The Dutch healthcare system is facing multiple challenges which have put a strain on the healthcare system in terms of finances and workforce shortages. eHealth offers innovative and promising ways... Show moreThe Dutch healthcare system is facing multiple challenges which have put a strain on the healthcare system in terms of finances and workforce shortages. eHealth offers innovative and promising ways of providing healthcare, including remote and digital care. However, despite the potential of eHealth to transform healthcare and improve patient outcomes, its wide-spread adoption and implementation have been limited. One major obstacle is limited usage, often due to the insufficient engagement of end-users, including patients, in the early design phase. The dissertation underscores the importance of participatory design to actively involve users. Another challenge is the short-term usage of eHealth applications, often a result of inadequate user engagement. The integration of "Persuasive games," incorporating game elements to promote behavioural change, is suggested to enhance engagement and encourage sustained use. The digital divide presents a third challenge, affecting specific user groups like those with limited (e)health literacy. Bridging this gap necessitates not only access to digital technologies but also promoting ehealth literacy and involving users in eHealth development. Moreover, a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of eHealth interventions impedes widespread acceptance. Traditional research designs, like randomized clinical studies, often overlook the complexity of intervention contexts. The dissertation seeks to address these challenges through practical research projects, emphasizing participatory design, evaluating effectiveness in real-world settings, translating and assessing the eHealth Literacy questionnaire, and creating tools for effective knowledge transfer. Advocating for early end-user engagement and a critical review of existing research paradigms, the dissertation offers valuable insights for overcoming challenges and advancing eHealth for improved patient and healthcare outcomes. Show less
Hei, S.J. van de; Kim, C.H.; Honkoop, P.J.; Sont, J.K.; Schermer, T.R.J.; MacHale, E.; ... ; J.F.M. van boven 2023
BACKGROUND: Digital inhalers can monitor inhaler usage, support difficult-to-treat asthma management, and inform step-up treatment decisions yet their economic value is unknown, hampering wide... Show moreBACKGROUND: Digital inhalers can monitor inhaler usage, support difficult-to-treat asthma management, and inform step-up treatment decisions yet their economic value is unknown, hampering wide-scale implementation.OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the long-term cost-effective-ness of digital inhalerebased medication adherence management in difficult-to-treat asthma.METHODS: A model-based cost-utility analysis was performed. The Markov model structure was determined by biological and clinical understanding of asthma and was further informed by guideline-based assessment of model development. Internal and external validation was performed using the Assessment of the Validation Status of Health-Economic (AdViSHE) tool. The INCA (Inhaler Compliance Assessment) Sun randomized clinical trial data were incorporated into the model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of digital inhalers. Several long-term clin-ical case scenarios were assessed (reduced number of exacer-bations, increased asthma control, introduction of biosimilars [25% price-cut on biologics]). RESULTS: The long-term modelled cost-effectiveness based on a societal perspective indicated 1-year per-patient costs for digital inhalers and usual care (ie, regular inhalers) of euro7,546 ($7,946) and euro10,752 ($11,322), respectively, reflecting cost savings of euro3,207 ($3,377) for digital inhalers. Using a 10-year interven-tion duration and time horizon resulted in cost savings of euro26,309 ($27,703) for digital inhalers. In the first year, add-on biologic therapies accounted for 69% of the total costs in the usual care group and for 49% in the digital inhaler group. Scenario analyses indicated consistent cost savings ranging from euro2,287 ($2,408) (introduction biosimilars) to euro4,581 ($4,824) (increased control, decreased exacerbations). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with difficult-to-treat asthma, digital inhaler -based interventions can be cost-saving in the long-term by optimizing medication adherence and inhaler technique and reducing add-on biologic prescriptions.(c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Show less
Pericytes, the mural cells of blood microvessels, are important regulators of vascular morphogenesis and function that have been postulated to mechanically control microvascular diameter through as... Show morePericytes, the mural cells of blood microvessels, are important regulators of vascular morphogenesis and function that have been postulated to mechanically control microvascular diameter through as yet unknown mechanisms. Their disfunction has been implicated in several pathologies, including cerebral ischemia, Alzheimer's disease and diabetic retinopathy.To reveal mechanisms used by pericytes for mechanical interactions within microvessels we designed models bringing human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived pericytes in contact with various micropatterned substrates representing the microvascular basement membrane organization. Our findings shed light on how pericytes can mechanically regulate microvascular morphogenesis and function, and open possibilities for testing therapeutic strategies. Show less
Sigit, F.S.; Trompet, S.; Tahapary, D.L.; Harbuwono, D.S.; Cessie, S. le; Rosendaal, F.R.; Mutsert, R. de 2022
In this study, we aimed to investigate differences in lifestyle factors and prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Indonesian population between 2013 and 2018. In addition, we investigated... Show moreIn this study, we aimed to investigate differences in lifestyle factors and prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Indonesian population between 2013 and 2018. In addition, we investigated whether adherence to the 2015-released national healthy lifestyle guideline ('GERMAS') is associated with MetS in different sex, age, urban/rural, and BMI categories. We performed cross-sectional analyses in individuals aged > 15 of the 2013 (n = 34,274) and 2018 (n = 33,786) Indonesian National Health Surveys. A stratified, multi-stage, systematic random sampling design and the probability proportional to size method were used to select households in the 34 provinces across the country. MetS was defined according to the Joint Interim Statement Criteria, and adherence to 'GERMAS' guideline was defined as fulfilling the national healthy lifestyle recommendations of > 150 min/ week physical activity (PA), > 5 portions/day fruit and vegetable (FV), no smoking (NS), and no alcohol consumption (NA). We examined the associations of each lifestyle factor with MetS using logistic regression categorised by sex, age groups, urban/rural, and BMI, and adjusted for sociodemographic factors. We observed that men who adhered to the guideline had lower odds ratio of MetS [OR(95%CI) associated with PA: 0.85 (0.75-0.97); NA: 0.75(0.56-1.00)] than non-adherent men. Middle-aged adults who adhered to the guideline had lower OR of MetS [PA: 0.85(0.72-1.01); FV: 0.78(0.62-0.99); NA: 0.66(0.46-0.93)] than non-adherent adults < 45 years. The adherent urban population had lower OR of MetS [FV: 0.85(0.67-1.07); NA: 0.74(0.52-1.07)] than the non-adherent urban population. Those with overweight or obesity who adhered to the guideline had relatively lower odds of MetS than those who did not. In conclusion, in this nationally representative study, adherence to the 'GERMAS' guideline may confer cardiometabolic health benefits to several groups of the Indonesian population, particularly men, middle-aged, those with overweight and obesity, and potentially urban population. Show less
Background Ehealth platforms, since the outbreak of COVID-19 more important than ever, can support self-management in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The aim of this... Show moreBackground Ehealth platforms, since the outbreak of COVID-19 more important than ever, can support self-management in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The aim of this observational study is to explore the impact of healthcare professional involvement on the adherence of patients to an eHealth platform. We evaluated the usage of an eHealth platform by patients who used the platform individually compared with patients in a blended setting, where healthcare professionals were involved. Methods In this observational cohort study, log data from September 2011 until January 2018 were extracted from the eHealth platform Curavista. Patients with COPD who completed at least one Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) were included for analyses (n = 299). In 57% (n = 171) of the patients, the eHealth platform was used in a blended setting, either in hospital (n = 128) or primary care (n = 29). To compare usage of the platform between patients who used the platform independently or with a healthcare professional, we applied propensity score matching and performed adjusted Poisson regression analysis on CCQ-submission rate. Results Using the eHealth platform in a blended setting was associated with a 3.25 higher CCQ-submission rate compared to patients using the eHealth platform independently. Within the blended setting, the CCQ-submission rate was 1.83 higher in the hospital care group than in the primary care group. Conclusion It is shown that COPD patients used the platform more frequently in a blended care setting compared to patients who used the eHealth platform independently, adjusted for age, sex and disease burden. Blended care seems essential for adherence to eHealth programs in COPD, which in turn may improve self-management. Show less
In recent years, as more and more experience has been gained with prescribing direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), new research initiatives have emerged in the Netherlands to improve the safety and... Show moreIn recent years, as more and more experience has been gained with prescribing direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), new research initiatives have emerged in the Netherlands to improve the safety and appropriateness of DOAC treatment for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). These initiatives address several contemporary unresolved issues, such as inappropriate dosing, non-adherence and the long-term management of DOAC treatment. Dutch initiatives have also contributed to the development and improvement of risk prediction models. Although fewer bleeding complications (notably intracranial bleeding) are in general seen with DOACs in comparison with vitamin K antagonists, to successfully identify patients with high bleeding risk and to tailor anticoagulant treatment accordingly to mitigate this increased bleeding risk, is one of the research aims of recent and future years. This review highlights contributions from the Netherlands that aim to address these unresolved issues regarding the anticoagulant management in AF in daily practice, and provides a narrative overview of contemporary stroke and bleeding risk assessment strategies. Show less
Moseng, T.; Dagfinrud, H.; Bodegom-Vos, L. van; Dziedzic, K.; Hagen, K.B.; Natvig, B.; ... ; Osteras, N. 2020
BackgroundTo address the well-documented gap between hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) treatment recommendations and current clinical practice, a structured model for integrated OA care was... Show moreBackgroundTo address the well-documented gap between hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) treatment recommendations and current clinical practice, a structured model for integrated OA care was developed and evaluated in a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial. The current study used secondary outcomes to evaluate clinically important response to treatment through the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials clinical responder criteria (OMERACT-OARSI responder criteria) after 3 and 6months between patients receiving the structured OA care model vs. usual care. Secondly, the study aimed to investigate if the proportion of responders in the intervention group was influenced by adherence to the exercise program inherent in the model.MethodsThe study was conducted in primary healthcare in six Norwegian municipalities. General practitioners and physiotherapists received training in OA treatment recommendations and use of the structured model. The intervention group attended a physiotherapist-led OA education program and performed individually tailored exercises for 8-12weeks. The control group received usual care. Patient-reported pain, function and global assessment of disease activity during the last week were evaluated using 11-point numeric rating scales (NRS 0-10). These scores were used to calculate the proportion of OMERACT-OARSI responders. Two-level mixed logistic regression models were fitted to investigate differences in responders between the intervention and control group.ResultsTwo hundred eighty-four intervention and 109 control group participants with hip and knee OA recruited from primary care in six Norwegian municipalities. In total 47% of the intervention and 35% of the control group participants were responders at 3 or 6months combined; showing an uncertain between-group difference (ORadjusted 1.38 (95% CI 0.41, 4.67). In the intervention group, 184 participants completed the exercise programme (exercised >= 2 times/week for >= 8weeks) and 55% of these were classified as responders. In contrast, 28% of the 86 non-completers were classified as responders.ConclusionsThe difference in proportion of OMERACT-OARSI responders at 3 and 6months between the intervention and control group was uncertain. In the intervention group, a larger proportion of responders were seen among the exercise completers compared to the non-completers.Clinical trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02333656. Registered 7. January 2015. Show less
This thesis provides an overview of the application of clinical pharmacology to the field of gynecology in general and early phase clinical trials in particular. The first part describes the... Show moreThis thesis provides an overview of the application of clinical pharmacology to the field of gynecology in general and early phase clinical trials in particular. The first part describes the development of novel tools and biomarkers for intervention trials in HPV-induced disorders, i.e. common and plantar warts, anogenital warts and vulvar high grade intraepithelial lesion is described. The second part of the thesis focuses on the application and implementation of the tools and biomarkers into intervention trials with different investigational medicinal products. Show less
This thesis focused on the evaluation of an eHealth intervention for cognitive stroke rehabilitation and the perspectives of different stakeholders on the uptake of eRehabilitation in general. The... Show moreThis thesis focused on the evaluation of an eHealth intervention for cognitive stroke rehabilitation and the perspectives of different stakeholders on the uptake of eRehabilitation in general. The studies included in this thesis showed that there was no overall effect of an online brain training programme on cognitive functioning of patients with stroke. Only performances on cognitive function tests that were similar to the games included in the intervention improved, no near transfer effect was found. Moreover, usage of the training was suboptimal and not all of the patients were able to complete it. It would appear important to support stroke patients with CBCR training, since training is not well used by all patients. However, regarding patients’ ICT readiness, wishes and requirements it was also found that a relatively large amount of patients in rehabilitation wish to incorporate ICT in their rehabilitation treatment. In addition, developing tailored implementation strategies to implement eHealth in the bachelor curriculum of health professionals, based on the identified barriers and facilitators in this thesis is highly relevant to make sure that future health professionals are able to work with eHealth. Show less
Wang, W.X.; Lint, C.L. van; Brinkman, W.P.; Rovekamp, T.J.M.; Dijk, S. van; Boog, P. van der; Neerincx, M.A. 2019
Personalization of eHealth systems is a promising technique for improving patients' adherence. This paper explores the possibility of personalisation based on the patients' medical health situation... Show morePersonalization of eHealth systems is a promising technique for improving patients' adherence. This paper explores the possibility of personalisation based on the patients' medical health situation and on their health literacy. The study is set within the context of a self-management support system (SMSS) for renal transplant patients. A SMSS is designed with layering, nudging, emphaticizing, and focusing principles. It has two communication styles: (1) a guided style that provided more interpretation support and addressed emotional needs; and (2) a factual style that showed only measurement history, medical information, and recommendations. To evaluate the design, 49 renal transplant patients with three different experience levels participated in a lab study, in which they used the system in imaginary scenarios to deal with three medical health situations (alright, mild concern, and concern). A 96% understanding and 87% adherence rate was observed, with a significant interaction effect on adherence between patient group and health situation. Furthermore, compared to recently transplanted patients, not recently transplanted patients were relatively more positive towards the factual than the guided communication style in the "alright" condition. Furthermore, additional medical information was searched more often in health situations that causes mild concern and a majority of patients did not change the communication style to their preferred styles. By attuning the communication style to patient's experience and medical health situation according to the applied principles and acquired insights, SMSSs are expected to be better used. Show less
Kuipers, E.; Wensing, M.; Smet, P. de; Teichert, M. 2017
Background As maintenance of lifestyle change and risk factor modification following completion of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been shown to be notoriously difficult, we developed a brief self... Show moreBackground As maintenance of lifestyle change and risk factor modification following completion of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been shown to be notoriously difficult, we developed a brief self-regulation lifestyle program for post-CR patients. Design Randomized-controlled trial. Method Following completion of CR 210 patients were randomized to receive either a lifestyle maintenance program (n=112) or standard care (n=98). The program was based on self-regulation principles and consisted of a motivational interview, 7 group sessions and home assignments. Risk factors and health behaviors were assessed at baseline (end of CR), and 6 and 15 months thereafter. Results ANCOVAs showed a significant effect of the lifestyle program after 6 months on blood pressure, waist circumference and exercise behavior, only the latter of which remained significant at follow-up (15 months). Mediation analysis demonstrated that the treatment effect on exercise behavior could be explained by an effect on self-regulation skills. Furthermore, the lifestyle intervention program was associated with a 12% reduction in self-reported cardiac hospital admission rates. In addition, patients in the intervention group had significantly fewer uncontrolled risk factors as compared to the control group. However, there was only a long-term beneficial intervention effect on obesity and physical inactivity, but not on other individual risk factors (increased waist circumference, raised blood pressure, raised TC/HDLC-ratio and smoking). Conclusion This trial indicates that a relatively brief, theory-based lifestyle program is capable of inciting and maintaining improvements in exercise adherence. It is suggested that patients may need ongoing attention and guidance, for example in the form of (internet-based) booster sessions, as long-term consolidation of changes is arduous. Show less
Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen responsible for outbreaks of infection worldwide. The studies presented in this thesis aimed to gain further insight into the bacterial... Show moreAcinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen responsible for outbreaks of infection worldwide. The studies presented in this thesis aimed to gain further insight into the bacterial and host factors associated with the pathogenesis of A. baumannii to seek an explanation for the clinical success of A. baumannii. We demonstrated that both A. baumannii and less virulent Acinetobacter species can adhere to surfaces and form a biofilm, albeit with a wide variation among strains of each species. These results first of all show that a single strain is not representative for the species. Secondly, the presence of many virulence attributes in both clinically relevant and less-relevant strains indicates that the clinical success of A. baumannii cannot be explained by these virulence factors alone. Moreover, our results suggest that the outcome of infection depends mainly on the host. In this respect, a specific host innate immune response induced by different A. baumannii strains was associated with the outcome of A. baumannii pneumonia. Thus, the ability of certain A. baumannii strains to induce specific immune responses in susceptible hosts in combination with their metabolic versatility and a MDR phenotype are likely to be important features associated with the clinical success of this pathogen. Show less
In spite of the well-demonstrated benefits for patients, 20-40% of the patients with COPD who are referred to a pulmonary rehabilitation programme do not complete treatment. The aim of this thesis... Show moreIn spite of the well-demonstrated benefits for patients, 20-40% of the patients with COPD who are referred to a pulmonary rehabilitation programme do not complete treatment. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the association of illness perceptions and treatment beliefs with treatment adherence and treatment outcomes, using the Common Sense Model (Leventhal et al., 1980) and the Necessity-Concerns Framework (Horne, 2003) as theoretical background. Our studies showed that attendance, but not drop-out during pulmonary rehabilitation was positively related to patients__ belief that their condition could be improved by treatment. Results also demonstrated that a positive evaluation of the outcomes of treatment led patients to adopt more optimistic illness perceptions, in particular the perceived controllability and variability of the symptoms and the consequences of the illness. With regard to specific ideas about exercise, results showed that concerns about the possible adverse consequences of training were negatively related to patients__ exercise test performance at baseline. For patients with mild-to-moderate COPD, these concerns also had a negative impact on response to training. We conclude that patients__ perceptions of illness and treatment are important for understanding adherence and treatment outcomes, and should be considered as possible treatment objective for the individual patient. Show less
