearing for 10-12 weeks. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current state of practice among orthopaedic surgeons and trauma surgeons in choosing the criteria and the time period of restricted weight bearing after surgically treated tibial plateau fractures.Materials and Methods: A web-based survey was distributed among members of the Dutch Trauma Society and Dutch Orthopaedic Society to identify the most commonly applied protocols in terms of the post-operative initiation and level of weight bearing in patients with tibial plateau fractures.Results: One hundred and eleven surgeons responded to the survey. 72.1% of the respondents recommended starting weight bearing earlier than the 12 weeks recommended by the AO guideline; 11.7% recommended starting weight bearing immediately, 4.5% after 2 weeks and 55.9% after 6 weeks. Moreover, 88.7% of the respondents reported deviating from their own local protocol. There is little consensus about the definition of 100% weight bearing and how to build up weight bearing over time.Conclusion: This study demonstrates that consensus about the weight bearing aftercare for tibial plateau fractures are limited. A large majority of surgeons do not follow the AO guideline or their own local protocol. More transparent criteria and predictors are needed to design optimal weight-bearing regimes for the aftercare of tibial plateau fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To increase the protein intake of older adults, protein enrichment of familiar foods and drinks might be an effective and attractive alternative for oral nutritional supplements (ONS). We performed a pilot study to test whether these products could help institutionalized elderly to reach a protein intake of 1.2 gram per kg body weight per day (g/kg/d). Design: Intervention study with one treatment group (no control group). Dietary assessment was done before and at the end of a 10-day intervention. Setting: Two care facilities in Gelderland, the Netherlands: a residential care home and a rehabilitation center. Participants: 22 elderly subjects (13 women, 9 men; mean age 83.0±9.4 years). Intervention: We used a variety of newly developed protein enriched regular foods and drinks, including bread, soups, fruit juices, and instant mashed potatoes. Measurements: Dietary intake was assessed on two consecutive days before and at the end of the intervention, using food records filled out by research assistants. Energy and macronutrient intake was calculated using the 2013 Dutch food composition database. Changes in protein intake were evaluated using paired t-tests. Results: Protein intake increased by 11.8 g/d (P=0.003); from 0.96 to 1.14 g/kg/d (P=0.002). This increase is comparable to protein provided by one standard portion of ONS. The intake of energy and other macronutrients did not change significantly. At the end of the intervention more elderly reached a protein intake level of 1.2 g/kg/d than before (9 vs 4). Protein intake significantly increased during breakfast (+3.7 g) and during the evening (+2.2 g). Conclusion: Including familiar protein enriched foods and drinks in the menu helped to meet protein recommendations in institutionalized elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To provide Dutch normal values for rehabilitation outpatients with chronic pain or musculoskeletal diseases utilizing the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF) and analyse influence of diagnosis and patient characteristics on normal values and increase understanding in those values.Methods: Five hundred and forty-two outpatients were referred to a rehabilitation psychologist. Referral diagnoses were "musculoskeletal", "chronic pain", "neurological" and "miscellaneous". Comparisons between groups were made for each of the four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (scoring range 4-20).Results: Domain scores of rehabilitation outpatients were physical domain 11.0 (±2.7), psychological domain 13.6 (±2.4), social domain 14.8 (±3.4) and environmental domain 14.2 (±2.2). Outpatients with chronic pain reported the lowest scores on the WHOQOL-BREF when compared to the "musculoskeletal", "neurological" and "miscellaneous" groups. Increased age, lower education, living alone and unemployment had a negative impact on WHOQOL-BREF scores. Compared to the general Dutch population, rehabilitation outpatients scored, unadjusted for age, significantly lower difference for the physical domain 4.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.2; 4.8], the environment domain 1.7 (95% CI 1.5; 2.0), the psychological domain 1.1 (95% CI 0.4; 1.2) and the social domain 0.4 (95% CI 0.0; 0.8).Conclusions: WHOQOL-BREF scores of rehabilitation outpatients are lower and differed significantly from normal values of a Dutch population in all four domains. Therefore, the WHOQOL-BREF can be used to measure the subjective impact of their disease or injury. The subjective impact of chronic pain was found to be particularly high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study design:A multicenter prospective cohort study.Objective:To determine the longitudinal relationship between physical capacity and lipid profile in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) during and 1 year after rehabilitation.Setting:Eight Dutch rehabilitation centers with a specialized SCI unit.Methods:A total of 206 subjects with SCI (78 with tetraplegia) participated. The longitudinal relationship between lipid profiles (total cholesterol (TC), high- (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides (TG) and physical capacity (peak power output (POpeak), peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), and muscle strength) was investigated during inpatient SCI rehabilitation (start, 3 months later, discharge) and 1 year after discharge. A correction was made for the possible confounding variables age, body mass index, gender, time since injury, lesion level and completeness.Results:HDL and the ratios LDL/HDL and TC/HDL showed a significant and favorable relationship with VO2peak, POpeak and muscle strength. TG was positively related to POpeak and muscle strength.Conclusions:More favorable lipid profiles were seen in people with a higher physical capacity after correction for personal and lesion characteristics. Therefore, improving the physical capacity by being active during daily life or in sport may further improve the lipid profile and thus reduce the risk for coronary heart disease.Spinal Cord (2008) 46, 344–351; doi:10.1038/sj.sc.3102147; published online 20 November 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY DESIGN:: Retrospective descriptive study. OBJECTIVES:: (1) To obtain an overall appraisal of patients with epidural metastatic spinal cord compression (SCC) admitted to nine Dutch spinal cord units (SCUs) between 01-01-1990 and 01-01-2000. (2) To identify factors that predict survival >1 year after in-patient rehabilitation of patients with epidural metastatic SCC. SETTING:: Dutch SCUs. Rehabilitation Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam. Rehabilitation Center Heliomare, Wijk aan Zee. Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat, Utrecht. Rehabilitation Center Rijndam, Rotterdam. Rehabilitation Center Sophia Stichting, Den Haag. Rehabilitation Center Beatrixoord, Haren. Rehabilitation Center Het Roessingh, Enschede. Rehabilitation Center Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen. Rehabilitation Center SRL Hoensbroeck, Hoensbroek. METHODS:: (1) Clinical records were reviewed and demographic, clinical and functional data were collected according to a protocol. The date of admittance to the SCU, rehabilitation goals, date of discharge and date of death were recorded. (2) The odds ratio (OR) was calculated for all determinants on admittance to the SCU in order to find indicators that predict survival >1 year after discharge from the SCU. An OR ?2 was considered to be clinically significant. RESULTS:: In total, 131 patients with epidural metastatic SCC were admitted. In all, 117 clinical records were retrieved and 97 clinical records provided complete data. The average age on admittance was 58 years. Among the patients 53% were male. The average Barthel score on admittance was 7.2/20 points. The average length of stay in the SCU was 104 days (3-336). Overall, 66% of the patients were discharged. The average Barthel score on discharge was 12.0 points. The average survival after discharge was 808 (0-3669) days. During their stay on the SCU, seven patients died. At 1 year after discharge, 52% of the patients were still alive. These patients suffered less complications, had been admitted less often to a hospital during rehabilitation, had made better functional progress and had been discharged home more often. A survival >1 year after discharge is related to ASIA D (OR 4.3), MRC 4 and 5 (OR 5.4), tumour in remission (OR 3.8) and independence or partial independence on the Barthel items: dressing (OR 4.3) and making transfers (OR 5.0). CONCLUSIONS:: Patients with epidural metastatic SCC may benefit from in-patient rehabilitation.Spinal Cord (2004) 42, 235-239. doi:10.1038/sj.sc.3101555 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]