Effect of integrated care for sick listed patients with chronic low back pain: economic evaluation alongside a randomised controlled trial

Objective To evaluate the cost effectiveness, cost utility, and cost-benefit of an integrated care programme compared with usual care for sick listed patients with chronic low back pain

Randomised controlled trial of integrated care to reduce disability from chronic low back pain in working and private life

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated care programme, combining a patient directed and a workplace directed intervention, for patients with chronic low back pain

Physics-assisted machine learning for THz spectroscopy: sensing moisture on plant leaves

Signal processing techniques are of vital importance to bring THz spectroscopy to a maturity level to reach practical applications. In this work, we illustrate the use of machine learning techniques for THz time-domain spectroscopy assisted by domain knowledge based on light-matter interactions. We aim at the potential agriculture application to determine the amount of free water on plant leaves, so-called leaf wetness. This quantity is important for understanding and predicting plant diseases that need leaf wetness for disease development. The overall transmission of a moist plant leaf for 12,000 distinct water patterns was experimentally acquired using THz time-domain spectroscopy. We report on key insights of applying decision trees and convolutional neural networks to the data using physics-motivated choices. Eventually, we discuss the generalizability of these models to determine leaf wetness after testing them on cases with increasing deviations from the training set.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Structural and optical properties of Mg2NiHx switchable mirrors upon hydrogen loading

The structural, thermodynamic and optical properties of M

Working on wellness (WOW): a worksite health promotion intervention programme

Background: Insufficient PA has been shown to cluster with other CVD risk factors including insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, overweight, increased serum cholesterol concentrations and elevated blood pressure. This paper describes the development of Working on Wellness (WOW), a worksite intervention program incorporating motivational interviewing by wellness specialists, targeting employees at risk. In addition, we describe the evaluation the effectiveness of the intervention among employees at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Methods: The intervention mapping (IM) protocol was used in the planning and design of WOW. Focus group discussions and interviews with employees and managers identified the importance of addressing risk factors for CVD at the worksite. Based on the employees preference for individual counselling, and previous evidence of the effectiveness of this approach in the worksite setting, we decided to use motivational interviewing as part of the intervention strategy. Thus, as a cluster-randomised, controlled control trial, employees at increased risk for CVD (N = 928) will be assigned to a control or an intervention group, based on company random allocation. The sessions will include motivational interviewing techniques, comprised of two face-to-face and four telephonic sessions, with the primary aim to increase habitual levels of PA. Measures will take place at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Secondary outcomes include changes in nutritional habits, serum cholesterol and glucose concentrations, blood pressure and BMI. In addition, healthcare expenditure and absenteeism will be measured for the economic evaluation. Analysis of variance will be performed to determine whether there were significant changes in physical activity habits in the intervention and control groups at 6 and 12 months. Discussion: The formative work on which this intervention is based suggests that the strategy of targeting employees at increased risk for CVD is preferred. Importantly, this study extends the work of a previous, similar study, Health Under Construction, in a different setting. Finally, this study will allow an economic evaluation of the intervention that will be an important outcome for health care funders, who ultimately will be responsible for implementation of such an intervention. Trial registration: United States Clinical Trails Register NCT 01494207

A retrospective analysis of injury risk in physical education teacher education students between 2000-2014

To identify primary target groups for injury prevention in physical education teacher education (PETE) students, risk differences between subgroups by sex and curriculum years were compared in a retrospective cohort study (2000-2014). Injuries recorded by healthcare professionals at the medical facility of a Dutch PETE college were used to calculate overall, intra- and extracurricular injury prevalence per sex, curriculum years, and semesters and to compare these by logistic regression analyses. Of 1083 PETE students, 599 (55.3%) reported at least one injury during their curriculum (60.0% intracurricular). Female students had a higher risk for overall (OR 2.29, 95%CI 1.77-2.96) and for intracurricular injuries (OR 3.12, 95%CI 2.41-4.03), but not for extracurricular injuries. Compared to the freshman year, injury risk dropped during the consecutive years (OR 0.56, 95%CI 0.46-0.67; OR 0.33, 95%CI 0.27-0.41; OR 0.04, 95%CI 0.03-0.07, respectively). The first semesters of the freshman and second year showed higher injury prevalence compared to two out of three consecutive semesters (P < .006). Primary target groups for injury preventive measures are freshman and female PETE students. Factors contributing to the predominantly higher intracurricular injury risks, most notably in female students, need to be investigated in prospective cohort studies, regardless of sex

Sports-related injuries in primary health care

Introduction. Sports activities play an important role in today’s society. However, as more people become involved in these activities, the number of sports-related injuries also increases. In the Netherlands, 3.5 million sports injuries occur annually. Twenty per cent of these injuries are first seen by a GP. Little is known about the epidemiology of these injuries in general practice. This study has been conducted to determine the incidence and prevalence of sports-related injuries in general practice and to provide information about the nature and treatment of these injuries