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Background: Consultation of a nephrologist is important in aligning care for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at the primary-secondary care interface. However, current consultation methods come with practical difficulties that can lead to postponed consultation or patient referral instead.Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether a web-based consultation platform, telenephrology, led to a lower referral rate of indicated patients. Furthermore, we assessed consultation rate, quality of care, costs and general practitioner (GPs') experiences with telenephrology.Methods: Cluster randomized controlled trial with 47 general practices in the Netherlands was randomized to access to telenephrology or to enhanced usual care. A total of 3004 CKD patients aged 18 years or older who were under primary care were included (intervention group n = 1277, control group n = 1727) and 2693 completed the trial. All practices participated in a CKD management course and were given an overview of their CKD patients.Results: The referral rates amounted to 2.3% (n = 29) in the intervention group and 3.0% (n = 52) in the control group, which was a non-significant difference, OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.31 to 1.23. The intervention group's consultation rate was 6.3% (n = 81) against 5.0% (n = 87) (OR 2.00; 95% CI 0.75-5.33). We found no difference in quality of care or costs. The majority of GPs had a positive opinion about telenephrology.Conclusion: The data in our study do not allow for conclusions on the effect of telenephrology on the rate of patient referrals and provider-to-provider consultations, compared to conventional methods. It was positively evaluated by GPs and was non-inferior in terms of quality of care and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that investigates the association of diagnosis and characteristics in the management of nontraumatic complaints in arm, neck and should during general practice in the Netherlands. The study was conducted to 686 patients wherein their outcome measure and medical care received were assessed to provide an effective medical care. The study reveals that diagnostic category, functional limitations and complaint duration play an essential role in providing medical care.

Abstract: Purposes: The development of a national protocol to formalize the screening of Dutch cancer survivors on potential late cancer treatment effects and the medical terminology used in describing the patient follow up procedures. Methods: A combined evidence-based and qualitative approach, the Glaser''s State of the Art Strategy, was used to reach consensus on how to screen Dutch cancer survivors on late cancer treatment effects. A core working group set up a first proposal of a screening protocol and a handbook of medical term definitions by incorporating available research evidence (1980–2003), clinical expertise and definitions from Dutch medical dictionaries and textbooks. External experts reviewed this proposal in a cycle of two postal and two discussion rounds. The follow-up procedures and medical term definitions described in the draft screening protocol were to be accepted if consensus among external experts was ≥50%. Results: A protocol for screening cancer survivors on late cancer treatment effects was developed describing the follow-up procedures for cancer survivors according to previous therapeutic exposures. Four hundred and twenty one medical terms were used in describing these follow-up procedures. One hundred and fifteen of these terms were classified as multi-interpretable and 101 of these terms were defined. No definitions could be found for the remaining 14 medical terms. Conclusions: We succeeded in reaching consensus throughout The Netherlands on a protocol to screen cancer survivors on late cancer treatment effects. This protocol is now in use by all Dutch outpatient clinics and warrants that the screening of cancer survivors is consistent across The Netherlands. The screening protocol specifies in detail how screening of cancer survivors should take place and can therefore be used by clinicians who were not involved in the consensus study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to assess the differences in signs and symptoms of primary-care patients with expected and those with unexpected gallstones referred for upper abdominal ultrasound (US). Material and methods. A total of 430 patients were referred by 76 general practitioners (GPs) for abdominal US to one of the three participating hospitals in The Netherlands. All GPs were asked to complete a standardized questionnaire before and after abdominal US. Patients with expected gallstones had a clinical suspicion of gallstones and cholelithiasis on abdominal US, patients with unexpected gallstones had cholelithiasis without a clinical suspicion of gallstones. Results. Almost 50% of the patients were referred for abdominal US because of a clinical suspicion of gallstones. Cholelithiasis was detected by US in 29% of the patients with, and 11% of those without a clinical suspicion of gallstones. In patients suspected of gallstones, those with cholelithiasis detected by US were significantly less often of male gender, they had no prior cholecystectomies, were more likely to have colicky pain, and were more frequently referred to a medical specialist after US. Patients with unexpected gallstones were more often male, had fewer complaints of upper abdominal and colicky pain, and were less frequently referred to a medical specialist after US, in comparison with patients with expected gallstones. Conclusions. Gallstones were detected by upper abdominal US in 29% of the patients with, and 11% of those without a clinical suspicion of gallstones. This study showed marked differences in signs and symptoms of patients suspected of gallstones with and without cholelithiasis detected on abdominal US, and in patients with expected and unexpected gallstones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Chest radiography (CXR) is frequently performed in Western societies. There is insufficient knowledge of its diagnostic value in terms of changes in patient management decisions in patient care. Aim To assess the influence of CXR on patient management in general practice. Design of study Prospective cohort study. Setting Seventy-eight GPs and three general hospitals in the Netherlands. Method Patients (n = 792) aged ≥18 years referred by their GPs for CXR were included. The main outcome was change in patient management assessed by means of questionnaires filled in by GPs before and after CXR. Results Mean age of the patients was 57.3±16.2 years and 53% were male. Clinically relevant abnormalities were found in 24% of the CXRs. Patient management changed in 60% of the patients following CXR. Main changes included: fewer referrals to a medical specialist (from 26 to 12%); reduction in initiation or change in therapy (from 24 to 15%); and more frequent reassurance (from 25 to 46%). However, this reassurance was not perceived as such in a quarter of these patients. A change in patient management occurred significantly more frequently in patients with complaints of cough (67%), those who exhibited abnormalities during physical examination (69%), or those with a suspected diagnosis of pneumonia (68%). Conclusion Patient management by the GP changed in 60% of patients following CXR. CXR substantially reduced the number of referrals and initiation or change in therapy. and more patients were reassured by their GP. Thus, CXR is an important diagnostic tool for GPs and seems a cost-effective diagnostic test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Heart failure reduces quality of life and life expectancy; hospital admissions are frequent and create a burden on public resources. This study aims to quantify the benefits in terms of health effects [quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)] and costs when heart failure patients receive case management at home compared with outpatient cardiology clinic follow-up., Methods and Results: A health state transition (Markov) model was written, and transition probabilities were derived from a cohort of 1114 patients and available literature. QALYs in different health states of heart failure patients were retrieved from the literature, and costs were estimated with data from the financial department of the Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep and public cost sources. Monthly simulation cycles were repeated 60 times to generate 5 years of virtual follow-up data. Baseline willingness to pay is assumed €50 000 per QALY. Sensitivity analyses were performed in a one-way deterministic and a multiway probabilistic approach; the probabilistic approach used uniform and more plausible distributions of the model parameters. Case management reduced costs by €382 and increased QALYs by 0.261 for the baseline simulation; this results in a net monetary benefit of €13 428. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis based on uniform and most plausible distributions of parameters resulted in 96.2% and 83.3% of the simulations, favouring a treatment strategy of case management., Conclusions: Case management is cost effective in 83.3% of the probabilistic simulations and has a tendency towards reducing costs and increasing QALYs when considering a real-world cohort of heart failure patients in the Netherlands., (© 2020 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Objective: In this study, we evaluated patient care communication in the integrated care setting of children with cerebral palsy in three Dutch regions in order to identify relevant communication gaps experienced by both parents and involved professionals., Design: A three-step mixed method approach was used starting with a questionnaire to identify communication links in which parents experienced gaps. In subsequent in-depth interviews with parents and focus group meetings with professionals underlying factors were evaluated., Results: In total, 197 parents completed the questionnaire (response 67%); 6% scored negative on parent-professional communication, whereas 17% scored negative on inter-professional communication, especially between the rehabilitation physician and primary care physiotherapy (16%) and (special) education/day care (15%). In-depth interviews among a subset of 20 parents revealed various sources of dissatisfaction such as lack of cooperation and patient centeredness, inappropriate amount of information exchange and professional use of parents as messenger of information. Focus group meetings revealed that professionals recognized these gaps. They attributed them to capacity problems, lack of interdisciplinary guidelines and clear definition of roles, but also a certain hesitance for contact due to unfamiliarity with involved professionals in the care network., Conclusions: Parents particularly identified gaps in inter-professional communication between (rehabilitation) hospitals and primary care settings. Involved professionals recognized these gaps and primarily attributed them to organizational factors. Improvement initiatives should focus on these factors as well as facilitation of low-threshold contact across the patient's care network.

In current healthcare, transitional healthcare is a very important and timely issue. Thanks to the major advances made in medical care and technology, many children with childhood onset diseases and/or genetic syndromes survive to adulthood. These children are at risk of not being provided with adequate healthcare as they reach adulthood. Healthcare transition is an essential part of healthcare provision, referred to as the shift from one type of healthcare to another. In Maastricht, we developed a transition/out clinic led by a medical doctor specialized in persons with intellectual disability (ID), together with a clinical geneticist. We aim to coordinate healthcare issues based on guidelines if available. Also questions concerning living, daily activities, relations, sexuality, and sterilization can be discussed. The aging process of persons with ID has been a topic of interest in recent years. Little is known about the aging process of people with specific syndromes, except for persons with Down syndrome. We present some data of a recent questionnaire study in persons with Prader-Willi syndrome. In only 50% in persons with a clinical diagnosis genetic test results could be reported. The majority of persons were obese. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, skin problems, sleep apnea, and hormonal problems like osteoporosis and hypothyroidism were common. Psychiatric problems were frequent, especially in the persons with uniparental disomy. Osteoporosis and sleep apnoea seem to be underestimated. Further longitudinal research is necessary for a better understanding of the aging process in PWS., ((c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Background: While in general practice chronic non-specific abdominal complaints are common, there is insufficient data on the clinical course and the management of these complaints. Aim of this study was to present a primary care based profile of these chronic complaints including health care involvement, health status and clinical course., Methods: Thirty general practitioners (GPs) and patients from their practices participated in a prospective follow-up study. All patients and GPs were asked to complete questionnaires at baseline and at 6, 12 and 18 months of follow-up. The GPs provided information on diagnostic and therapeutic management and on referral concerning 619 patients with chronic non-specific abdominal complaints, while 291 patients provided information about health status and clinical course of the complaints., Results: When asked after 18 months of follow-up, 51,7% of the patients reported an equal or worsened severity of complaints. General health perception was impaired and patients had high scores on SCL-anxiety and SCL-depression scales. Diagnostic tests other than physical examination and laboratory tests were not frequently used. Medication was the most frequent type of treatment. The persistence of chronic non-specific abdominal complaints was quite stable., Conclusion: Once non-specific chronic abdominal complaints have become labelled as chronic by the attending physician, little improvement can be expected. The impact on patients' physiological and psychological well-being is large. GPs use a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Research into the evidence base of currently applied management strategies is recommended.

The practice guideline for the treatment of ischemic stroke, issued by the Dutch College of General Practitioners, is a timely and most welcome update. It incorporates the new evidence and the important changes in stroke treatment of the past years, and is a good starting point for the collaboration between general practitioners and neurologists in the care of patients with a cerebrovascular accident. The guideline acknowledges the evidence for the benefit ofthrombolysis, but is somewhat vague concerning the magnitude of the effect because it compares the net effect of treatment (which incorporates the risk of bleeding) and the number of cerebral haemorrhages. Furthermore, the discussion of minor stroke could lead to the erroneous conclusion that such patients can be safely cared for at home. Apart from these reservations, the guideline fully agrees with the need to treat all patients with a cerebral infarct, in the absence of contraindications, with thrombolysis within three hours, and to offer specialised care in a dedicated stroke-unit.

Three patients, men aged 49, 62 and 33 years, were admitted with acute abdominal symptoms due to necrotising pancreatitis. They underwent multiple interventions during a hospital stay of several months, but ultimately recovered completely. In case of infected (peri-)pancreatic necrosis, intervention is required. Good clinical judgement in the differentiation between the septic inflammatory-response syndrome, sepsis and infected necrosis as the cause of the clinical condition is important. Because of the different intervention strategies, treatment by a team comprising a radiologist, gastroenterologist, intensive care specialist and gastrointestinal surgeon is required. Randomised studies on intervention in infected pancreatic necrosis are lacking. In 2002, to improve the treatment of patients with acute (necrotising) pancreatitis via a combination of research, consultation and centralisation, the Dutch Acute Pancreatitis Study Group was formed.

Background: In the Netherlands, rehabilitation medicine plays an important role in the symptomatic and palliative treatment of ALS patients. Detailed information about the actual care of ALS patients in the Netherlands and about the attitude of consultants in rehabilitation medicine towards the management of this disease was lacking., Objective: To obtain detailed information about the rehabilitation care for patients with ALS in the Netherlands., Methods: We have performed a survey among all consultants in rehabilitation medicine in the Netherlands, using a questionnaire about the organisation of care and the care management of ALS patients., Results: Two hundred eighty one questionnaires were gathered with a response rate of 98%. There were 14 specialised ALS centres spread throughout the country, except in the northwest and southwest. Most consultants worked with an ALS multidisciplinary team and most patients were treated in an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Follow up visits were performed in most cases 5-6 times per year. The majority of the patients were followed up until death. The Dutch protocol for rehabilitative management in ALS was used in 89% of all treated ALS patients. Follow up and care management was not different in the specialised centres compared with the non-specialised centres., Conclusion: In conclusion, this study indicated that the actual care for ALS patients was reasonably well organised in the Netherlands, based on the results and reactions of the consultants in rehabilitation medicine.

Objective: To examine the feasibility of the application of guidelines to the management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by assessing compliance with the guidelines and listing the barriers general practitioners (GPs) encountered during implementation. Insight into the feasibility of individual items in the guidelines can guide implementation strategies in the future and, if necessary, support revision of the guidelines., Design: Descriptive study of care delivered during the implementation of guidelines by means of documentation of the care provided, education, feedback on compliance and peer review., Setting: General practice., Study Participants: Sixteen GPs in 14 general practices., Main Outcome Measures: Compliance was expressed as the percentage of patients per practice managed by the GPs according to the guidelines. For each patient (n=413) data were collected on the care delivered during the first year of the implementation. Barriers encountered were derived from the summaries of the discussions held during the monthly meetings., Results: The GPs were most compliant on the items 'PEFR measurement at every consultation' (98%), 'allergy test' (78%) and 'advice to stop smoking' (82%), and less compliant on the items 'four or more consultations a year' (46%), 'ordering spirometry' (33%), 'adjustment of medication' (42%), 'check on inhalation technique' (38%) and referral to a chest physician (17%) or a district nurse (5%). The main barriers were the amount of time to be invested, doubts about the necessity of regular consultations and about the indications for ordering spirometry and for referral to a chest physician or a district nurse., Conclusion: Although the feasibility was assessed in a fairly optimal situation, compliance with the guidelines was not maximal, and differed between the individual items of care. Suggestions are given for further improvements in compliance with the guidelines and for revision of the guidelines.