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Vos B, Debouverie L, Doggen K, Delvaux N, Aertgeerts B, De Schreye R, Vaes B. Monitoring COVID-19 in Belgian general practice: A tool for syndromic surveillance based on electronic health records. Eur J Gen Pract 2024; 30:2293699. [PMID: 38186340 PMCID: PMC10776082 DOI: 10.1080/13814788.2023.2293699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 may initially manifest as flu-like symptoms. As such, general practitioners (GPs) will likely to play an important role in monitoring the pandemic through syndromic surveillance. OBJECTIVES To present a COVID-19 syndromic surveillance tool in Belgian general practices. METHODS We performed a nationwide observational prospective study in Belgian general practices. The surveillance tool extracted the daily entries of diagnostic codes for COVID-19 and associated conditions (suspected or confirmed COVID-19, acute respiratory infection and influenza-like illness) from electronic medical records. We calculated the 7-day rolling average for these diagnoses and compared them with data from two other Belgian population-based sources (laboratory-confirmed new COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions for COVID-19), using time series analysis. We also collected data from users and stakeholders about the syndromic surveillance tool and performed a thematic analysis. RESULTS 4773 out of 11,935 practising GPs in Belgium participated in the study. The curve of contacts for suspected COVID-19 followed a similar trend compared with the curves of the official data sources: laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions but with a 10-day delay for the latter. Data were quickly available and useful for decision making, but some technical and methodological components can be improved, such as a greater standardisation between EMR software developers. CONCLUSION The syndromic surveillance tool for COVID-19 in primary care provides rapidly available data useful in all phases of the COVID-19 pandemic to support data-driven decision-making. Potential enhancements were identified for a prospective surveillance tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bénédicte Vos
- Health Services Research, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Kris Doggen
- Health Services Research, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Delvaux
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Huang IH, Schol J, Lin G, Chen YJ, Carbone F, Vaes B, Tack J. Epidemiology of functional dyspepsia and gastroparesis as diagnosed in Flemish-Belgian primary care: A registry-based study from the Intego database. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2024; 36:e14778. [PMID: 38462669 DOI: 10.1111/nmo.14778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dyspepsia is a prevalent condition in the general population. Besides organic causes, the differential diagnosis of dyspepsia includes functional dyspepsia (FD) and gastroparesis (GP) which share similar pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical presentation. So far, no study investigated the prevalence of FD and GP in a primary care in Belgium. METHODS Data were obtained from Intego, a Flemish-Belgian general practice-based morbidity registration network. From 586,164 patients between 2000 and 2021, we selected patients with ICD-10 code for FD and GP. Patients with organic gastrointestinal diseases were excluded. We determined demographics and comorbidities of FD/GP. For prevalence and incidence calculation, we included those who consulted their general practitioners at least once in the given year. Pair-wise comparison was conducted to access the impact of comorbidities on risk of FD/GP. KEY RESULTS Between 2011 and 2021, the prevalence of FD/GP ranged from 1.03% to 1.21%. The incidence of FD/GP ranged from 109 to 142 per 100,000 adults. In total 5242 cases of FD/GP were identified. These cases shared commonly coexisting diagnoses of gastroesophageal reflux disease (18.8%), irritable bowel syndrome (17.1%), and chronic constipation (18.7%). Patients with somatization/anxiety/depression had significantly higher risk of FD/GP, compared to the control (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.19-1.61, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES The prevalence (1.03%-1.21%) and incidence (109-142/100,000) of FD/GP in primary care over last decade appear to conflict with epidemiological research in the general population. The discrepancies suggest a potential lack of awareness of FD and GP among physicians and/or patients in Flemish-Belgium.
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Affiliation(s)
- I-Hsuan Huang
- Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jolien Schol
- Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Guohao Lin
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yaozhu J Chen
- Global Evidence and Outcomes, Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Florencia Carbone
- Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Tack
- Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Van den Wyngaert I, Van Pottelbergh G, Coteur K, Vaes B, Van den Bulck S. Developing a questionnaire to evaluate an automated audit & feedback intervention: a Rand-modified Delphi method. BMC Health Serv Res 2024; 24:433. [PMID: 38581009 PMCID: PMC10998400 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-10915-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Audit and feedback (A&F) is a widely used implementation strategy to evaluate and improve medical practice. The optimal design of an A&F system is uncertain and structured process evaluations are currently lacking. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to evaluate the use of automated A&F systems. METHODS Based on the Clinical Performance Feedback Intervention Theory (CP-FIT) and the REFLECT-52 (REassessing audit & Feedback interventions: a tooL for Evaluating Compliance with suggested besT practices) evaluation tool a questionnaire was designed for the purpose of evaluating automated A&F systems. A Rand-modified Delphi method was used to develop the process evaluation and obtain validation. Fourteen experts from different domains in primary care consented to participate and individually scored the questions on a 9-point Likert scale. Afterwards, the questions were discussed in a consensus meeting. After approval, the final questionnaire was compiled. RESULTS A 34-question questionnaire composed of 57 items was developed and presented to the expert panel. The consensus meeting resulted in a selection of 31 questions, subdivided into 43 items. A final list of 30 questions consisting of 42 items was obtained. CONCLUSION A questionnaire consisting of 30 questions was drawn up for the assessment and improvement of automated A&F systems, based on CP-FIT and REFLECT-52 theory and approved by experts. Next steps will be piloting and implementation of the questionnaire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ine Van den Wyngaert
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Gijs Van Pottelbergh
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kristien Coteur
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Steve Van den Bulck
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Research Group Healthcare and Ethics, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, UHasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium
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Ares-Blanco S, Guisado-Clavero M, Del Rio LR, Larrondo IG, Fitzgerald L, Murauskienė L, López NP, Perjés Á, Petek D, Petrazzuoli F, Petricek G, Sattler M, Saurek-Aleksandrovska N, Senn O, Seifert B, Serafini A, Sentker T, Ticmane G, Tiili P, Torzsa P, Valtonen K, Vaes B, Vinker S, Adler L, Assenova R, Bakola M, Bayen S, Brutskaya-Stempkovskaya E, Busneag IC, Divjak AĆ, Peña MD, Díaz E, Domeyer PR, Feldmane S, Gjorgjievski D, Gómez-Johansson M, de la Fuente ÁG, Hanževački M, Hoffmann K, Ільков О, Ivanna S, Jandrić-Kočić M, Karathanos VT, Üçüncü EK, Kirkovski A, Knežević S, Korkmaz BÇ, Kostić M, Krztoń-Królewiecka A, Kozlovska L, Nessler K, Gómez-Bravo R, Peña MPA, Lingner H. Primary care indicators for disease burden, monitoring and surveillance of COVID-19 in 31 European countries: Eurodata Study. Eur J Public Health 2024; 34:402-410. [PMID: 38326993 PMCID: PMC10990533 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckad224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of patients received ambulatory treatment, highlighting the importance of primary health care (PHC). However, there is limited knowledge regarding PHC workload in Europe during this period. The utilization of COVID-19 PHC indicators could facilitate the efficient monitoring and coordination of the pandemic response. The objective of this study is to describe PHC indicators for disease surveillance and monitoring of COVID-19's impact in Europe. METHODS Descriptive, cross-sectional study employing data obtained through a semi-structured ad hoc questionnaire, which was collectively agreed upon by all participants. The study encompasses PHC settings in 31 European countries from March 2020 to August 2021. Key-informants from each country answered the questionnaire. Main outcome: the identification of any indicator used to describe PHC COVID-19 activity. RESULTS Out of the 31 countries surveyed, data on PHC information were obtained from 14. The principal indicators were: total number of cases within PHC (Belarus, Cyprus, Italy, Romania and Spain), number of follow-up cases (Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Spain and Turkey), GP's COVID-19 tests referrals (Poland), proportion of COVID-19 cases among respiratory illnesses consultations (Norway and France), sick leaves issued by GPs (Romania and Spain) and examination and complementary tests (Cyprus). All COVID-19 cases were attended in PHC in Belarus and Italy. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic exposes a crucial deficiency in preparedness for infectious diseases in European health systems highlighting the inconsistent recording of indicators within PHC organizations. PHC standardized indicators and public data accessibility are urgently needed, conforming the foundation for an effective European-level health services response framework against future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Ares-Blanco
- Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain; Medical Specialties and Public Health, School of Health Sciences, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marina Guisado-Clavero
- Investigation Support Multidisciplinary Unit for Primary care and Community North Area of Madrid, Gerencia Asistencial Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lourdes Ramos Del Rio
- Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial de Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ileana Gefaell Larrondo
- Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial de Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain
| | - Louise Fitzgerald
- Member of Irish College of General Practice (MICGP), Member of Royal College of Physician (MRCSI), Dublin, Ireland
| | - Liubovė Murauskienė
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Naldy Parodi López
- Närhälsan Kungshöjd Health Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ábel Perjés
- Department of Family Medicine at the University of Semmelweis, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Davorina Petek
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ferdinando Petrazzuoli
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Centre for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Goranka Petricek
- Department of Family Medicine “Andrija Stampar” School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia; Health Centre Zagreb West, Croatia
| | | | | | - Oliver Senn
- Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bohumil Seifert
- Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of General Practice, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alice Serafini
- Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale di Modena, Laboratorio EduCare, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Theresa Sentker
- Center for Public Health and Healthcare, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gunta Ticmane
- Department of Family Medicine at Riga Stradiņš University, Riga, Latvia; Member of the board of the Rural Family Doctors’ Association of Latvia, Latvia
| | - Paula Tiili
- Communicable Diseases and Infection Control Unit, City of Vantaa, Vantaa. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Péter Torzsa
- Department of Family Medicine at the University of Semmelweis, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kirsi Valtonen
- Communicable Diseases and Infection Control Unit, City of Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Shlomo Vinker
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. WONCA Europe President, Israel
| | - Limor Adler
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Radost Assenova
- Department Urology and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Maria Bakola
- Research Unit for General Medicine and Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Science, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Sabine Bayen
- Department of General Practice, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | | | | | | | - Maryher Delphin Peña
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Hôpitaux Robert Schuman, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Esperanza Díaz
- Pandemic Center, Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Norwegian National Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Sabine Feldmane
- Department of Family Medicine, Rīga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia
| | | | | | | | - Miroslav Hanževački
- Department of Family Medicine “Andrija Stampar” School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia; Health Centre Zagreb West, Croatia
| | - Kathryn Hoffmann
- Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Med. University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Оксана Ільков
- Department of Family Medicine and Outpatient Care, Medical Faculty 2, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine
| | - Shushman Ivanna
- Department of Family Medicine and Outpatient Care, Medical Faculty 2, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine
| | | | - Vasilis Trifon Karathanos
- Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina- Greece; GHS, Larnaca, Cyprus
| | - Erva Kirkoç Üçüncü
- Department of Family Medicine, Prof. Dr Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Aleksandar Kirkovski
- Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia
| | | | | | - Milena Kostić
- Health Center “Dr Đorđe Kovačević”, Lazarevac, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Liga Kozlovska
- Department of Family Medicine of Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia; President of the Rural Family Doctors' Association of Latvia
| | - Katarzyna Nessler
- Department of Family Medicine UJCM at Uniwersytet Jagielloński - Collegium Medicum, Kraków, Poland
| | - Raquel Gómez-Bravo
- CHNP, Rehaklinik, Ettelbruck, Luxembourg; Research Group Self-Regulation and Health, Institute for Health and Behaviour, Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences, Luxembourg University, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - María Pilar Astier Peña
- Technical Advisor for Quality and Safety, Territorial Healthcare Quality Unit, Territorial Healthcare Direction of Camp de Tarragona, Healthcare Institut of Catalonia, Health Departament, Generalitat de Catalunya GIBA-IIS-Aragón, Catalunya, Spain; Chair of Patient Safety Working Party of semFYC (Spanish Society for Family and Community Medicine) and Quality and Safety in Family Medicine of WONCA World (Global Family Doctors), Board Member of WONCA World and SECA (Spanish Society for Healthcare Quality), Spain
| | - Heidrun Lingner
- Center for Public Health and Healthcare, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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Beerten SG, De Pauw R, Van Pottelbergh G, Casas L, Vaes B. Assessing mental health from registry data: What is the best proxy? Int J Med Inform 2024; 183:105340. [PMID: 38244479 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Medical registries frequently underestimate the prevalence of health problems compared with surveys. This study aimed to determine the registry variables that can serve as a proxy for variables studied in a mental health survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS Prevalences of depressive symptoms, anxiety and psychoactive medication use from the 2018 Belgian Health Interview Survey (HIS) were compared with same-year prevalences from INTEGO, a Belgian primary care registry. Participants aged 15 and above were included. We assessed correlation using Spearman's rho (SR), and agreement using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). We also calculated the limits of agreement (LOAs) for each comparison. HIS questions about depressive symptoms, anxiety and psychoactive medication use were compared with the following variables from INTEGO: symptom codes, diagnosis codes, free text, antidepressant/benzodiazepine prescriptions and the combinations symptom + diagnosis codes and symptom + diagnosis codes + free text, wherever relevant. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Correlation between the HIS and INTEGO was generally high, except for anxiety. Agreement ranged from fair to poor, but increased when combining certain variables, by including free text, or by increasing the prescription frequency to resemble chronic use. Agreement remained poor when comparing questions about anxiety. Prevalences from INTEGO were mostly underestimates. CONCLUSION The external validity of medical registries can be poor, especially compared with survey data. A considerate choice of variables and prescription chronicity is needed to accurately use a registry as a surveillance tool for mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lidia Casas
- Social Epidemiology and Health Policy, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Raat W, Housiaux E, Smeets M, Janssens S, Schoenmakers B, Vaes B. How to Evaluate Online Education for General Practitioners: Development of a Tailored Questionnaire for Heart Failure Education. J Med Educ Curric Dev 2024; 11:23821205241232497. [PMID: 38464745 PMCID: PMC10924759 DOI: 10.1177/23821205241232497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Physician-oriented online education could be a pathway to improve care for patients with heart failure, however, it is difficult to measure the impact of such education. Self-efficacy is a potential outcome measure. In this article, we develop a methodology for analyzing an educational intervention for general practitioners (GPs) using self-efficacy as a concept. This study was partly conducted within the setting of an observational study, IMPACT-B, where we developed online education for GPs. We designed and refined a 24-item questionnaire using item analysis, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Ninety-one GPs completed the questionnaire before and after the online education. Follow-up data after 6 months was available for 13 GPs. Item analysis revealed a high degree of internal consistency (coefficient alpha 0.95) and validity. Each additional year of experience was associated with an average baseline self-efficacy score of 0.50 points (95% CI [0.21-0.80]), and each additional patient in HF follow-up with an average score of 2.0 points (95% CI [0.48-3.5]). Items that differentiated most between GPs with high and low self-efficacy were the treatment of congestion as well as titrating medication and MRA in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Factor analysis reduced the number of questions to 14, mapping to three factors (diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up), and improved the model fit as measured by the goodness-of-fit indicator comparative-fit-index (from 0.83 to 0.91). We demonstrated a method to assess the impact of online education on general practitioners. This led to a questionnaire that was reliable, valid, and convenient to use in an implementation context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem Raat
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Evelyne Housiaux
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Miek Smeets
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stefan Janssens
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Mamouris P, Nassiri V, Verbeke G, Janssens A, Vaes B, Molenberghs G. A longitudinal transition imputation model for categorical data applied to a large registry dataset. Stat Med 2023; 42:5405-5418. [PMID: 37752860 DOI: 10.1002/sim.9919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Imputation of longitudinal categorical covariates with several waves and many predictors is cumbersome in terms of implausible transitions, colinearity, and overfitting. We designed a simulation study with data obtained from a general practitioners' morbidity registry in Belgium for three waves, with smoking as the longitudinal covariate of interest. We set varying proportions of data on smoking to missing completely at random and missing not at random with proportions of missingness equal to 10%, 30%, 50%, and 70%. This study proposed a 3-stage approach that allows flexibility when imputing time-dependent categorical covariates. First, multiple imputation using fully conditional specification or multiple imputation for the predictor variables was deployed using the wide format such that previous and future information of the same patient was utilized. Second, a joint Markov transition model for initial, forward, backward, and intermittent probabilities was developed for each imputed dataset. Finally, this transition model was used for imputation. We compared the performance of this methodology with an analyses of the complete data and with listwise deletion in terms of bias and root mean square error. Next, we applied this methodology in a clinical case for years 2017 to 2021, where we estimated the effect of several covariates on the pneumococcal vaccination. This methodological framework ensures that the plausibility of transitions is preserved, overfitting and colinearity issues are resolved, and confounders can be utilized. Finally, a companion R package was developed to enable the replication and easy application of this methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavlos Mamouris
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Geert Verbeke
- I-BioStat, KU Leuven University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- I-BioStat, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Arne Janssens
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Geert Molenberghs
- I-BioStat, KU Leuven University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- I-BioStat, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
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Hias J, Hellemans L, Nuyts S, Vaes B, Rygaert X, Tournoy J, Van der Linden L. Predictors for unplanned hospital admissions in community dwelling adults: A dynamic cohort study. Res Social Adm Pharm 2023; 19:1432-1439. [PMID: 37573152 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polypharmacy and inappropriate medication use are associated with unplanned hospital admissions. Targeted interventions might reduce the hospitalization risk. Yet, it remains unclear which patient profiles derive the largest benefit from such interventions. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine independent risk factors, among which polypharmacy, for unplanned hospital admissions in a cohort of community dwelling adults. METHODS A retrospective study was performed using a large general practice registry and an insurance database in Flanders, Belgium. Community dwelling adults aged 40 years or older with data for 2013-2015 were included. The index date was the last general practitioner contact in 2014. Determinants were collected during the preceding year. Unplanned hospital admissions were determined during the year after the index date. Univariable logistic regression models were fitted on each risk factor for an unplanned hospital admission as the primary outcome. Two multivariable models were derived. RESULTS In total, 40411 patients were included and 2126 (5.26%) experienced an unplanned hospital admission. Mean age was 58.3 (±12.3) years. The two models identified the following determinants for an unplanned hospital admission: excessive polypharmacy, older age, male sex, number of comorbidities, atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or stroke, low hemoglobin, use of hypnotics, antipsychotics, antidepressants or antiepileptics and prior hospital and general practitioner visits. Prior hospital visits was the largest determinant. CONCLUSIONS In our study we identified and confirmed the presence of known determinants for unplanned hospital admissions in community dwelling adults, most of which align with a geriatric phenotype. Our findings can inform the allocation of interventions aiming to reduce unplanned hospital admissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Hias
- Pharmacy Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Laura Hellemans
- Pharmacy Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Research Foundation Flanders - FWO, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Shauni Nuyts
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics Centre (L-BioStat), Leuven, Belgium; Academic Centre of General Practice, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Academic Centre of General Practice, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Jos Tournoy
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Geriatric Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lorenz Van der Linden
- Pharmacy Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Guisado-Clavero M, Ares-Blanco S, Serafini A, Del Rio LR, Larrondo IG, Fitzgerald L, Vinker S, van Pottebergh G, Valtonen K, Vaes B, Yilmaz CT, Torzsa P, Tilli P, Sentker T, Seifert B, Saurek-Aleksandrovska N, Sattler M, Petricek G, Petrazzuoli F, Petek D, Perjés Á, López NP, Neves AL, Murauskienė L, Lingner H, Nessler K, Heleno B, Krztoń-Królewiecka A, Kostić M, Korkmaz BÇ, Knežević S, Kirkovski A, Karathanos VT, Jandrić-Kočić M, Ivanna S, Ільков О, Hoffmann K, Hanževački M, Gómez-Johansson M, Gjorgjievski D, Domeyer PRJ, Peña MD, Divjak AĆ, Busneag IC, Brutskaya-Stempkovskaya E, Bayen S, Bakola M, Adler L, Assenova R, Astier-Peña MP, Gómez Bravo R. The role of primary health care in long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in 30 European countries: a retrospective descriptive study (Eurodata study). Prim Health Care Res Dev 2023; 24:e60. [PMID: 37873623 PMCID: PMC10594530 DOI: 10.1017/s1463423623000312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Primary health care (PHC) supported long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in attending COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study is to describe the role of PHC in LTCFs in Europe during the early phase of the pandemic. METHODS Retrospective descriptive study from 30 European countries using data from September 2020 collected with an ad hoc semi-structured questionnaire. Related variables are SARS-CoV-2 testing, contact tracing, follow-up, additional testing, and patient care. RESULTS Twenty-six out of the 30 European countries had PHC involvement in LTCFs during the COVID-19 pandemic. PHC participated in initial medical care in 22 countries, while, in 15, PHC was responsible for SARS-CoV-2 test along with other institutions. Supervision of individuals in isolation was carried out mostly by LTCF staff, but physical examination or symptom's follow-up was performed mainly by PHC. CONCLUSION PHC has participated in COVID-19 pandemic assistance in LTCFs in coordination with LTCF staff, public health officers, and hospitals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Guisado-Clavero
- Investigation Support Multidisciplinary Unit for Primary Health Care and
Community North Area of Madrid, Madrid,
Spain
| | - Sara Ares-Blanco
- Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial
Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid,
Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio
Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alice Serafini
- Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale di Modena; Laboratorio EduCare,
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia,
Italy
| | - Lourdes Ramos Del Rio
- Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial de
Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid,
Spain
| | - Ileana Gefaell Larrondo
- Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial de
Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid,
Spain
| | - Louise Fitzgerald
- Member of Irish College of General Practice (MICGP), Member
of Royal College of Physician (MRCSI), Ireland
| | - Shlomo Vinker
- Department of Family Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine,
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv,
Israel; WONCA Europe President
| | - Gijs van Pottebergh
- Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, KU
Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kirsi Valtonen
- Communicable Diseases and Infection Control Unit, City of
Vantaa and University of Helsinki, Helsinki,
Finland
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, KU
Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Canan Tuz Yilmaz
- Lecturer, Bursa Uludağ University, Family
Medicine Department, Turkey
| | - Péter Torzsa
- Department of Family Medicine, Semmelweis
University, Hungary
| | - Paula Tilli
- Communicable Diseases and Infection Control Unit, City of
Vantaa and University of Helsinki, Helsinki,
Finland
| | | | - Bohumil Seifert
- Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of
General Practice, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Goranka Petricek
- Department of Family Medicine “Andrija Stampar” School of Public Health,
School of Medicine, University of Zagreb,
Croatia; Health Centre Zagreb West, Croatia
| | - Ferdinando Petrazzuoli
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Centre for Primary Health Care
Research, Lund University, Malmö,
Sweden
| | - Davorina Petek
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia;
Chairperson of EGPRN
| | - Ábel Perjés
- Department of Family Medicine, University of
Semmelweis, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Naldy Parodi López
- Närhälsan Kungshöjd Health Centre, Gothenburg,
Sweden; Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy,
University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg,
Sweden
| | - Ana Luisa Neves
- Imperial College London, United Kingdom;
Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto,
Portugal
| | - Liubovė Murauskienė
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of
Medicine, Vilnius University, Lithuania
| | - Heidrun Lingner
- Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, OE 5430, Carl Neuberg Str. 1,
30625Hannover, Germany
| | - Katarzyna Nessler
- Department of Family Medicine, UJCM at Uniwersytet
Jagielloński – Collegium Medicum, Poland
| | - Bruno Heleno
- Comprehensive Health Research Center, NOVA Medical School,
Universidade Nova de Lisboa; USF das Conchas,
Regional Health Administration Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Lisbon,
Portugal
| | | | - Milena Kostić
- Health Center “Dr Đorđe Kovačević”, Lazarevac,
Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | | | - Aleksandar Kirkovski
- Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius
University, Skopje, North Macedonia
| | - Vasilis Trifon Karathanos
- Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical Department, Faculty of
Health Sciences, University of Ioannina-Greece; Family Doctor,
GHS, Larnaca, Cyprus
| | | | - Shushman Ivanna
- Department of Family Medicine and Outpatient Care,
UZHNU, Medical Faculty 2, Ukraine
| | - Оксана Ільков
- Department of Family Medicine and Outpatient Care, Medical Faculty 2,
Uzhhorod National University, Ukraine
| | - Kathryn Hoffmann
- Associate Professor and Medical Doctor for General Practice and Primary
Care, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Miroslav Hanževački
- Department of Family Medicine “Andrija Stampar” School of Public Health,
School of Medicine, University of Zagreb,
Croatia; Health Centre Zagreb West, Croatia
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Iliana-Carmen Busneag
- “Spiru Haret” University, Practising Family Doctor, Occupational
Health Expert, Bucharest, Romania
| | | | - Sabine Bayen
- Department of General Practice, University of Lille,
UFR3S, France
| | - Maria Bakola
- Research Unit for General Medicine and Primary Health Care, Faculty of
Medicine, School of Health Science, University of Ioannina,
Ioannina, Greece
| | - Limor Adler
- Department of Family Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine,
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv,
Israel
| | - Radost Assenova
- Department Urology and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine,
Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - María Pilar Astier-Peña
- Healthcare Quality Technical Assistant, Territorial Quality Unit, Camp de
Tarragona Healthcare Directorate, Catalan Institute of Health,
Catalonia Government, Spain; Semfyc, Wonca World Executive Board,
University of Zaragoza, GIBA IIS Aragon,
Spain
| | - Raquel Gómez Bravo
- Centre Hospitalier Neuro-Psychiatrique, CHNP,
Rehaklinik, Ettelbruck, Luxembourg
- Research Group Self-Regulation and Health; Institute for Health and
Behaviour, Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Faculty of Humanities,
Education, and Social Sciences, Luxembourg University,
Luxembourg
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10
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Xu Y, Derakhshan A, Hysaj O, Wildisen L, Ittermann T, Pingitore A, Abolhassani N, Medici M, Kiemeney LALM, Riksen NP, Dullaart RPF, Trompet S, Dörr M, Brown SJ, Schmidt B, Führer-Sakel D, Vanderpump MPJ, Muendlein A, Drexel H, Fink HA, Ikram MK, Kavousi M, Rhee CM, Bensenor IM, Azizi F, Hankey GJ, Iacoviello M, Imaizumi M, Ceresini G, Ferrucci L, Sgarbi JA, Bauer DC, Wareham N, Boelaert K, Bakker SJL, Jukema JW, Vaes B, Iervasi G, Yeap BB, Westendorp RGJ, Korevaar TIM, Völzke H, Razvi S, Gussekloo J, Walsh JP, Cappola AR, Rodondi N, Peeters RP, Chaker L. The optimal healthy ranges of thyroid function defined by the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality: systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2023; 11:743-754. [PMID: 37696273 PMCID: PMC10866328 DOI: 10.1016/s2213-8587(23)00227-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reference intervals of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) are statistically defined by the 2·5-97·5th percentiles, without accounting for potential risk of clinical outcomes. We aimed to define the optimal healthy ranges of TSH and FT4 based on the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. METHODS This systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis identified eligible prospective cohorts through the Thyroid Studies Collaboration, supplemented with a systematic search via Embase, MEDLINE (Ovid), Web of science, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google Scholar from Jan 1, 2011, to Feb 12, 2017 with an updated search to Oct 13, 2022 (cohorts found in the second search were not included in the IPD). We included cohorts that collected TSH or FT4, and cardiovascular outcomes or mortality for adults (aged ≥18 years). We excluded cohorts that included solely pregnant women, individuals with overt thyroid diseases, and individuals with cardiovascular disease. We contacted the study investigators of eligible cohorts to provide IPD on demographics, TSH, FT4, thyroid peroxidase antibodies, history of cardiovascular disease and risk factors, medication use, cardiovascular disease events, cardiovascular disease mortality, and all-cause mortality. The primary outcome was a composite outcome including cardiovascular disease events (coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure) and all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were the separate assessment of cardiovascular disease events, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality. We performed one-step (cohort-stratified Cox models) and two-step (random-effects models) meta-analyses adjusting for age, sex, smoking, systolic blood pressure, diabetes, and total cholesterol. The study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42017057576. FINDINGS We identified 3935 studies, of which 53 cohorts fulfilled the inclusion criteria and 26 cohorts agreed to participate. We included IPD on 134 346 participants with a median age of 59 years (range 18-106) at baseline. There was a J-shaped association of FT4 with the composite outcome and secondary outcomes, with the 20th (median 13·5 pmol/L [IQR 11·2-13·9]) to 40th percentiles (median 14·8 pmol/L [12·3-15·0]) conveying the lowest risk. Compared with the 20-40th percentiles, the age-adjusted and sex-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for FT4 in the 80-100th percentiles was 1·20 (95% CI 1·11-1·31) for the composite outcome, 1·34 (1·20-1·49) for all-cause mortality, 1·57 (1·31-1·89) for cardiovascular disease mortality, and 1·22 (1·11-1·33) for cardiovascular disease events. In individuals aged 70 years and older, the 10-year absolute risk of composite outcome increased over 5% for women with FT4 greater than the 85th percentile (median 17·6 pmol/L [IQR 15·0-18·3]), and men with FT4 greater than the 75th percentile (16·7 pmol/L [14·0-17·4]). Non-linear associations were identified for TSH, with the 60th (median 1·90 mIU/L [IQR 1·68-2·25]) to 80th percentiles (2·90 mIU/L [2·41-3·32]) associated with the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Compared with the 60-80th percentiles, the age-adjusted and sex-adjusted HR of TSH in the 0-20th percentiles was 1·07 (95% CI 1·02-1·12) for the composite outcome, 1·09 (1·05-1·14) for all-cause mortality, and 1·07 (0·99-1·16) for cardiovascular disease mortality. INTERPRETATION There was a J-shaped association of FT4 with cardiovascular disease and mortality. Low concentrations of TSH were associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality. The 20-40th percentiles of FT4 and the 60-80th percentiles of TSH could represent the optimal healthy ranges of thyroid function based on the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, with more than 5% increase of 10-year composite risk identified for FT4 greater than the 85th percentile in women and men older than 70 years. We propose a feasible approach to establish the optimal healthy ranges of thyroid function, allowing for better identification of individuals with a higher risk of thyroid-related outcomes. FUNDING None.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanning Xu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Arash Derakhshan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ola Hysaj
- Institute of Primary Health Care, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lea Wildisen
- Institute of Primary Health Care, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Till Ittermann
- Institute for Community Medicine, Clinical-Epidemiological Research, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Partner site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | | | - Marco Medici
- Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Lambertus A L M Kiemeney
- Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department for Health Evidence, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Niels P Riksen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Robin P F Dullaart
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Stella Trompet
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
| | - Marcus Dörr
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Partner site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine B, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Suzanne J Brown
- Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Börge Schmidt
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Dagmar Führer-Sakel
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | | | - Axel Muendlein
- Vorarlberg Institute for Vascular Investigation and Treatment, Feldkirch, Austria
| | - Heinz Drexel
- Vorarlberg Institute for Vascular Investigation and Treatment, Feldkirch, Austria; Private University of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Triesen, Liechtenstein; Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Howard A Fink
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Healthcare System, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - M Kamran Ikram
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Maryam Kavousi
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Connie M Rhee
- Harold Simmons Center for Chronic Disease Research and Epidemiology, University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Isabela M Bensenor
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fereidoun Azizi
- Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Graeme J Hankey
- The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Massimo Iacoviello
- Cardiology Unit, Cardiothoracic Department, University Polyclinic Hospital of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Misa Imaizumi
- Department of Clinical Studies, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Graziano Ceresini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Internal Medicine and Onco-Endocrinology, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Luigi Ferrucci
- Longitudinal Studies Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - José A Sgarbi
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Faculdade de Medicina de Marília, Marília, Brazil
| | - Douglas C Bauer
- Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nick Wareham
- Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kristien Boelaert
- Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephan J L Bakker
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - J Wouter Jukema
- Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands; Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Giorgio Iervasi
- National Research Council Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy
| | - Bu B Yeap
- The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Rudi G J Westendorp
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tim I M Korevaar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Henry Völzke
- Institute for Community Medicine, Clinical-Epidemiological Research, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Partner site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Salman Razvi
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Jacobijn Gussekloo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
| | - John P Walsh
- Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, WA, Australia; The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Anne R Cappola
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nicolas Rodondi
- Institute of Primary Health Care, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Robin P Peeters
- Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Layal Chaker
- Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
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11
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Mills SJ, Kirby GT, Hofma BR, Smith LE, Statham P, Vaes B, Ting AE, Short R, Cowin AJ. Delivery of multipotent adult progenitor cells via a functionalized plasma polymerized surface accelerates healing of murine diabetic wounds. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1213021. [PMID: 37675407 PMCID: PMC10477914 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1213021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Stem cell therapies have been investigated as potential treatment modalities for chronic wounds however there has been limited success to date. Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells (MAPCs©) have been identified as having potential as an allogenic stem cell product due to their high population doubling number and their characteristic dampening of T-cell proliferation. This helps to prevent autoimmunity and graft/cell rejection. Methods: We have developed a dressing, consisting of medical grade silicone coated with a heptylamine plasma polymer, which supports the growth and transfer of MAPCs to skin. To determine if the dressing can deliver functional stem cells into diabetic wounds, they were loaded with MAPCs and then placed over excisional wounds in both normal and diabetic mice. Results and discussion: Accelerated healing was observed in both the normal and diabetic wounds with wound gape being significantly smaller at day 3 when compared to controls. Wound analysis showed that treatment with the MAPC dressings dampened the inflammatory response with reduced numbers of neutrophils and macrophages observed. Additionally, an increase in pro-angiogenic VEGF and CD31 positive endothelial cells was observed indicating improved new blood vessel formation. The MAPC dressings had no effect on fibrosis with collagen I and III being equally affected in both control and treated wounds. Overall, the functionalized MAPC dressings improve healing responses particularly in diabetic mice with impaired healing responses and therefore, show potential for development as an advanced therapeutic approach for the treatment of chronic diabetic wounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. J. Mills
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - G. T. Kirby
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - B. R. Hofma
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - L. E. Smith
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - P. Statham
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - B. Vaes
- ReGenesys BV, Bio-Incubator Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - A. E. Ting
- Athersys Inc., Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - R. Short
- Material Science Institute, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - A. J. Cowin
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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12
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Steenkamer B, Vaes B, Rietzschel E, Crombez J, De Geest S, Demeure F, Gielen M, Hermans MP, Teughels S, Vanacker P, van der Schueren T, Simoens S. Population health management in Belgium: a call-to-action and case study. BMC Health Serv Res 2023; 23:659. [PMID: 37340416 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09626-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although there are already success stories, population health management in Belgium is still in its infancy. A health system transformation approach such as population health management may be suited to address the public health issue of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, as this is one of the main causes of mortality in Belgium. This article aims to raise awareness about population health management in Belgium by: (a) eliciting barriers and recommendations for its implementation as perceived by local stakeholders; (b) developing a population health management approach to secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; and (c) providing a roadmap to introduce population health management in Belgium. METHODS Two virtual focus group discussions were organized with 11 high-level decision makers in medicine, policy and science between October and December 2021. A semi-structured guide based on a literature review was used to anchor discussions. These qualitative data were studied by means of an inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS Seven inter-related barriers and recommendations towards the development of population health management in Belgium were identified. These related to responsibilities of different layers of government, shared responsibility for the health of the population, a learning health system, payment models, data and knowledge infrastructure, collaborative relationships and community involvement. The introduction of a population health management approach to secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease may act as a proof-of-concept with a view to roll out population health management in Belgium. CONCLUSIONS There is a need to instill a sense of urgency among all stakeholders to develop a joint population-oriented vision in Belgium. This call-to-action requires the support and active involvement of all Belgian stakeholders, both at the national and regional level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betty Steenkamer
- Stichting Gezondheidscentra Eindhoven - STROOMZ NL, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ernst Rietzschel
- Department of Internal Medicine & Paediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Biobanking and Cardiovascular Prevention, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - John Crombez
- Architecture of a Qualitative, Sustainable and Inclusive Health system (AQSIH), Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sabina De Geest
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Public Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fabian Demeure
- Cardiology Department, CHU UCL Mont-Godinne, Namur, Belgium
| | | | - Michel P Hermans
- Endocrinology & Nutrition, Cliniques universitaires St-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
- Medical School, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Peter Vanacker
- Department of Neurology, AZ Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Steven Simoens
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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13
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Raat W, Truyts P, Gaillaert J, Van de Putte M, Van der Linden L, Janssens S, Vaes B, Smeets M. Community pharmacists' perceptions on multidisciplinary heart failure care: an exploratory qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res 2023; 23:638. [PMID: 37316813 PMCID: PMC10266313 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09661-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) is an important health problem and guidelines recommend multidisciplinary management. The pharmacist is an important member of the multidisciplinary heart failure team, both in the hospital and community setting. This study aims to explore the perceptions of community pharmacists on their role in HF care. METHODS We conducted a qualitative study based on face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 13 Belgian community pharmacists between September 2020 and December 2020. We used the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven (QUAGOL) method as guidance for data analysis until data saturation was reached. We structured interview content into a thematic matrix. RESULTS We identified two major themes: heart failure management and multidisciplinary management. Pharmacists feel responsible for the pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of heart failure, citing easy access and pharmacological expertise as important assets. Diagnostic uncertainty, lack of knowledge and time, disease complexity and difficulties in communication with patients and informal care providers are barriers to optimal management. General practitioners are the most important partners in multidisciplinary community heart failure management, although pharmacists perceive a lack of appreciation and cooperation and deplore communication difficulties. They feel intrinsically motivated to provide extended pharmaceutical care in HF but cite the lack of financial viability and information sharing structures as important barriers. CONCLUSION The importance of pharmacist involvement in multidisciplinary heart failure teams is undisputed by Belgian pharmacists, who cite easy access and pharmacological expertise as important assets. They point out several barriers impeding evidence-based pharmacist care for outpatients with heart failure: diagnostic uncertainty and disease complexity, lack of multidisciplinary information technology and insufficient resources. We recommend that future policy should focus on improved medical data exchanges between primary and secondary care electronic health records as well as the reinforcement of interprofessional relationships between locally affiliated pharmacists and general practitioners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem Raat
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, blok D bus 7001 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Pauline Truyts
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Justine Gaillaert
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Lorenz Van der Linden
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Pharmacy Department, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stefan Janssens
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, blok D bus 7001 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Miek Smeets
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, blok D bus 7001 3000, Leuven, Belgium
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14
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Janssens A, Vaes B, Abels C, Crèvecoeur J, Mamouris P, Merckx B, Libin P, Van Pottelbergh G, Neyens T. Pneumococcal vaccination coverage and adherence to recommended dosing schedules in adults: a repeated cross-sectional study of the INTEGO morbidity registry. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1104. [PMID: 37286969 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15939-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Since 2014, Belgium's Superior Health Council has recommended pneumococcal vaccination for adults aged 19-85 years at increased risk for pneumococcal diseases with a specific vaccine administration sequence and timing. Currently, Belgium has no publicly funded adult pneumococcal vaccination program. This study investigated the seasonal pneumococcal vaccination trends, evolution of vaccination coverage and adherence to the 2014 recommendations. METHODS INTEGO is a general practice morbidity registry in Flanders (Belgium) that represents 102 general practice centres and comprised over 300.000 patients in 2021. A repeated cross-sectional study was performed for the period between 2017 and 2021. Using adjusted odds ratios computed via multiple logistic regression, the association between an individual's characteristics (gender, age, comorbidities, influenza vaccination status and socioeconomic status) and schedule-adherent pneumococcal vaccination status was assessed. RESULTS Pneumococcal vaccination coincided with seasonal flu vaccination. The vaccination coverage in the population at risk decreased from 21% in 2017 to 18.2% in 2018 and then started to increase to 23.6% in 2021. Coverage in 2021 was highest for high-risk adults (33.8%) followed by 50- to 85-year-olds with comorbidities (25.5%) and healthy 65- to 85-year-olds (18.7%). In 2021, 56.3% of the high-risk adults, 74.6% of the 50+ with comorbidities persons, and 74% of the 65+ healthy persons had an adherent vaccination schedule. Persons with a lower socioeconomic status had an adjusted odds ratio of 0.92 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.87-0.97) for primary vaccination, 0.67 (95% CI 0.60-0.75) for adherence to the recommended second vaccination if the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was administered first and 0.86 (95% CI 0.76-0.97) if the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine was administered first. CONCLUSION Pneumococcal vaccine coverage is slowly increasing in Flanders, displaying seasonal peaks in sync with influenza vaccination campaigns. However, with less than one-fourth of the target population vaccinated, less than 60% high-risk and approximately 74% of 50 + with comorbidities and 65+ healthy persons with an adherent schedule, there is still much room for improvement. Furthermore, adults with poor socioeconomic status had lower odds of primary vaccination and schedule adherence, demonstrating the need for a publicly funded program in Belgium to ensure equitable access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Janssens
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Academic Centre of General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, Leuven, B-3000, Belgium.
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Academic Centre of General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, Leuven, B-3000, Belgium
| | | | - Jonas Crèvecoeur
- I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, B-3500, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Pavlos Mamouris
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Academic Centre of General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, Leuven, B-3000, Belgium
| | | | - Pieter Libin
- Interuniversity Institute of Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Artificial Intelligence Lab, Department of Computer Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gijs Van Pottelbergh
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Academic Centre of General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, Leuven, B-3000, Belgium
| | - Thomas Neyens
- I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, B-3500, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, L-BioStat, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, Leuven, B-3000, Belgium
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15
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Gorasso V, Van der Heyden J, De Pauw R, Pelgrims I, De Clercq EM, De Ridder K, Vandevijvere S, Vansteelandt S, Vaes B, De Smedt D, Devleesschauwer B. The health and economic burden of musculoskeletal disorders in Belgium from 2013 to 2018. Popul Health Metr 2023; 21:4. [PMID: 37085871 PMCID: PMC10122398 DOI: 10.1186/s12963-023-00303-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NKP), osteoarthritis (OST) and rheumatoid arthritis (RHE) are among the musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders causing the greatest disability in terms of Years Lived with Disability. The current study aims to analyze the health and economic impact of these MSK disorders in Belgium, providing a summary of morbidity and mortality outcomes from 2013 to 2018, as well as direct and indirect costs from 2013 to 2017. METHODS The health burden of LBP, NKP, OST and RHE in Belgium from 2013 to 2018 was summarized in terms of prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) using data from the Belgian health interview surveys (BHIS), the INTEGO database (Belgian registration network for general practitioners) and the Global Burden of Diseases study 2019. The economic burden included estimates of direct medical costs and indirect costs, measured by cost of work absenteeism. For this purpose, data of the respondents to the BHIS-2013 were linked with the national health insurance data (intermutualistic agency [IMA] database) 2013-2017. RESULTS In 2018, 2.5 million Belgians were affected by at least one MSK disorder. OST represented the disorder with the highest number of cases for both men and women, followed by LBP. In the same year, MSK disorders contributed to a total of 180,746 DALYs for female and 116,063 DALYs for men. LBP appeared to be the largest contributor to the health burden of MSK. Having at least one MSK disorder costed on average 3 billion € in medical expenses and 2 billion € in indirect costs per year, with LBP being the most costly. CONCLUSION MSK disorders represent a major health and economic burden in Belgium. As their burden will probably continue to increase in the future, acting on the risk factors associated to these disorders is crucial to mitigate both the health and economic burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Gorasso
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue J Wytsman 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Johan Van der Heyden
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue J Wytsman 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robby De Pauw
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue J Wytsman 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ingrid Pelgrims
- Department of Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Eva M De Clercq
- Department of Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karin De Ridder
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue J Wytsman 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Stefanie Vandevijvere
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue J Wytsman 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Stijn Vansteelandt
- Department of Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Delphine De Smedt
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Brecht Devleesschauwer
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue J Wytsman 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Translational Physiology, Infectiology and Public Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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16
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Ares-Blanco S, Guisado-Clavero M, Ramos Del Rio L, Gefaell Larrondo I, Fitzgerald L, Adler L, Assenova R, Bakola M, Bayen S, Brutskaya-Stempkovskaya E, Busneag IC, Domeyer PR, Gjorgjievski D, Hoffmann K, Ільков О, Trifon Karathanos V, Kirkovski A, Knežević S, Çimen Korkmaz B, Heleno B, Nessler K, Murauskienė L, Neves AL, Parodi López N, Perjés Á, Petek D, Petrazzuoli F, Petricek G, Seifert B, Serafini A, Sentker T, Tiili P, Torzsa P, Vaes B, van Pottebergh G, Vinker S, Astier-Peña MP, Gómez-Bravo R, Lingner H. Clinical pathway of COVID-19 patients in primary health care in 30 European countries: Eurodata study. Eur J Gen Pract 2023:2182879. [PMID: 36943232 DOI: 10.1080/13814788.2023.2182879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most COVID-19 patients were treated in primary health care (PHC) in Europe. OBJECTIVES To demonstrate the scope of PHC workflow during the COVID-19 pandemic emphasising similarities and differences of patient's clinical pathways in Europe. METHODS Descriptive, cross-sectional study with data acquired through a semi-structured questionnaire in PHC in 30 European countries, created ad hoc and agreed upon among all researchers who participated in the study. GPs from each country answered the approved questionnaire. Main variable: PHC COVID-19 acute clinical pathway. All variables were collected from each country as of September 2020. RESULTS COVID-19 clinics in PHC facilities were organised in 8/30. Case detection and testing were performed in PHC in 27/30 countries. RT-PCR and lateral flow tests were performed in PHC in 23/30, free of charge with a medical prescription. Contact tracing was performed mainly by public health authorities. Mandatory isolation ranged from 5 to 14 days. Sick leave certification was given exclusively by GPs in 21/30 countries. Patient hotels or other resources to isolate patients were available in 12/30. Follow-up to monitor the symptoms and/or new complementary tests was made mainly by phone call (27/30). Chest X-ray and phlebotomy were performed in PHC in 18/30 and 23/30 countries, respectively. Oxygen and low-molecular-weight heparin were available in PHC (21/30). CONCLUSION In Europe PHC participated in many steps to diagnose, treat and monitor COVID-19 patients. Differences among countries might be addressed at European level for the management of future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Ares-Blanco
- Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain
- Medical Specialties and Public Health, School of Health Sciences, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marina Guisado-Clavero
- Investigation Support Multidisciplinary Unit for Primary Care and Community North Area of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lourdes Ramos Del Rio
- Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial de Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ileana Gefaell Larrondo
- Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial de Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain
| | - Louise Fitzgerald
- Irish College of General Practice, MICGP, Royal College of Physician, MRCSI, Ireland
| | - Limor Adler
- Department of Family Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Radost Assenova
- Department Urology and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Maria Bakola
- Research Unit for General Medicine and Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Science, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Sabine Bayen
- Department of General Practice, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | | | | | | | | | - Kathryn Hoffmann
- General Practice and Primary Care, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Оксана Ільков
- Department of Family Medicine and Outpatient Care, Medical Faculty, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine
| | - Vasilis Trifon Karathanos
- Medical Education Uni, Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
- GHS, Larnaca, Cyprus
| | - Aleksandar Kirkovski
- Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia
| | | | | | - Bruno Heleno
- Comprehensive Health Research Center, NOVA Medical School, University Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- USF das Conchas, Regional Health Administration Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Katarzyna Nessler
- Department of Family Medicine UJCM, University Jagielloński, Collegium Medicum, Jagielloński, Poland
| | - Liubovė Murauskienė
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Ana Luisa Neves
- Imperial College London, London, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Naldy Parodi López
- Närhälsan Kungshöjd Health Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ábel Perjés
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Semmelweis, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Davorina Petek
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ferdinando Petrazzuoli
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Centre for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Goranka Petricek
- Department of Family Medicine "Andrija Stampar" School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Health Centre Zagreb West, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Bohumil Seifert
- First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of General Practice, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alicia Serafini
- Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale di Modena, Modena, Italy
- Laboratorio EduCare, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | | | - Paula Tiili
- Communicable Diseases and Infection Control Unit, City of Vantaa and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Péter Torzsa
- Department of Family Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Shlomo Vinker
- Department of Family Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - María Pilar Astier-Peña
- Territorial Quality Unit, Territorial Directorate of Camp de Tarragona, Institut Català de la Salut, Health Department, Generalitat de Catalunya, GIBA-IIS-Aragón, Spain
- Patient Safety Working Party of semFYC (Spanish Society for Family and Community Medicine) and Quality and Safety in Family Medicine of WONCA World (Global Family Doctors), Catalunya, Spain
| | - Raquel Gómez-Bravo
- CHNP, Rehaklinik, Ettelbruck. Luxembourg
- Research Group Self-Regulation and Health. Institute for Health and Behaviour, Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences. Faculty of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences, Luxembourg University, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Heidrun Lingner
- Hannover Medical School, Center for Public Health and Healthcare, Hannover, Germany
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Vandamme J, Beerten SG, Crèvecoeur J, Van den Bulck S, Aertgeerts B, Delvaux N, Van Pottelbergh G, Vermandere M, Tops L, Neyens T, Vaes B. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Registration and Care Provision of Mental Health Problems in General Practice: Registry-Based Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2023; 9:e43049. [PMID: 36599160 PMCID: PMC10039400 DOI: 10.2196/43049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in general practice remains uncertain. Several studies showed an increase in terms of mental health problems during the pandemic. In Belgium, especially during the first waves of the pandemic, access to general practice was limited. Specifically, it is unclear how this impacted not only the registration of mental health problems itself but also the care for patients with an existing mental health problem. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to know the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) the incidence of newly registered mental health problems and (2) the provision of care for patients with mental health problems in general practice, both using a pre-COVID-19 baseline. METHODS The prepandemic volume of provided care (care provision) for patients with mental health problems was compared to that from 2020-2021 by using INTEGO, a Belgian general practice morbidity registry. Care provision was defined as the total number of new registrations in a patient's electronic medical record. Regression models evaluated the association of demographic factors and care provision in patients with mental health problems, both before and during the pandemic. RESULTS During the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of registered mental health problems showed a fluctuating course, with a sharp drop in registrations during the first wave. Registrations for depression and anxiety increased, whereas the incidence of registered eating disorders, substance abuse, and personality problems decreased. During the 5 COVID-19 waves, the overall incidence of registered mental health problems dropped during the wave and rose again when measures were relaxed. A relative rise of 8.7% and 40% in volume of provided care, specifically for patients with mental health problems, was seen during the first and second years of the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. Care provision for patients with mental health problems was higher in older patients, male patients, patients living in center cities (centrumsteden), patients with lower socioeconomic status (SES), native Belgian patients, and patients with acute rather than chronic mental health problems. Compared to prepandemic care provision, a reduction of 10% was observed in people with a low SES. CONCLUSIONS This study showed (1) a relative overall increase in the registrations of mental health problems in general practice and (2) an increase in care provision for patients with mental health problems in the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low SES remained a determining factor for more care provision, but care provision dropped significantly in people with mental health problems with a low SES. Our findings suggest that the pandemic in Belgium was also largely a "syndemic," affecting different layers of the population disproportionately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Vandamme
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Simon Gabriël Beerten
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jonas Crèvecoeur
- Leuven Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics Centre, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Data Science Institute, UHasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Steve Van den Bulck
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Delvaux
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gijs Van Pottelbergh
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mieke Vermandere
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Laura Tops
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thomas Neyens
- Leuven Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics Centre, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Data Science Institute, UHasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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18
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Vaes B, Vos B, Foidart M, De Schreye R, Schrans D, Philips H, Aertgeerts B, Doggen K. Burden of COVID-19 on primary care in Belgium: a prospective nationwide observational study from March to August 2020. Arch Public Health 2022; 80:250. [PMID: 36476628 PMCID: PMC9730669 DOI: 10.1186/s13690-022-01003-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 outbreak had an important impact on general practice, for example the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the switch to telephone consultations. We installed a monitoring instrument and reported the burden the COVID-19 pandemic placed on Belgian general practitioners (GPs) during the first wave of the pandemic. METHODS We conducted an observational longitudinal prospective study from the 19th of March until the 17th of August 2020. Daily data were collected by using a structured electronic form integrated into the GPs' electronic medical records (EMRs). Data were collected on the GPs' need for support and workload, epidemiological indicators and the availability of PPE. Reports with graphical presentations were made for GP circles and primary care zones, and governments of different administrative levels had access to all data to guide their policy. RESULTS A total of 3.769 different GP centres participated, which included more than 10.000 GPs. Throughout the first three weeks, 20% declared they had insufficient resources (personnel and material) for the following week. Approximately 10% continued to report this during the entire study. The majority reported being able to complete their daily tasks without loss of quality. During the first week, 30% indicated an increased workload. Afterwards, this number decreased and stabilized to an average of 10-20%. More than 70% of the consultations in March 2020 were conducted by telephone. This percentage declined in April and stabilized at approximately 30% in June 2020. Consultations due to respiratory symptoms peaked at 4000/100,000 inhabitants at the beginning of the outbreak, then decreased over time along with the COVID-19 incidence. We noticed a lack of disinfectant hand gel, surgical masks and FFP2 masks, the latter remaining problematic in the long term. CONCLUSION We introduced an instrument in Belgian EMR systems to monitor the burden on GPs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of PPE and increased workload were considered to be the main obstacles. A large number of the GP offices switched to teleconsultations to provide healthcare. Our monitoring instrument provided information for policy makers to intervene on a local level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bert Vaes
- grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Bénédicte Vos
- grid.508031.fDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Maxime Foidart
- grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Robrecht De Schreye
- grid.508031.fDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Diego Schrans
- grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hilde Philips
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Kris Doggen
- grid.508031.fDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
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19
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Smeets M, Raat W, Aertgeerts B, Penders J, Vercammen J, Droogne W, Mullens W, Janssens S, Vaes B. Mixed‐methods evaluation of a multifaceted heart failure intervention in general practice: the OSCAR‐HF pilot study. ESC Heart Fail 2022; 10:907-916. [PMID: 36461750 PMCID: PMC10053264 DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.14251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Heart failure (HF) is an important health problem for which multidisciplinary care is recommended, yet few studies involve primary care practitioners in the multidisciplinary management of HF. We set up a multifaceted prospective observational trial, OSCAR-HF, piloting audit and feedback, natriuretic peptide testing at the point of care, and the assistance of a specialist HF nurse in primary care. The aim was to optimize HF care in general practice. METHODS AND RESULTS This is an analysis at 6 month follow-up of the study interventions of the OSCAR-HF pilot study, a nonrandomized, noncontrolled prospective observational trial conducted in eight Belgian general practices [51 general practitioners (GPs)]. Patients who were assessed by their GP to have HF constituted the OSCAR-HF study population. We used descriptive statistics and mixed-effects modelling for the quantitative analysis and thematic analysis of the focus group interviews. There was a 10.2% increase in the registered HF population after 6 months of follow-up (n = 593) compared with baseline (n = 538) and a 27% increase in objectified HF diagnoses (baseline n = 359 to 456 at T6 M). Natriuretic peptide testing (with or without referral) accounted for 54% (n = 60/111) of the newly registered HF diagnoses. There was no difference in the proportion of patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction who received their target dosage of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors or beta-blockers at 6 months compared with baseline (P = 0.9). Patients who received an HF nurse intervention (n = 53) had significantly worse quality of life at baseline [difference in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) score 9.2 points; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.0, 14] and had a significantly greater improvement in quality-of-life scores at the 6 month follow-up [change in MLHFQ score -9.8 points; 95% CI -15, -4.5] than patients without an HF nurse intervention. GPs found audit and feedback valuable but time intensive. Natriuretic peptides were useful, but the point-of-care test was impractical, and the assistance of an HF nurse was a useful addition to routine HF care. CONCLUSIONS The use of audit and feedback combined with natriuretic peptide testing was a successful strategy to increase the number of registered and objectified HF diagnoses at 6 months. GPs and HF nurses selected patients with worse quality-of-life scores at baseline for the HF nurse intervention, which led to a significantly greater improvement in quality-of-life scores at the 6 month follow-up compared with patients without an HF nurse intervention. The interventions were deemed feasible and useful by the participating GPs with some specific remarks that can be used for optimization. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02905786), registered on 14 September 2016 at https://clinicaltrials.gov/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miek Smeets
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care KU Leuven Kapucijnenvoer 7, blok D bus 7001 3000 Leuven Belgium
| | - Willem Raat
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care KU Leuven Kapucijnenvoer 7, blok D bus 7001 3000 Leuven Belgium
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care KU Leuven Kapucijnenvoer 7, blok D bus 7001 3000 Leuven Belgium
| | - Joris Penders
- Department of Clinical Biology Ziekenhuis Oost‐Limburg (ZOL) Genk Belgium
- Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences Hasselt University Diepenbeek Belgium
| | - Jan Vercammen
- Department of Cardiology Ziekenhuis Oost‐Limburg (ZOL) Genk Belgium
| | - Walter Droogne
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
| | - Wilfried Mullens
- Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences Hasselt University Diepenbeek Belgium
- Department of Cardiology Ziekenhuis Oost‐Limburg (ZOL) Genk Belgium
| | - Stefan Janssens
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care KU Leuven Kapucijnenvoer 7, blok D bus 7001 3000 Leuven Belgium
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20
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Boon HA, Struyf T, Crèvecoeur J, Delvaux N, Van Pottelbergh G, Vaes B, Van den Bruel A, Verbakel JY. Incidence rates and trends of childhood urinary tract infections and antibiotic prescribing: registry-based study in general practices (2000 to 2020). BMC Prim Care 2022; 23:177. [PMID: 35858840 PMCID: PMC9301837 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-022-01784-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Background To improve the management of childhood urinary tract infections, it is essential to understand the incidence rates, testing and treatment strategy. Methods A retrospective study using data from 45 to 104 general practices (2000 to 2020) in Flanders (Belgium). We calculated the incidence rates (per 1000 person-years) of cystitis, pyelonephritis, and lab-based urine tests per age (< 2, 2-4, 5-9 and 10-18 years)) and gender in children and performed an autoregressive time-series analysis and seasonality analysis. In children with UTI, we calculated the number of lab-based urine tests and antibiotic prescriptions per person-year and performed an autoregressive time-series analysis. Results There was a statistically significant increase in the number of UTI episodes from 2000 to 2020 in each age group (p < 0.05), except in boys 2-4 years. Overall, the change in incidence rate was low. In 2020, the incidence rates of cystitis were highest in girls 2-4 years old (40.3 /1000 person-years 95%CI 34.5-46.7) and lowest in boys 10-18 (2.6 /1000 person-years 95%CI 1.8-3.6) The incidence rates of pyelonephritis were highest in girls 2-4 years (5.5, 95%CI 3.5-8.1 /1000 person-years) and children < 2 years of age (boys: 5.4, 95%CI 3.1-8.8 and girls: 4.9, 95%CI 2.7-8.8 /1000 person-years). In children 2-10 years, there was an increase in number of lab-based urine tests per cystitis episode per year and a decrease in total number of electronic antibiotic prescriptions per cystitis episode per year, from 2000 to 2020. In children with cystitis < 10 years in 2020, 51% (95%CI 47-56%) received an electronic antibiotic prescription, of which the majority were broad-spectrum agents. Conclusions Over the last 21 years, there was a slight increase in the number of UTI episodes diagnosed in children in Flemish general practices, although the overall change was low. More targeted antibiotic therapy for cystitis in accordance with clinical guidelines is necessary to reduce the use of broad-spectrum agents in children below 10 years. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12875-022-01784-x.
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21
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Walrave R, Beerten SG, Mamouris P, Coteur K, Van Nuland M, Van Pottelbergh G, Casas L, Vaes B. Trends in the epidemiology of depression and comorbidities from 2000 to 2019 in Belgium. BMC Prim Care 2022; 23:163. [PMID: 35764925 PMCID: PMC9241171 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-022-01769-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background Depression is a common mental disorder in family practice with an impact on global health. The aim of this study is to provide insight in the trends of epidemiological measures as well as pharmacological treatments and comorbidities of depression. Methods A study using data from INTEGO, a family practice registration network in Flanders, Belgium. Trends in age-standardized prevalence and incidence of depression from 2000 to 2019 as well as antidepressant prescriptions in prevalent depression cases were analyzed with join point regression. Comorbidity profiles were explored using the Cochran-Armitage test and the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Results We identified 538 299 patients older than 15 years during the study period. We found an increasing trend in the age-standardized prevalence of depression from 6.73 % in 2000 to 9.20 % in 2019. For the incidence of depression, a decreasing trend was observed from 2000 to 2015 with an incidence of 9.42/1000 in 2000 and 6.89/1000 in 2015, followed by an increasing trend from 2015 to 2019 (incidence of 13.64/1000 in 2019). The average number of chronic diseases per patient with depression increased significantly during the study period (from 1.2 to 1.8), and the proportion of patients relative to the whole study population that received at least one antidepressant prescription per year increased between 2000 and 2019 from 26.44% to 40.16%. Conclusions The prevalence of depression increases while the incidence sharply rises, but only in recent years. Patients with depression tend to have more comorbidities, making a multi-faceted approach to these patients more important. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12875-022-01769-w.
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22
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Beerten SG, Helsen A, De Lepeleire J, Waldorff FB, Vaes B. Trends in prevalence and incidence of registered dementia and trends in multimorbidity among patients with dementia in general practice in Flanders, Belgium, 2000-2021: a registry-based, retrospective, longitudinal cohort study. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e063891. [PMID: 36323468 PMCID: PMC9639092 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES With the ageing of our population, it seems plausible that the prevalence of both dementia and multimorbidity will increase in the following decades. The aim of this study is to examine the trends in prevalence and incidence of registered dementia and trends in multimorbidity in patients with dementia in general practice in Flanders. DESIGN Retrospective, longitudinal cohort study. SETTING Primary care practices across Flanders, Belgium. PARTICIPANTS Patients included in the Intego database. METHODS Data were collected from the Intego database, a Belgian general practice registration network, from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2021. Joinpoint regression, the Cochran-Armitage test and Jonckheere-Terpstra test were used for the trend analysis. RESULTS Data from 149 492 unique patients aged 65 years and older were available. From 2000 to 2021, 3835 incident cases of dementia were found. The age-adjusted prevalence of registered dementia significantly increased during this study period, from 1.19% to 2.43% (average annual percentage change (AAPC) 3.3; 95% CI 2.7 to 4.0). Incidence increased from 3.68 to 5.86 per 1000 patient years overall (AAPC 1.8, 95% CI -2.0 to 5.7), but declined in recent years (annual percentage change -8.1, 95% CI -14.8 to -0.8). Almost three-quarters of the patients with dementia (74.8%) suffered from multimorbidity (three or more comorbidities) and this increased significantly during the study period (p=0.0031). By 2021, 86.7% and 74.8% of the patients with dementia suffered from two or more or three or more chronic conditions, respectively. Hypertension (47.9%), osteoarthritis (29.7%) and lipid metabolism disorders (25.7%) were the most prevalent conditions. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of registered dementia doubled over a 22-year time period, mirroring the increasing health burden by this disease globally. Furthermore, three-quarters of the patients with dementia suffered from multimorbidity, underlining the urgent need to implement comorbidity management and patient-centred care in dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antje Helsen
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan De Lepeleire
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frans Boch Waldorff
- Department of Public Health, Research Unit for General Practice and Section of General Practice, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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23
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Gorasso V, Van der Heyden J, De Pauw R, Pelgrims I, De Ridder K, Vandevijvere S, Vansteelandt S, Vaes B, De Smedt D, Devleesschauwer B. The burden of musculoskeletal disorders in Belgium: a national population-based study. Eur J Public Health 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac129.557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
According to WHO, approximately one in three people worldwide live with a chronic, painful musculoskeletal (MSK) disorder. Low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NKP), osteoarthritis (OST) and rheumatoid arthritis (RHE) are among the most disabling MSK disorders. According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, LBP was the leading global cause in terms of years lived with disability and OST showed an increase in prevalence and is predicted to be one of the leading future causes. Our study aimed to analyse the burden of these MSK disorders in Belgium, providing a summary of morbidity and mortality outcomes from 2013 to 2018.
Methods
Prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) were computed using data from the Belgian health interview surveys from 2013 and 2018, the INTEGO database (Belgian registration network for general practitioners) and GBD study 2019. Mortality data was retrieved from the Belgian statistical office for people dying from RHE. Following GBD methodology, LBP, NKP and OST were assumed to not generate any deaths.
Results
The prevalence of MSK disorders increased from 2013 to 2018 with OST being the disorder with the highest number of cases (1.7 million cases in 2018). The burden was higher in women and the gender disparities increased with age. Women died also more frequently due to RHE compared to men. In total MSK disorders contributed to 180,746 comorbidity-adjusted DALYs for female and 116,063 comorbidity-adjusted DALYs for men in 2018, with LBP being the largest contributor (140,031 DALY).
Conclusions
The burden of MSK disorders has increased over the years. In 2018, 2.5 million Belgians were affected by at least one MSK disorder that resulted in almost 300,000 DALY. Our study provides valuable information of a part of the health burden that is known to have a great impact on the total burden of disease but that is sometimes disregarded by public health institutions.
Key messages
• MSK disorders represent a major health problem in Belgium.
• Acting on risk factors associated to these disorders is crucial to mitigate their burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Gorasso
- Epidemiology and Public Health , Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
- Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - R De Pauw
- Epidemiology and Public Health , Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
- Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | - I Pelgrims
- Chemical and Physical Health Risks , Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
- Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | - K De Ridder
- Epidemiology and Public Health , Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - S Vandevijvere
- Epidemiology and Public Health , Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - S Vansteelandt
- Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
- Medical Statistics, LSHTM , London, UK
| | - B Vaes
- Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven , Leuven, Belgium
| | - D De Smedt
- Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | - B Devleesschauwer
- Epidemiology and Public Health , Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
- Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
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Gorasso V, Van derHeyden J, De Pauw R, Pelgrims I, De Ridder K, Vandevijvere S, Vansteelandt S, Vaes B, De Smedt D, Devleesschauwer B. Direct and indirect costs attributable to musculoskeletal disorders in Belgium. Eur J Public Health 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac130.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Within the European Union, musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders represent the most prevalent and costly work-related health problems affecting about 45 million workers. Since middle-aged people during their formative and peak income-earning years are predominantly affected, MSK disorders are the major contributors to the loss of productive life years in the workforce compared with other non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to summarize the average yearly economic impact of low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NKP), osteoarthritis (OST) and rheumatoid arthritis (RHE) in Belgium from 2013 to 2017.
Methods
Direct costs, measured by reimbursed expenditures for medical services and medications, were derived by the national health insurer. Indirect costs were computed by multiplying the mean number of days absent from work (derived by the Belgian health interview survey, as prevalence data) with the average gross daily wage. Multivariate regression models were used to explore the extent to which average yearly costs were associated with MSK disorders. The method of recycled predictions allowed to estimate the marginal effect of each MSK disorder on costs.
Results
25% of Belgian adults were affected by at least one MSK disorder that incurred on average to 1,524€ per capita. LBP was the most costly disorder (2,405€ per capita) followed by NKP (2,260€ per capita). In the working population, 15% had at least one MSK disorder with an average indirect cost of 3,083€ per capita. People with LBP were the only showing a significantly higher indirect cost compared to a population without LBP, with an adjusted cost per capita of 5,875€.
Conclusions
The adult Belgian population is largely affected by MSK disorders. Every year the total adjusted healthcare cost amounted to more than 3 billion Euros. Additionally, on average every year Belgium spends around 2 billion Euros for work absenteeism related to one of the MSK disorders.
Key messages
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Affiliation(s)
- V Gorasso
- Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano , Brussels, Belgium
- Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | - J Van derHeyden
- Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano , Brussels, Belgium
| | - R De Pauw
- Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano , Brussels, Belgium
- Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | - I Pelgrims
- Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Sciensano , Brussels, Belgium
- Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | - K De Ridder
- Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano , Brussels, Belgium
| | - S Vandevijvere
- Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano , Brussels, Belgium
| | - S Vansteelandt
- Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
- Medical Statistics, LSHTM , London, UK
| | - B Vaes
- Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven , Leuven, Belgium
| | - D De Smedt
- Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | - B Devleesschauwer
- Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano , Brussels, Belgium
- Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
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25
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Nakhoul E, Vaes B, Mamouris P, Degryse JM. Trends in oral anticoagulant prescription in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in Flanders and the impact of switching patients from vitamin K antagonists to DOACS in terms of the burden caused by complications of the disease: a registry-based study. Acta Clin Belg 2022:1-9. [DOI: 10.1080/17843286.2022.2123483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elvire Nakhoul
- Institut de Recherche Santé et Société, Université catholique de Louvain, Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pavlos Mamouris
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean-Marie Degryse
- Institut de Recherche Santé et Société, Université catholique de Louvain, Bruxelles, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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26
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Coteur K, Mamouris P, Vaes B, Van Nuland M, Matheï C, Schoenmakers B. Evolution of benzodiazepine receptor agonist prescriptions in general practice: A registry-based study. Front Public Health 2022; 10:1014734. [PMID: 36211642 PMCID: PMC9546292 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1014734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Contrary to most European guidelines, benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRA) are often used continuously at a low dosage, being the most common form of long-term use. In Belgium, BZRA use is monitored by analyzing self-report data about medication use in the last 24 h. This method provides insufficient insight into the terms of use of these psychoactive drugs. Aim To describe trends in BZRA prescribing in Flanders, Belgium, between 2000 and 2019. Design and setting Population-based trend analysis and a case-control study for the year 2019 were done with data from a morbidity registry in general practice. Methods Repeated cross-sectional and joinpoint regression analyses revealed trends in sex- and age-standardized prescription rates among adult patients (18+). Results Overall, BZRA prescriptions increased. The highest overall increase was found among male patients 18-44 years old, with an average annual percentage change of 2.5 (95% CI: 0.9, 4.3). Among 65+ female patients, a decrease was found since 2006, with an annual percentage change of -0.7 (95% CI: -1.3, -0.1). In 2019, 12% of registered patients received minimally one prescription, long-term use was observed in 5%, back pain was the most common morbidity significantly associated with a rise in BZRA prescriptions, and zolpidem was the most prescribed BZRA (22%). Conclusion Despite some statistically significant decreasing trends, an overall increase in BZRA prescriptions was observed throughout the 19-year study period, especially among long-term users of 18-44 years and 65-plus. Zolpidem became the most prescribed BZRA and warrants more attention.
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27
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Smeets M, Baldewijns K, Vaes B, Vandenhoudt H. Integration of Chronic Care in a Fragmented Healthcare System Comment on "Integration or Fragmentation of Health Care? Examining Policies and Politics in a Belgian Case Study". Int J Health Policy Manag 2022; 12:7143. [PMID: 35964161 PMCID: PMC10125068 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2022.7143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The authors of "Integration or Fragmentation of Health Care? Examining Policies and Politics in a Belgian Case Study" present a fresh perspective on the inertia of integrated care (IC) implementation. They conclude that the decisive power in Belgium is fragmented and undermines efforts towards IC. As researchers in integrated heart failure (HF) care and active primary healthcare professionals, we comment on the three policy initiatives evaluated by Martens et al from a bottom-up perspective. A Learning Healthcare Network (LHCN) was established September 2019 to overcome fragmentation, the lack of evaluation and capacity loss each time a pilot project ends. This commentary wishes to illustrate that a LHCN can be a powerful meso-level mechanism to engage in alignment work and to overcome macro-level barriers that are often difficult to change and not supportive of IC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miek Smeets
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Van den Bulck S, Crèvecoeur J, Aertgeerts B, Delvaux N, Neyens T, Van Pottelbergh G, Coursier P, Vaes B. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the incidence of diseases and the provision of primary care: A registry-based study. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271049. [PMID: 35793324 PMCID: PMC9258821 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction
The Covid-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on healthcare but uncertainty remains about the extent to which primary care provision was affected. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the impact on primary care provision and the evolution of the incidence of disease during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in Flanders (Belgium).
Methods
Care provision was defined as the number of new entries added to a patient’s medical history. Pre-pandemic care provision (February 1, 2018–January 31, 2020) was compared with care provision during the pandemic (February 1, 2020-January 31, 2021). A large morbidity registry (Intego) was used. Regression models compared the effect of demographic characteristics on care provision and on acute and chronic diagnoses incidence both prior and during the pandemic.
Results
During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, overall care provision increased with 9.1% (95%CI 8.5%;9.6%). There was an increase in acute diagnoses of 5.1% (95%CI 4.2%;6.0%) and a decrease in the selected chronic diagnoses of 12.8% (95% CI 7.0%;18.4%). Obesity was an exception with an overall incidence increase. The pandemic led to strong fluctuations in care provision that were not the same for all types of care and all demographic groups in Flanders. Relative to other groups in the population, the pandemic caused a reduction in care provision for children aged 0–17 year and patients from a lower socio-economic situation.
Conclusion
This paper strengthened the claim that Covid-19 should be considered as a syndemic instead of a pandemic. During the first Covid-19 year, overall care provision and the incidence of acute diagnoses increased, whereas chronic diseases’ incidence decreased, except for obesity diagnoses which increased. More granular, care provision and chronic diseases’ incidence decreased during the lockdowns, especially for people with a lower socio-economic status. After the lockdowns they both returned to baseline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Van den Bulck
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- * E-mail: (SVdB); (JC)
| | - Jonas Crèvecoeur
- I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, I-BioStat, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- * E-mail: (SVdB); (JC)
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Delvaux
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thomas Neyens
- I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, I-BioStat, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gijs Van Pottelbergh
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrick Coursier
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Hermans L, Molenberghs G, Verbeke G, Kenward MG, Mamouris P, Vaes B. Optimal weighted estimation versus Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel. COMMUN STAT-SIMUL C 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03610918.2020.1720735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Hermans
- I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Universiteit Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Geert Molenberghs
- I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Universiteit Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- I-BioStat, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Geert Verbeke
- I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Universiteit Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- I-BioStat, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Pavlos Mamouris
- Academisch Centrum voor Huisartsgeneeskunde, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academisch Centrum voor Huisartsgeneeskunde, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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30
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Syrogiannouli L, Wildisen L, Meuwese C, Bauer DC, Cappola AR, Gussekloo J, den Elzen WPJ, Trompet S, Westendorp RGJ, Jukema JW, Ferrucci L, Ceresini G, Åsvold BO, Chaker L, Peeters RP, Imaizumi M, Ohishi W, Vaes B, Völzke H, Sgarbi JA, Walsh JP, Dullaart RPF, Bakker SJL, Iacoviello M, Rodondi N, Del Giovane C. Incorporating Baseline Outcome Data in Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis of Non-randomized Studies. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:774251. [PMID: 35273528 PMCID: PMC8902696 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.774251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In non-randomized studies (NRSs) where a continuous outcome variable (e.g., depressive symptoms) is assessed at baseline and follow-up, it is common to observe imbalance of the baseline values between the treatment/exposure group and control group. This may bias the study and consequently a meta-analysis (MA) estimate. These estimates may differ across statistical methods used to deal with this issue. Analysis of individual participant data (IPD) allows standardization of methods across studies. We aimed to identify methods used in published IPD-MAs of NRSs for continuous outcomes, and to compare different methods to account for baseline values of outcome variables in IPD-MA of NRSs using two empirical examples from the Thyroid Studies Collaboration (TSC). METHODS For the first aim we systematically searched in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane from inception to February 2021 to identify published IPD-MAs of NRSs that adjusted for baseline outcome measures in the analysis of continuous outcomes. For the second aim, we applied analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), change score, propensity score and the naïve approach (ignores the baseline outcome data) in IPD-MA from NRSs on the association between subclinical hyperthyroidism and depressive symptoms and renal function. We estimated the study and meta-analytic mean difference (MD) and relative standard error (SE). We used both fixed- and random-effects MA. RESULTS Ten of 18 (56%) of the included studies used the change score method, seven (39%) studies used ANCOVA and one the propensity score (5%). The study estimates were similar across the methods in studies in which groups were balanced at baseline with regard to outcome variables but differed in studies with baseline imbalance. In our empirical examples, ANCOVA and change score showed study results on the same direction, not the propensity score. In our applications, ANCOVA provided more precise estimates, both at study and meta-analytical level, in comparison to other methods. Heterogeneity was higher when change score was used as outcome, moderate for ANCOVA and null with the propensity score. CONCLUSION ANCOVA provided the most precise estimates at both study and meta-analytic level and thus seems preferable in the meta-analysis of IPD from non-randomized studies. For the studies that were well-balanced between groups, change score, and ANCOVA performed similarly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lea Wildisen
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christiaan Meuwese
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Douglas C Bauer
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Anne R Cappola
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jacobijn Gussekloo
- Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.,Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Wendy P J den Elzen
- Atalmedial Diagnostics Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Stella Trompet
- Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Rudi G J Westendorp
- Department of Public Health and Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - J Wouter Jukema
- Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.,Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Luigi Ferrucci
- Longitudinal Studies Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Graziano Ceresini
- Unit of Internal Medicine and Onco-Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Bjørn O Åsvold
- Department of Public Health and Nursing, K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Endocrinology, Clinic of Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Layal Chaker
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.,Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Robin P Peeters
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.,Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Misa Imaizumi
- Department of Clinical Studies, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Waka Ohishi
- Department of Clinical Studies, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Henry Völzke
- Institute for Community Medicine, Clinical-Epidemiological Research, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Josè A Sgarbi
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Faculdade de Medicina de Marilia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - John P Walsh
- Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.,Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Robin P F Dullaart
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Stephan J L Bakker
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Massimo Iacoviello
- Cardiology Unit, University Hospital Policlinico Consorziale of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Nicolas Rodondi
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cinzia Del Giovane
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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31
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Van der Meer J, Mamouris P, Nassiri V, Vaes B, van den Akker M. Use of antibiotics and colorectal cancer risk: a primary care nested case-control study in Belgium. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e053511. [PMID: 34893485 PMCID: PMC8666897 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To examine the association between the use of oral antibiotics and subsequent colorectal cancer risk. DESIGN Matched case-control study. SETTING General practice centres participating in the Integrated Computerised Network database in Flanders, Belgium. PARTICIPANTS In total, 1705 cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed between 01 January 2010 and 31 December 2015 were matched to 6749 controls by age, sex, comorbidity and general practice centre. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE The association between the number of prescriptions for oral antibiotics and the incidence of colorectal cancer over a period of 1-10 years, estimated by a conditional logistic regression model. RESULTS A significantly increased risk of colorectal cancer (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.44) was found in subjects with one or more prescriptions compared with those with none after correction for diabetes mellitus. No dose-response relationship was found. CONCLUSIONS This study resulted in a modestly higher risk of having colorectal cancer diagnosed after antibiotic exposure. The main limitation was missing data on known risk factors, in particular smoking behaviour. This study did not allow us to examine the causality of the relationship, indicating the need of further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Van der Meer
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Centre for General Practice, KU Leuven Biomedical Sciences Group, Leuven, Flanders, Belgium
| | - Pavlos Mamouris
- Departement of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Groep Biomedische Wetenschappen, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Bert Vaes
- Departement of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Groep Biomedische Wetenschappen, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marjan van den Akker
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven Biomedical Sciences Group, Leuven, Flanders, Belgium
- Institute of General Practice, Goethe University Frankfurt Faculty 16 Medicine, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany
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Raat W, Smeets M, Henrard S, Aertgeerts B, Penders J, Droogne W, Mullens W, Janssens S, Vaes B. Machine learning optimization of an electronic health record audit for heart failure in primary care. ESC Heart Fail 2021; 9:39-47. [PMID: 34816632 PMCID: PMC8787980 DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.13724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims The diagnosis of heart failure (HF) is an important problem in primary care. We previously demonstrated a 74% increase in registered HF diagnoses in primary care electronic health records (EHRs) following an extended audit procedure. What remains unclear is the accuracy of registered HF pre‐audit and which EHR variables are most important in the extended audit strategy. This study aims to describe the diagnostic HF classification sequence at different stages, assess general practitioner (GP) HF misclassification, and test the predictive performance of an optimized audit. Methods and results This is a secondary analysis of the OSCAR‐HF study, a prospective observational trial including 51 participating GPs. OSCAR used an extended audit based on typical HF risk factors, signs, symptoms, and medications in GPs' EHR. This resulted in a list of possible HF patients, which participating GPs had to classify as HF or non‐HF. We compared registered HF diagnoses before and after GPs' assessment. For our analysis of audit performance, we used GPs' assessment of HF as primary outcome and audit queries as dichotomous predictor variables for a gradient boosted machine (GBM) decision tree algorithm and logistic regression model. Of the 18 011 patients eligible for the audit intervention, 4678 (26.0%) were identified as possible HF patients and submitted for GPs' assessment in the audit stage. There were 310 patients with registered HF before GP assessment, of whom 146 (47.1%) were judged not to have HF by their GP (over‐registration). There were 538 patients with registered HF after GP assessment, of whom 374 (69.5%) did not have registered HF before GP assessment (under‐registration). The GBM and logistic regression model had a comparable predictive performance (area under the curve of 0.70 [95% confidence interval 0.65–0.77] and 0.69 [95% confidence interval 0.64–0.75], respectively). This was not significantly impacted by reducing the set of predictor variables to the 10 most important variables identified in the GBM model (free‐text and coded cardiomyopathy, ischaemic heart disease and atrial fibrillation, digoxin, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and combinations of renin‐angiotensin system inhibitors and beta‐blockers with diuretics). This optimized query set was enough to identify 86% (n = 461/538) of GPs' self‐assessed HF population with a 33% reduction (n = 1537/4678) in screening caseload. Conclusions Diagnostic coding of HF in primary care health records is inaccurate with a high degree of under‐registration and over‐registration. An optimized query set enabled identification of more than 80% of GPs' self‐assessed HF population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem Raat
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Miek Smeets
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Severine Henrard
- Louvain Drug Research Institute, Clinical Pharmacy Research Group (CLIP) and Institute of Health and Society (IRSS), Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joris Penders
- Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.,University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Walter Droogne
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wilfried Mullens
- Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.,University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Stefan Janssens
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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33
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van Vliet NA, van Heemst D, Almeida OP, Åsvold BO, Aubert CE, Bae JB, Barnes LE, Bauer DC, Blauw GJ, Brayne C, Cappola AR, Ceresini G, Comijs HC, Dartigues JF, Degryse JM, Dullaart RPF, van Eersel MEA, den Elzen WPJ, Ferrucci L, Fink HA, Flicker L, Grabe HJ, Han JW, Helmer C, Huisman M, Ikram MA, Imaizumi M, de Jongh RT, Jukema JW, Kim KW, Kuller LH, Lopez OL, Mooijaart SP, Moon JH, Moutzouri E, Nauck M, Parle J, Peeters RP, Samuels MH, Schmidt CO, Schminke U, Slagboom PE, Stordal E, Vaes B, Völzke H, Westendorp RGJ, Yamada M, Yeap BB, Rodondi N, Gussekloo J, Trompet S. Association of Thyroid Dysfunction With Cognitive Function: An Individual Participant Data Analysis. JAMA Intern Med 2021; 181:1440-1450. [PMID: 34491268 PMCID: PMC8424529 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.5078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE In clinical guidelines, overt and subclinical thyroid dysfunction are mentioned as causal and treatable factors for cognitive decline. However, the scientific literature on these associations shows inconsistent findings. OBJECTIVE To assess cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of baseline thyroid dysfunction with cognitive function and dementia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This multicohort individual participant data analysis assessed 114 267 person-years (median, 1.7-11.3 years) of follow-up for cognitive function and 525 222 person-years (median, 3.8-15.3 years) for dementia between 1989 and 2017. Analyses on cognitive function included 21 cohorts comprising 38 144 participants. Analyses on dementia included eight cohorts with a total of 2033 cases with dementia and 44 573 controls. Data analysis was performed from December 2016 to January 2021. EXPOSURES Thyroid function was classified as overt hyperthyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism, euthyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, and overt hypothyroidism based on uniform thyrotropin cutoff values and study-specific free thyroxine values. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was global cognitive function, mostly measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination. Executive function, memory, and dementia were secondary outcomes. Analyses were first performed at study level using multivariable linear regression and multivariable Cox regression, respectively. The studies were combined with restricted maximum likelihood meta-analysis. To overcome the use of different scales, results were transformed to standardized mean differences. For incident dementia, hazard ratios were calculated. RESULTS Among 74 565 total participants, 66 567 (89.3%) participants had normal thyroid function, 577 (0.8%) had overt hyperthyroidism, 2557 (3.4%) had subclinical hyperthyroidism, 4167 (5.6%) had subclinical hypothyroidism, and 697 (0.9%) had overt hypothyroidism. The study-specific median age at baseline varied from 57 to 93 years; 42 847 (57.5%) participants were women. Thyroid dysfunction was not associated with global cognitive function; the largest differences were observed between overt hypothyroidism and euthyroidism-cross-sectionally (-0.06 standardized mean difference in score; 95% CI, -0.20 to 0.08; P = .40) and longitudinally (0.11 standardized mean difference higher decline per year; 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.23; P = .09). No consistent associations were observed between thyroid dysfunction and executive function, memory, or risk of dementia. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this individual participant data analysis of more than 74 000 adults, subclinical hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism were not associated with cognitive function, cognitive decline, or incident dementia. No rigorous conclusions can be drawn regarding the role of overt thyroid dysfunction in risk of dementia. These findings do not support the practice of screening for subclinical thyroid dysfunction in the context of cognitive decline in older adults as recommended in current guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolien A van Vliet
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Diana van Heemst
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Osvaldo P Almeida
- Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Bjørn O Åsvold
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Endocrinology, Clinic of Medicine, St Olav's Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.,HUNT Research Center, Department of Public Health and Nursing, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Levanger, Norway
| | - Carole E Aubert
- Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Center for Clinical Management Research, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Jong Bin Bae
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Linda E Barnes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Cambridge Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas C Bauer
- Division of General Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Gerard J Blauw
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Carol Brayne
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Cambridge Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Anne R Cappola
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Graziano Ceresini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Unit of Internal Medicine and Oncological Endocrinology, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Hannie C Comijs
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,GGZ inGeest Specialized Mental Health Care, Research and Innovation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jean-Francois Dartigues
- UMR 1219, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Inserm, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jean-Marie Degryse
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Institute of Health and Society, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robin P F Dullaart
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marlise E A van Eersel
- University Center for Geriatric Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Wendy P J den Elzen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Atalmedial Diagnostics Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Chemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Luigi Ferrucci
- Longitudinal Studies Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Harbor Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.,National Institute on Aging NIA-ASTRA Unit, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Howard A Fink
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Healthcare System, Minneapolis, Minnesota.,Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Leon Flicker
- Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Hans J Grabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Germany
| | - Ji Won Han
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Catherine Helmer
- UMR 1219, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Inserm, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Martijn Huisman
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Department of Sociology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M Arfan Ikram
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Misa Imaizumi
- Department of Clinical Studies, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Renate T de Jongh
- Department of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - J Wouter Jukema
- Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Ki Woong Kim
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, South Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Lewis H Kuller
- Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Oscar L Lopez
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Simon P Mooijaart
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jae Hoon Moon
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Elisavet Moutzouri
- Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Nauck
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jim Parle
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Robin P Peeters
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.,Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mary H Samuels
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
| | - Carsten O Schmidt
- Department of Radiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Ulf Schminke
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - P Eline Slagboom
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Section of Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Eystein Stordal
- Namsos Hospital, Nord-Trøndelag Hospital Trust, Namsos, Norway.,Department of Mental Health, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Henry Völzke
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Rudi G J Westendorp
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Department of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology, Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michiko Yamada
- Department of Clinical Studies, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Bu B Yeap
- Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Nicolas Rodondi
- Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jacobijn Gussekloo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Stella Trompet
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
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Hegendörfer E, VanAcker V, Vaes B, Degryse JM. Malnutrition risk and its association with adverse outcomes in a Belgian cohort of community-dwelling adults aged 80 years and over. Acta Clin Belg 2021; 76:351-358. [PMID: 32134709 DOI: 10.1080/17843286.2020.1737779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of malnutrition risk and its association with adverse outcomes in a Belgian cohort of community-dwelling adults aged ≥80 years, a worldwide growing age-group.Methods: In the BELFRAIL cohort, malnutrition risk was evaluated with the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA total score <24) and prealbumin levels (<20 mg/dl). Agreement between them was assessed with Kohen's kappa coefficient. Association with first unplanned hospitalization (3.0 ± 0.25 years follow-up) and mortality (5.1 ± 0.25 years follow-up) was investigated with survival analysis and Cox multivariate regression.Results: Out of 567 BELFRAIL participants, 556 (98.1%) had MNA and 545 (96.1%) prealbumin levels. Sixty-eight (12.2%) were at risk of malnutrition based on MNA and 69 (12.7%) based on prealbumin, with very poor agreement between them (Kappa = 0.024, 95% CI -0.064, 0.112). For both MNA and prealbumin, participants with malnutrition risk had lower physical and cognitive performance tests' scores. They had no higher risk for first hospitalization compared to those without malnutrition risk, but higher risk for all-cause mortality even after adjustment for multimorbidity, inflammation, physical and mental functioning (HR 1.35 95%CI 0.92-1.97 for MNA; HR 1.46; 95%CI 1.01-2.12 for prealbumin).Conclusion: Malnutrition risk based on MNA or prealbumin was low in a Belgian cohort of community-dwelling adults aged ≥80 years. Physical and cognitive performance was lower in those with malnutrition risk, but malnutrition risk was not independently associated with hospitalization and mortality (except for malnutrition risk by prealbumin). Further research needs to investigate the best tool to assess malnutrition risk in this age group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eralda Hegendörfer
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Kuleuven), Leuven, Belgium
- Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain (Uclouvain), Louvain, Belgium
| | - Veronika VanAcker
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Kuleuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Kuleuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean-Marie Degryse
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Kuleuven), Leuven, Belgium
- Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain (Uclouvain), Louvain, Belgium
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De Burghgraeve T, Henrard S, Verboven B, Van Pottelbergh G, Vaes B, Mathei C. The incidence of lower respiratory tract infections and pneumococcal vaccination status in adults in flemish primary care. Acta Clin Belg 2021; 76:335-345. [PMID: 32149595 DOI: 10.1080/17843286.2020.1735113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Pneumococcal vaccination coverage of adults at risk for pneumococcal disease is below recommended levels. There is no observational data on pneumococcal vaccination and the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections in a general adult population. The current study had the objective to explore the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections and the pneumococcal vaccine coverage in function of age, influenza vaccination status and risk status, in Flanders, Belgium. We used data from Intego, ageneral practice-based morbidity registration network in Flanders (Belgium). We gathered data on pneumococcal vaccinations, influenza vaccination (in 2014) and ICPC2-coded diagnoses of pneumonia and acute bronchitis (2015). First, we divided the population into three groups along the risk status for developing apneumococcal infection according to the recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination in adults by the Belgian High Council of Health. 28.6% from our total adult study population are considered the target group for vaccination. Second, we found that the average pneumococcal vaccination coverage in this targeted population was 18.7%. Third, we found asignificantly higher incidence of LRTI in patients previously vaccinated against pneumococcal disease and/or influenza across the majority of subgroups. Pneumococcal vaccination coverage in Flanders is quantitatively low but observed to be qualitatively high in terms of reaching the most at risk population. Our findings are likely to be highly relevant to addressing future vaccination strategies in Flanders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tine De Burghgraeve
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Séverine Henrard
- Louvain Drug Research Institute, Institut de Recherche Santé Et Société, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium
| | - Bart Verboven
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gijs Van Pottelbergh
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Catharina Mathei
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Shi X, Prins C, Van Pottelbergh G, Mamouris P, Vaes B, De Moor B. An automated data cleaning method for Electronic Health Records by incorporating clinical knowledge. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2021; 21:267. [PMID: 34535146 PMCID: PMC8449435 DOI: 10.1186/s12911-021-01630-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) data in clinical research is incredibly increasing, but the abundancy of data resources raises the challenge of data cleaning. It can save time if the data cleaning can be done automatically. In addition, the automated data cleaning tools for data in other domains often process all variables uniformly, meaning that they cannot serve well for clinical data, as there is variable-specific information that needs to be considered. This paper proposes an automated data cleaning method for EHR data with clinical knowledge taken into consideration. METHODS We used EHR data collected from primary care in Flanders, Belgium during 1994-2015. We constructed a Clinical Knowledge Database to store all the variable-specific information that is necessary for data cleaning. We applied Fuzzy search to automatically detect and replace the wrongly spelled units, and performed the unit conversion following the variable-specific conversion formula. Then the numeric values were corrected and outliers were detected considering the clinical knowledge. In total, 52 clinical variables were cleaned, and the percentage of missing values (completeness) and percentage of values within the normal range (correctness) before and after the cleaning process were compared. RESULTS All variables were 100% complete before data cleaning. 42 variables had a drop of less than 1% in the percentage of missing values and 9 variables declined by 1-10%. Only 1 variable experienced large decline in completeness (13.36%). All variables had more than 50% values within the normal range after cleaning, of which 43 variables had a percentage higher than 70%. CONCLUSIONS We propose a general method for clinical variables, which achieves high automation and is capable to deal with large-scale data. This method largely improved the efficiency to clean the data and removed the technical barriers for non-technical people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Shi
- Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), Stadius Centre for Dynamical Systems, Signal Processing and Data Analytics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 10 - Box 2446, 3001, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Charlotte Prins
- Leuven Statistics Research Center, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Pavlos Mamouris
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart De Moor
- Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), Stadius Centre for Dynamical Systems, Signal Processing and Data Analytics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 10 - Box 2446, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
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Stouten V, Pazmino S, Verschueren P, Mamouris P, Westhovens R, de Vlam K, Bertrand D, Van der Elst K, Vaes B, De Cock D. Comorbidity burden in the first three years after diagnosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis or spondyloarthritis: a general practice registry-based study. RMD Open 2021; 7:rmdopen-2021-001671. [PMID: 34158353 PMCID: PMC8220534 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2021-001671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) are chronic inflammatory rheumatic conditions with high levels of comorbidity requiring additional therapeutic attention. We aimed to compare the 3-year comorbidity incidence and pain medication prescription in patients diagnosed with RA, PsA or SpA versus controls. METHODS Data between 1999 and 2012 were obtained from Intego, a general practitioner (GP) morbidity registry in Flanders, Belgium. Cases were identified by International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2) codes representing 'rheumatoid/seropositive arthritis (L88)' or 'musculoskeletal disease other (L99)'. The registered keywords mapped to these ICPC-2 codes were further verified and mapped to a RA/SpA/PsA diagnosis. Controls were matched on age, gender, GP practice and diagnosis date. We analysed the 3-year comorbidity burden in cases and controls, measured by the Rheumatic Diseases Comorbidity Index (RDCI). All electronically GP-prescribed drugs were registered. RESULTS In total, 738, 229 and 167 patients were included with a diagnosis of RA, SpA or PsA, respectively. Patients with RA or PsA had comparable median RDCI scores at baseline, but higher scores at year 3 compared with controls (RA: p=0.010; PsA: p=0.008). At baseline, depression was more prevalent in PsA patients vs controls (p<0.003). RA patients had a higher 3-year incidence of cardiovascular disease including myocardial infarction than controls (p<0.035). All disease population were given more prescriptions than controls for any pain medication type, even opioids excluding tramadol. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the increasing comorbidity burden of patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic conditions, especially for individuals with RA or PsA. The high opioid use in all populations was remarkable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veerle Stouten
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sofia Pazmino
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - P Verschueren
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Rheumatology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pavlos Mamouris
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - René Westhovens
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Rheumatology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kurt de Vlam
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Delphine Bertrand
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Diederik De Cock
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Beerten SG, Proesmans T, Vaes B. The effect of a case-finding app on the detection rate of atrial fibrillation compared with opportunistic screening in primary care patients: protocol for a cluster randomized trial. Trials 2021; 22:525. [PMID: 34372905 PMCID: PMC8351454 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05497-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Atrial fibrillation is a cardiac arrhythmia commonly encountered in a primary care setting. Current screening is limited to pulse palpation and ECG confirmation when an irregular pulse is found. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation will, however, still be difficult to pick up. With the advent of smartphones, screening could be more cost-efficient by making use of simple applications, lowering the need for intensive screening to discover (paroxysmal) atrial fibrillation. Methods/design This cluster randomized trial will examine the effect of using a smartphone-based application such as FibriCheck® on the detection rate of atrial fibrillation in a Flemish general practice population. This study will be conducted in 22 primary care practices across the Flanders region of Belgium and will last 12 months. Patients above 65 years of age will be divided in control and intervention groups on the practice level. The control group will be subjected to standard opportunistic screening only, while the intervention group will be prescribed the FibriCheck® app on top of this opportunistic screening. The difference in detection rate between control and intervention groups will be calculated at the end of the study. We will use the online platform INTEGO for pseudonymized data collection and analysis, and risk calculation. Discussion Smartphone applications might offer a way to cost-effectively screen for (paroxysmal) atrial fibrillation in a primary care setting. This could open the door for the update of future screening guidelines. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04545723. Registered on September 10, 2020.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Van Den Bulck S, Spitaels D, Vaes B, Goderis G, Hermens R, Vankrunkelsven P. The effect of electronic audits and feedback in primary care and factors that contribute to their effectiveness: a systematic review. Int J Qual Health Care 2021; 32:708-720. [PMID: 33057648 DOI: 10.1093/intqhc/mzaa128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this systematic review was (i) to assess whether electronic audit and feedback (A&F) is effective in primary care and (ii) to evaluate important features concerning content and delivery of the feedback in primary care, including the use of benchmarks, the frequency of feedback, the cognitive load of feedback and the evidence-based aspects of the feedback. DATA SOURCES The MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and CENTRAL databases were searched for articles published since 2010 by replicating the search strategy used in the last Cochrane review on A&F. STUDY SELECTION Two independent reviewers assessed the records for their eligibility, performed the data extraction and evaluated the risk of bias. Our search resulted in 8744 records, including the 140 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the last Cochrane Review. The full texts of 431 articles were assessed to determine their eligibility. Finally, 29 articles were included. DATA EXTRACTION Two independent reviewers extracted standard data, data on the effectiveness and outcomes of the interventions, data on the kind of electronic feedback (static versus interactive) and data on the aforementioned feedback features. RESULTS OF DATA SYNTHESIS Twenty-two studies (76%) showed that electronic A&F was effective. All interventions targeting medication safety, preventive medicine, cholesterol management and depression showed an effect. Approximately 70% of the included studies used benchmarks and high-quality evidence in the content of the feedback. In almost half of the studies, the cognitive load of feedback was not reported. Due to high heterogeneity in the results, no meta-analysis was performed. CONCLUSION This systematic review included 29 articles examining electronic A&F interventions in primary care, and 76% of the interventions were effective. Our findings suggest electronic A&F is effective in primary care for different conditions such as medication safety and preventive medicine. Some of the benefits of electronic A&F include its scalability and the potential to be cost effective. The use of benchmarks as comparators and feedback based on high-quality evidence are widely used and important features of electronic feedback in primary care. However, other important features such as the cognitive load of feedback and the frequency of feedback provision are poorly described in the design of many electronic A&F intervention, indicating that a better description or implementation of these features is needed. Developing a framework or methodology for automated A&F interventions in primary care could be useful for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Van Den Bulck
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - David Spitaels
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Geert Goderis
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rosella Hermens
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.,Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare (IQ Healthcare), Radboud Institute for Health Science (RIHS), Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, Nijmegen, 6500, HB, The Netherlands
| | - Patrik Vankrunkelsven
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
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Raat W, Smeets M, Van Pottelbergh G, Van de Putte M, Janssens S, Vaes B. Implementing standards of care for heart failure patients in general practice - the IMPACT-B study protocol. Acta Cardiol 2021; 76:486-493. [PMID: 33161831 DOI: 10.1080/00015385.2020.1844504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) is an important health problem. Most chronic HF management occurs in primary care. Although guidelines exist, there is an important implementation gap in current HF care in Belgium. METHODS We will conduct a non-randomised, non-controlled prospective observational trial to implement guideline-recommended disease management interventions in primary care in Leuven, a region of ±100.000 inhabitants. These interventions include education of general practitioners, reimbursement of the analysis of circulating natriuretic peptides and audits in the electronic health record (EHR), training and implementation of HF educators in primary care, and a protocol to structure transition to primary care after discharge. The main objective is to study and implement interventions in an iterative implementation process. CONCLUSIONS We will evaluate the implementation of several guideline-recommended disease management interventions to optimise the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure in a real-world primary care setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT04334447 (clinicaltrials.gov).
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem Raat
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Miek Smeets
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gijs Van Pottelbergh
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Zorgzaam Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Stefan Janssens
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Universitair Ziekenhuis Gasthuisberg, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Goderis G, Vaes B, Mamouris P, van Craeyveld E, Mathieu C. Prevalence of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, Heart Failure, and Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Primary Care Research Network-based Study. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2021; 130:447-453. [PMID: 34154020 DOI: 10.1055/a-1508-3912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
AIMS This study aims to assess the prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), heart failure (HF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and their combined presence in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients in primary care for whom the 2019 ADA/EASD consensus update "Management of Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes" recommends GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-I) as first-line medications after metformin. METHODS Data were obtained in 2015 from Intego, a morbidity registration network of 111 general practitioners (GPs) working in 48 practices and including 123 261 registered patients. RESULTS Of 123 261 patients, 9616 had T2D. Of these patients, 4200 (43.7%) presented with ASCVD and/or CKD and/or HF. Specifically, 3348 (34.8%) patients had ASCVD, 388 (4.0%) had heart failure, and 1402 (14.6%) had CKD. Compared to patients without any of these comorbidities, patients with at least 1 of these conditions were older (69.7 ±12.6 vs. 63.1±12.5 years), had higher LDL-C values (104.2±35.8 mg/dl vs. 97.2±37.7) and less frequently achieved the systolic blood pressure target of 140 mm Hg (53 vs. 61%) (all p<0.001). Comorbid patients also had significantly more other comorbidities, such as dementia or cancer; received more recommended medications, such as statins; and received less metformin. Most patients with HF (325; 3.4%) had ASCVD (114; 1.2%), CKD (76; 0.8%), or both (135; 1.4%). In total, 478 patients with CKD (5.0%) also had ASCVD. CONCLUSIONS At the primary care level, 44% of T2D patients suffer from ASCVD, CKD, and/or HF, and thus qualify for GLP-1RA or SGLT2-I therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geert Goderis
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pavlos Mamouris
- Academic Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Chantal Mathieu
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, UZ Gasthuisberg, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Van den Bulck S, De Burghgraeve T, Raat W, Mamouris P, Coursier P, Vankrunkelsven P, Goderis G, Hermens R, Van Pottelbergh G, Vaes B. The effect of automated audit and feedback on data completeness in the electronic health record of the general physician: protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial. Trials 2021; 22:325. [PMID: 33947448 PMCID: PMC8097814 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05259-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The electronic health record (EHR) of the general physician (GP) is an important tool that can be used to assess and improve the quality of healthcare. However, there are some problems when (re) using the data gathered in the EHR for quality assessments. One problem is the lack of data completeness in the EHR. Audit and feedback (A&F) is a well-known quality intervention that can improve the quality of healthcare. We hypothesize that an automated A&F intervention can be adapted to improve the data completeness of the EHR of the GP, more specifically, the number of correctly registered diagnoses of type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Methods This study is a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial with an intervention at the level of GP practice. The intervention consists of an audit and extended electronically delivered feedback with multiple components that will be delivered 4 times electronically to general practices over 12 months. The data will be analyzed on an aggregated level (per GP practice). The primary outcome is the percentage of correctly registered diagnoses of type 2 diabetes. The key secondary outcome is the registration of chronic kidney disease. Exploratory secondary outcomes are the registration of heart failure, biometric data and lifestyle habits, and the evolution of 4 different EHR-extractable quality indicators. Discussion This cluster randomized controlled trial intends to primarily improve the registration of type 2 diabetes in the EHR of the GP and to secondarily improve the registration of chronic kidney disease. In addition, the registration of heart failure, lifestyle parameters, and biometric data in the EHR of the GP are explored together with 4 EHR-extractable quality indicators. By doing so, this study aims to improve the data completeness of the EHR, paving the way for future quality assessments. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04388228. Registered on May 14, 2020. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-021-05259-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Van den Bulck
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Tine De Burghgraeve
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Willem Raat
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pavlos Mamouris
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrick Coursier
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrik Vankrunkelsven
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Geert Goderis
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rosella Hermens
- IQ Healthcare, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, 6500, HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Gijs Van Pottelbergh
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academic Center for General Practice, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok J, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
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Beerten SG, Proesmans T, Vaes B. A Heart Rate Monitoring App (FibriCheck) for Atrial Fibrillation in General Practice: Pilot Usability Study. JMIR Form Res 2021; 5:e24461. [PMID: 33825692 PMCID: PMC8060868 DOI: 10.2196/24461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for stroke. The current opportunistic screening procedure consists of pulse palpation and an electrocardiogram when an irregular rhythm is found. Smartphone apps that measure heart rhythm could be useful in increasing the detection of AF in a primary care setting. Objective We conducted a pilot study with the smartphone app FibriCheck to assess whether the introduction of such an app is feasible. Methods Four general practices across Flanders provided patient data for the study. Inclusion criteria for participants were aged 65 or older and a CHARGE-AF score of at least 10%. We excluded patients with known AF or a pacemaker. Participants were asked to measure at least twice a day with FibriCheck (for at least 14 days). They were provided the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) questionnaire both before and after the study, as well as different surveys concerning their user experience and general perception of technology. Results There were 92 participants (36 women and 56 men). The study population was relatively homogenous concerning risk factors and medication use at baseline. During the study period, 5/86 (6%) participants were found to have AF (6 dropouts). The average study period was 23 days and the average number of measurements per day was 2.1. Patient compliance was variable, but high. On the whole, there were no appreciable changes in quality of life. The overall user experience and satisfaction were very high. Conclusions FibriCheck is a relatively easy-to-use smartphone app to complement AF screening in primary care. Its implementation in this setting is certainly achievable, and one can expect high rates of patient compliance. Based on these results, a planned cluster randomized trial will be going ahead. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03509493; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03509493
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Mamouris P, Nassiri V, Molenberghs G, van den Akker M, van der Meer J, Vaes B. Fast and optimal algorithm for case-control matching using registry data: application on the antibiotics use of colorectal cancer patients. BMC Med Res Methodol 2021; 21:62. [PMID: 33810785 PMCID: PMC8019172 DOI: 10.1186/s12874-021-01256-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In case-control studies most algorithms allow the controls to be sampled several times, which is not always optimal. If many controls are available and adjustment for several covariates is necessary, matching without replacement might increase statistical efficiency. Comparing similar units when having observational data is of utter importance, since confounding and selection bias is present. The aim was twofold, firstly to create a method that accommodates the option that a control is not resampled, and second, to display several scenarios that identify changes of Odds Ratios (ORs) while increasing the balance of the matched sample. Methods The algorithm was derived in an iterative way starting from the pre-processing steps to derive the data until its application in a study to investigate the risk of antibiotics on colorectal cancer in the INTEGO registry (Flanders, Belgium). Different scenarios were developed to investigate the fluctuation of ORs using the combination of exact and varying variables with or without replacement of controls. To achieve balance in the population, we introduced the Comorbidity Index (CI) variable, which is the sum of chronic diseases as a means to have comparable units for drawing valid associations. Results This algorithm is fast and optimal. We simulated data and demonstrated that the run-time of matching even with millions of patients is minimal. Optimal, since the closest controls is always captured (using the appropriate ordering and by creating some auxiliary variables), and in the scenario that a case has only one control, we assure that this control will be matched to this case, thus maximizing the cases to be used in the analysis. In total, 72 different scenarios were displayed indicating the fluctuation of ORs, and revealing patterns, especially a drop when balancing the population. Conclusions We created an optimal and computationally efficient algorithm to derive a matched case-control sample with and without replacement of controls. The code and the functions are publicly available as an open source in an R package. Finally, we emphasize the importance of displaying several scenarios and assess the difference of ORs while using an index to balance population in observational data. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12874-021-01256-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavlos Mamouris
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, J building, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | | | - Geert Molenberghs
- I-BioStat, KU Leuven University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,I-BioStat, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Marjan van den Akker
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, J building, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Family Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Institute of General Practice, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Joep van der Meer
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, J building, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, J building, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
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Raat W, Smeets M, Janssens S, Vaes B. Impact of primary care involvement and setting on multidisciplinary heart failure management: a systematic review and meta-analysis. ESC Heart Fail 2021; 8:802-818. [PMID: 33405392 PMCID: PMC8006678 DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.13152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidisciplinary disease management programmes (DMPs) are a cornerstone of modern guideline-recommended care for heart failure (HF). Few programmes are community initiated or involve primary care professionals, despite the importance of home-based care for HF. We compared the outcomes of different multidisciplinary HF DMPs in relation to their recruitment setting and involvement of primary care health professionals. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published in MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane between 2000 and 2020 using Cochrane Collaboration methodology. Our meta-analysis included 19 randomized controlled trials (7577 patients), classified according to recruitment setting and involvement of primary care professionals. Thirteen studies recruited in the hospital (n = 5243 patients) and six in the community (n = 2334 patients). Only six studies involved primary care professionals (n = 3427 patients), with two of these recruited in the community (n = 225 patients). Multidisciplinary HF DMPs that recruited in the community had no significant effect on all-cause and HF readmissions nor on mortality, irrespective of primary care involvement. Studies that recruited in the hospital demonstrated a significant reduction in mortality (relative risk 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.76, 0.98]), HF readmissions (0.70, 95% CI [0.54, 0.89]), and all-cause readmissions (0.72, 95% CI [0.60, 0.87]). However, the difference in effect size between recruitment setting and involvement of primary care was not significant in a meta-regression analysis. Multidisciplinary HF DMPs that recruit in the community have no significant effect on mortality or hospital readmissions, unlike DMPs that recruit in the hospital, although the difference in effect size was not significant in a meta-regression analysis. Only six multidisciplinary studies involved primary care professionals. Given demographic evolutions and the importance of integrated home-based care for patients with HF, future multidisciplinary HF DMPs should consider integrating primary care professionals and evaluating the effectiveness of this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem Raat
- Department of Public Health and Primary CareKU Leuven (KUL)Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J Bus 7001Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Miek Smeets
- Department of Public Health and Primary CareKU Leuven (KUL)Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J Bus 7001Leuven3000Belgium
| | - Stefan Janssens
- Department of Cardiovascular DiseasesUniversity Hospitals, KU Leuven (KUL)LeuvenBelgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary CareKU Leuven (KUL)Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J Bus 7001Leuven3000Belgium
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46
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Hellemans L, Nuyts S, Hias J, van den Akker M, Van Pottelbergh G, Rygaert X, Spriet I, Vaes B, Tournoy J, Van der Linden L. Polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy in community-dwelling middle aged and aged adults between 2011 and 2015. Int J Clin Pract 2021; 75:e13942. [PMID: 33340210 DOI: 10.1111/ijcp.13942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS We aimed to assess the prevalence, components and evolution of polypharmacy and to evaluate risk factors associated with polypharmacy. METHODS A retrospective dynamic cohort study was performed, using a primary healthcare database comprising Flemish community-dwelling adults aged ≥40 years between 2011 and 2015. Polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy were defined as the use of 5-9 or minimum 10 different medications during 1 year, respectively. Temporal changes were analysed using an autoregressive error model. Risk factors for polypharmacy were evaluated using logistic regression. RESULTS In total, 68 426 patients were included in the analysis. The prevalence of polypharmacy was 29.5% and 16.1% for excessive polypharmacy in 2015. The age-standardised prevalence rate of patients using minimum five medications increased with 1.3% per year (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.1968-2.4279). The mean number of unplanned hospital admissions was 0.07 (standard deviation (SD) 0.33) for polypharmacy patients and 0.19 (SD 0.53) for excessive polypharmacy patients. Four risk factors were found to be significantly correlated with polypharmacy: age (odds ratio (OR) 1.015; 95% CI: 1.013-1.017), female gender (OR 1.161; 95% CI: 1.108-1.216), number of chronic diseases (OR 1.126; 95% CI: 1.114-1.139) and number of general practitioner contacts (OR 1.283; 95% CI: 1.274-1.292). CONCLUSION The prevalence of polypharmacy increased between 2011 and 2015. Polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy patients appeared to differ based on our observations of characteristics, drug therapy and outcomes. Age, female gender, number of chronic diseases and number of general practitioner contacts were associated with polypharmacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hellemans
- Pharmacy Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Shauni Nuyts
- Academic Centre of General Practice/Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- L-BioStat, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Julie Hias
- Pharmacy Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marjan van den Akker
- Academic Centre of General Practice/Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Institute of General Practice, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Family Medicine, School CAPHRI, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Gijs Van Pottelbergh
- Academic Centre of General Practice/Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Isabel Spriet
- Pharmacy Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academic Centre of General Practice/Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jos Tournoy
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Chronic Diseases, Metabolism and Ageing, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lorenz Van der Linden
- Pharmacy Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Struyf T, Nuyts S, Tournoy J, Vaes B, Verbakel JY, Van den Bruel A. Burden of infections on older patients presenting to general practice: a registry-based study. Fam Pract 2021; 38:166-172. [PMID: 32975281 DOI: 10.1093/fampra/cmaa105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Estimates on the incidence rates of infections are needed to assess the burden of disease in the community. OBJECTIVE To assess incidence rates of potentially serious infections in patients aged 65 years and over presenting to Flemish general practice from 2000 to 2015, and to describe patient characteristics. METHODS We performed a retrospective study, based on data provided by the Intego morbidity registry of the KU Leuven, which includes the electronic medical records of 111 general practitioners. Incidence rates were calculated taking person-time at risk into account, and longitudinal trends from 2000 to 2015 were analysed using autoregressive time-series analyses. RESULTS On average, a person aged 65 years or older has an 8.0% risk of getting a potentially serious infection each year. Acute cystitis was the most often occurring potentially serious infection [39.8/1000 person-years; 95% confidence interval (CI): 39.4-40.2], followed by influenza like illness (ILI, 24.3/1000 person-years; 95% CI: 24.0-24.6) and pneumonia (9.7/1000 person-years; 95% CI: 9.5-9.9). The incidence rates of pneumonia were higher in older age groups and in men, whereas they were markedly lower for ILI at older ages, in both genders. From 2000 to 2015, overall incidence rates decreased significantly for ILI, while they increased in women for pneumonia, acute cystitis and pyelonephritis. Common chronic comorbidities were non-insulin dependent diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, heart failure and chronic renal insufficiency. CONCLUSIONS Potentially serious infections are quite common in an older patient population presenting to primary care. They are accompanied by several chronic comorbidities, which may differ by infection type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Struyf
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care.,EPI-Centre, Department of Public Health and Primary Care
| | - Shauni Nuyts
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care
| | - Jos Tournoy
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care
| | - Jan Y Verbakel
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care.,EPI-Centre, Department of Public Health and Primary Care.,Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ann Van den Bruel
- Academic Centre for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Care
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Goldeck D, Adriaensen W, Oettinger L, Vaes B, van Pottelbergh G, Degryse JM, Hamprecht K, Matheï C, Pawelec G. Cellular Immune Phenotypes and Worsening Scores of Frailty-Associated Parameters Over an 18-Month Period in the Very Old. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2021; 76:1356-1361. [PMID: 33780527 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glab089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Frailty has been related to inflammaging and certain immune parameters. In previous analyses of participants older than 80 years of age in the longitudinal BELFRAIL cohort study, the main focus was on T-cell phenotypes and the association with cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus and survival, finding that a CD4:CD8 ratio greater than 5 was associated with frailty, impaired activities of daily living (ADLs), and mortality (but only in women). Here, we phenotyped peripheral blood immune cells via multicolor flow cytometry and correlated these with the dynamics of changes in ADL, geriatric depression score, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Short Physical Performance Battery from baseline values over 18 months follow-up. We found that higher frequencies of B cells and late-differentiated CD8+ T cells at 18 months from baseline were associated with ADL impairment that had worsened over the preceding 18 months. There were no significant associations with monocyte, dendritic cell, or natural killer (NK) cell phenotypes. No associations with the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Mini-Mental State Examination, or the Short Physical Performance Battery were found. Thus, while these results do not establish causality, they suggest that certain adaptive immune, but not innate immune, parameters are associated with a worsened ADL in the very old.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wim Adriaensen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lilly Oettinger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Section for Dementia Research, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven (KUL), Belgium
| | | | | | - Klaus Hamprecht
- Institute of Medical Virology and Epidemiology of Viral Disease, University Hospital, Eberhard-Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Catharina Matheï
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven (KUL), Belgium
| | - Graham Pawelec
- Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Germany.,Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
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Raat W, Smeets M, Vandewal I, Broekx L, Peters S, Janssens S, Vaes B, Aertgeerts B. Cardiologists' perceptions on multidisciplinary collaboration in heart failure care - a qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res 2021; 21:170. [PMID: 33622318 PMCID: PMC7901167 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06179-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiologists play a key role in multidisciplinary care by guiding heart failure (HF) management in the hospital and in the community. Regional implementation of multidisciplinary health care interventions depends on how they perceive collaboration with other health care disciplines, yet research on this topic is limited. This study aimed to explore the views and opinions of cardiologists on multidisciplinary collaboration in HF care. METHODS We conducted a qualitative study based on face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 11 Belgian cardiologists between September 2019 and February 2020. We used the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven (QUAGOL) method as guidance for data analysis until data saturation was reached. RESULTS Cardiologists consider the general practitioner (GP) and HF nurse as the most important partners in HF management. Cardiologists identified four problems in current multidisciplinary collaboration: the communication of a HF diagnosis to the patient, advanced care planning, titration of HF medication by the GP and electronic data exchange and communication. Three themes emerged as ideas for improvement of HF care: 1) expansion of the role of the HF nurse, 2) implementation of a structured, patient-centered, and flexible model of disease management program and 3) integrated data approaches. CONCLUSION Cardiologists value close cooperation with GPs in HF management. They advocate an expanded future role for the HF nurse, increased eHealth, and structured disease management to optimize current HF care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem Raat
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Bus 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Miek Smeets
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Bus 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Isolde Vandewal
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Bus 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lien Broekx
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Bus 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sanne Peters
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Bus 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.,Ebpracticenet, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stefan Janssens
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Universitaire Ziekenhuizen Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Bus 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Blok J, Bus 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
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50
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Delvaux N, Piessens V, Burghgraeve TD, Mamouris P, Vaes B, Stichele RV, Cloetens H, Thomas J, Ramaekers D, Sutter AD, Aertgeerts B. Clinical decision support improves the appropriateness of laboratory test ordering in primary care without increasing diagnostic error: the ELMO cluster randomized trial. Implement Sci 2020; 15:100. [PMID: 33148311 PMCID: PMC7640389 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-020-01059-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Inappropriate laboratory test ordering poses an important burden for healthcare. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) have been cited as promising tools to improve laboratory test ordering behavior. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of an intervention that integrated a clinical decision support service into a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) on the appropriateness and volume of laboratory test ordering, and on diagnostic error in primary care. Methods This study was a pragmatic, cluster randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial. Setting Two hundred eighty general practitioners (GPs) from 72 primary care practices in Belgium. Patients Patients aged ≥ 18 years with a laboratory test order for at least one of 17 indications: cardiovascular disease management, hypertension, check-up, chronic kidney disease (CKD), thyroid disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, fatigue, anemia, liver disease, gout, suspicion of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), suspicion of lung embolism, rheumatoid arthritis, sexually transmitted infections (STI), acute diarrhea, chronic diarrhea, and follow-up of medication. Interventions The CDSS was integrated into a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) in the form of evidence-based order sets that suggested appropriate tests based on the indication provided by the general physician. Measurements The primary outcome of the ELMO study was the proportion of appropriate tests over the total number of ordered tests and inappropriately not-requested tests. Secondary outcomes of the ELMO study included diagnostic error, test volume, and cascade activities. Results CDSS increased the proportion of appropriate tests by 0.21 (95% CI 0.16–0.26, p < 0.0001) for all tests included in the study. GPs in the CDSS arm ordered 7 (7.15 (95% CI 3.37–10.93, p = 0.0002)) tests fewer per panel. CDSS did not increase diagnostic error. The absolute difference in proportions was a decrease of 0.66% (95% CI 1.4% decrease–0.05% increase) in possible diagnostic error. Conclusions A CDSS in the form of order sets, integrated within the CPOE improved appropriateness and decreased volume of laboratory test ordering without increasing diagnostic error. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02950142, registered on October 25, 2016 Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13012-020-01059-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Delvaux
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 Blok J PB 7001, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Veerle Piessens
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tine De Burghgraeve
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 Blok J PB 7001, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pavlos Mamouris
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 Blok J PB 7001, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bert Vaes
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 Blok J PB 7001, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robert Vander Stichele
- Department of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Ghent University, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hanne Cloetens
- Center for General Practice, University of Antwerp, Gouverneur Kinsbergen Centrum, Doornstraat 331, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - Dirk Ramaekers
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 Blok J PB 7001, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - An De Sutter
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bert Aertgeerts
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 Blok J PB 7001, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
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