BACKGROUND: Critical illness and the problems faced after ICU discharge do not only affect the patient, it also negatively impacts patients' informal caregivers. There is no review which summarizes all types of burden reported in informal caregivers of ICU survivors. It is important that the burdens …

Background: In patients with burns, an early accurate diagnosis of burn depth facilitates optimal treatment. Laser Doppler imaging combined with clinical assessment leads to an accurate estimate of burn depth. However, the actual effects of the introduction of laser Doppler imaging on therapeutic decisions, …

Background: The care for children with a chronic kidney disease (CKD) is complex. Parents of these children may experience high levels of stress in managing their child's disease, potentially leading to negative effects on their child's health outcomes. Although the experienced problems are well known, …

Background: In the Netherlands, most patients with severe mental illness (SMI) receive flexible assertive community treatment (FACT) provided by multidisciplinary community mental health teams. SMI patients with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are sometimes offered evidence-based trauma-focused …

Information and communications technology (ICT) has the potential to contribute to the quality of life of older adults. The aim of this study was to analyze the use of a broad array of ICT devices and services among Dutch older adults and to determine whether demographics and health outcomes are associated …

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effects of nurse-led multifactorial care to prevent disability in community-living older people. METHODS: In a cluster randomized trail, 11 practices (n = 1,209 participants) were randomized to the intervention group, and 13 practices (n = 1,074 participants) were randomized …

Patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) comprise of a heterogeneous population with substantial differences in admission diagnosis, length of stay and co-morbidity. Therefore, very often the prognosis for each patient differs. In the Netherlands, over 20% of the more than 80,000 patients treated …

Background This study aims for health gain and cost reduction in the care for people with long-term non-psychotic psychiatric disorders. Present care for this population has a limited evidence base, is often open ended, little effective, and expensive. Recent epidemiological data shows that 43.5% of …

Objectives: In patients with burns an early accurate diagnosis of burn depth is essential to determine optimal treatment. The combination of Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) and clinical assessment leads to an accurate estimate of burn depth. However, the actual effects of the introduction of LDI on therapeutic …

Chronic non-specific low back pain is assumed to be a multifactorial affliction, implying that a number of different risk factors contribute to its development and persistence. After onset, prognostic factors can potentially predict the future course. Risk factors for the development of chronic pain …