Risks and deficient communication in thrombosis care

De onderlinge afstemming tussen trombosediensten en zorgverleners die betrokken zijn bij trombosezorg, zoals ziekenhuizen, verzorgingshuizen en apotheken, verloopt niet optimaal. Hierdoor beschikken trombosediensten niet altijd over voldoende informatie om te kunnen beslissen of de medicatie moet worden aangepast. Het gevolg kan zijn dat patienten verkeerde doses medicatie krijgen, wat het risico op bloedstollingen of bloedingen vergroot. In dit onderzoek kon de relatie tussen suboptimale afstemming en risico's echter niet worden aangetoond. Dat kan komen doordat de data nog onvoldoende geschikt zijn voor analyses. Wel geven trombosediensten aan dat ze veel tijd kwijt zijn om de zorg voor patienten goed te laten aansluiten op de zorg van andere zorgverleners. Bijna de helft van de trombosediensten heeft geen formele afspraken gemaakt met andere zorgverleners over de afstemming van de behandeling. Hierdoor verliezen de trombosediensten veel tijd met het vinden van ad-hoc oplossingen voor problemen met medicatie(wijzigingen) bij patienten. Ook blijken er verschillende medisch-inhoudelijk protocollen door betrokken disciplines te worden gebruikt, waardoor de continuiteit van zorg niet gewaarborgd is. Een good practice die naar voren komt uit dit onderzoek is het gebruik van ICT voor uitwisseling van informatie tussen zorgverleners. Zorgverleners gaven daarnaast aan dat een coordinator die de regie voert voor de zorgverlening van de patient in de hele zorgketen, de zorg zou kunnen verbeteren. Toepassing van een te ontwikkelen landelijk protocol of een zorgstandaard door zorgverleners zou de doelmatigheid van de trombosezorg kunnen verhogen. Uit eerder onderzoek is gebleken dat bij een kwart van de vermijdbare ziekenhuisopnames vanwege bijwerkingen van geneesmiddelen, antistollingsmedicatie is betrokken. Hieronder vallen de medicijnen waar trombosediensten mee werken (cumarines). Het doel van dit onderzoek is het achterhalen van knelpunten en risico's in de trombosezorg. Voor het onderzoek zijn trombosediensten geinterviewd en zijn vragenlijsten voorgelegd aan trombosediensten en verpleeg- en verzorgingstehuizen. Daarnaast zijn experts uit de hele zorgketen gehoord.Communication between thrombosis services and other care providers involved in thrombosis care, such as hospitals, homes for the elderly and pharmacies, is not optimal. Because of this, the thrombosis service may lack sufficient information to decide whether a patient's medication needs to be adapted. As a consequence, patients may receive inappropriate doses of medication thus increasing the risk of thrombi or haemorrhages. Yet, this study could not show an association between a lack of communication and such risks, possibly because of inadequate data. Still, the thrombosis services indicated to lose much time due to insufficient information from other care providers, to ensure that patients receive the care that they need. Almost half of the thrombosis services does not have formal agreements on communication concerning the care, forcing thrombosis services time and time again to find ad hoc solutions. Additionally, the different disciplines involved in thrombosis care use different medical protocols which may interfere with the continuity of care. This study found the use of ICT for information exchange between care providers as a good practice. Also, care providers indicated that a coordinator, responsible for the care given to the patient, may improve thrombosis care. The use of a national protocol or standard for care can help improve the efficiency of thrombosis care. The reason for this study was that in almost a quarter of the avoidable hospital admissions due to medication, anticoagulants are involved. Among these drugs are cumarines, the medication managed by the thrombosis service. The aim of this study is to find problems and risks in the thrombosis care. For this study, thrombosis services were interviewed and questionnaires were filled out by thrombosis services and homes for the elderly. Experts involved in the complete process of thrombosis care were asked about their findings.IG

The effectiveness of disease management programmes: a review of the literature

Onderzoek toont aan dat disease-managementprogramma's een positief effect hebben op de behandeling van chronisch zieken. In deze programma's wordt de zorg door verschillende behandelaars en instellingen beter op elkaar afgestemd. De zorg rond chronisch zieken is gefragmenteerd waardoor het risico bestaat dat chronisch zieken geen optimale zorg krijgen. Om de zorg voor chronisch zieken te optimaliseren en de groeiende zorglast door de vergrijzing het hoofd te kunnen bieden, zijn maatregelen nodig om de kwaliteit van de zorg voor chronisch zieken te verbeteren. Disease-managementprogramma's kunnen hieraan bijdragen. Op basis van een inventarisatie van de internationale literatuur is onderzocht wat het effect is van disease-managementinitiatieven voor chronisch zieken in het algemeen en voor de specifieke ziekten COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), chronisch hartfalen, depressie en diabetes. Hierbij is onderzocht wat het effect is van deze programma's op de ernst van de ziekte, sterfte, kwaliteit van leven, de zorgverlening en de tevredenheid van patienten. Tussen de verschillende studies is veel variatie in de activiteiten die in het kader van disease- managementprogramma's worden uitgevoerd. Disease-managementinitiatieven met meerdere activiteiten lijken effectiever dan initiatieven met slechts een activiteit. Daarnaast blijken multidisciplinaire teams, preventie, en medicatievoorschriften door casemanagers regelmatig deel uit te maken van effectieve initiatieven. Hoewel de variatie in de onderzochte studies groot was, concluderen we dat disease-managementprogramma's in het algemeen een positief effect kunnen hebben voor chronisch zieken.Studies have shown that disease management programmes have a positive effect on the treatment of chronically ill patients. In these programmes, health care by different professionals and in different institutions is better tuned and coordinated. Health care for chronically ill patients is fragmented into different care episodes, which increases the risk of sub-optimal care. To optimize the health care for the chronically ill, disease management programmes have been used to improve the coordination of care delivery. In this study we included scientific publications on the effect of disease management in chronically ill patients in general, and in specific chronic conditions: COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), congestive heart failure, depression and diabetes. We studied the effectiveness of disease management on severity of the disease, mortality, quality of life, care processes and patient satisfaction. Activities within the disease management programmes varied considerably among the included studies. Disease management programmes with several activities tend to be more effective compared to programmes with a focus on a single activity. Effective programmes often comprised the use of multidisciplinary teams, activities on prevention, and medication prescription by case managers. Although the variety among the disease management programmes was substantial, we conclude that disease management programmes in general can contribute to better care for the chronically ill.VW

Landelijke monitor populatiemanagement : Deel 1: beschrijving proeftuinen

In Nederland zijn verschillende initiatieven gestart om zorg en ondersteuning op regionaal niveau anders vorm te geven. Deze regionale populatiegerichte aanpak wordt ook wel populatiemanagement genoemd. Doel van de initiatieven is de gezondheid van de populatie en de kwaliteit van de zorg te verbeteren en de kosten van de zorg te beheersen. Het ministerie van VWS heeft op voordracht van de zorgverzekeraars negen van deze regionale initiatieven geselecteerd als 'proeftuinen'. Het RIVM volgt deze proeftuinen om beter zicht te krijgen op het implementatieproces, op de succes- en faalfactoren en op het effect van de initiatieven op de gezondheid van de populatie en de kwaliteit en kosten van de zorg. Op dit moment zijn de proeftuinen sterk in ontwikkeling. Begin 2014 vormen de proeftuinen netwerken, vastgelegd in convenanten of samenwerkingsovereenkomsten. In de proeftuinen nemen veelal eerstelijnszorgorganisaties, ziekenhuizen en zorgverzekeraars deel, in variërende mate aangevuld met andere actoren zoals de gemeente. De populaties van de proeftuinen zijn op verschillende manieren afgebakend: geografisch (alle inwoners van een of meerdere gemeenten), op basis van het verzorgingsgebied van de betrokken huisartsen of zorggroepen, en ten slotte wordt nog onderscheid gemaakt tussen wel of niet verzekerd zijn bij de betrokken zorgverzekeraar. Iedere proeftuin heeft verschillende programma's (thema's) en een bijbehorende set interventies opgesteld. De scope van de programma's is breed en varieert tussen de proeftuinen. De interventies richten zich vaak op thema's als substitutie van zorg (verschuiving van zorg van tweede lijn naar eerste lijn), integratie van zorg (eventueel met welzijn) en preventie. In eerste instantie worden de interventies vooral toegepast op chronische zorg, medicatiegebruik en zorg rondom ontslag. De proeftuinen richten zich grotendeels nog op de eerste- en tweedelijnszorg. Wel is er de ambitie om dit gaandeweg uit te breiden met interventies in andere domeinen, zoals GGZ en jeugdzorg. De projectplannen van de proeftuinen zijn de afgelopen maanden verder uitgewerkt en de eerste interventies worden vanaf 2014 getest en/of geïmplementeerd. Nog niet voor alle geplande interventies is (structurele) financiering verworven. Vooralsnog zijn er tussen de deelnemende zorgaanbieder(s) en zorgverzekeraars in de proeftuinen geen definitieve afspraken gemaakt over uitkomstbekostiging en shared savings. Er zijn op dit gebied wel (voorzichtige) ontwikkelingen gaande, maar het is nog onduidelijk welke vorm dit gaat krijgen.In the Netherlands, several initiatives have emerged that aim to rearrange health services and promote intersectoral collaboration at regional level. These initiatives focus on the health needs of a specified population, resembling the ideas of population (health) management. The main goal is to improve population health and quality of care and to control health care costs. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport designated nine of these initiatives as 'pioneer sites'. In the coming years, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) will monitor these sites in order to get insight into the implementation process, the determinants of successful population management in the Dutch context, and the impact of the initiatives in terms of population health, quality of care and health spending. Currently, the nine pioneer sites are under development. Early 2014, they represent organizational networks including different types of organizations. Agreements were signed to confirm the intended cooperation within the network. All pioneer sites contain primary care organizations, hospitals and a health insurer. Other stakeholders or care providers in the health system, such as local governments, participate to varying degrees. Each pioneer site identified its target population in one of the following ways: geographically (including all citizens living in one or more municipalities); based on the catchment area of specific care providers; or enrollment in a health insurance program. Each pioneer site defined a set of programs or themes with accompanying interventions to achieve its goals. The scope of these programs is rather broad and varies between the sites. Often, interventions focus on intermediate goals such as substitution of care (from secondary to primary care), integration of services (possibly including welfare) and improved preventive care. At the start, most interventions concern chronic care, the use of medicines and the organization of care around hospital discharge. The pioneer sites aim to include other domains in the future, such as mental health care and youth care. In the past months, the pioneer sites have elaborated their project plans. Most interventions will be tested and/or implemented from 2014 onwards. More detailed financing arrangements will be made at the intervention level and at the level of the entire site. As yet, there are no definitive contracts between the health insurers and providers of care that are involved in the sites. Forthcoming contracts may include arrangements with respect to pay for performance or shared savings, but this will become clearer in the near future.Ministerie van VW

What’s in a Realist Configuration? Deciding Which Causal Configurations to Use, How, and Why

Background: Realist studies represent an increasingly popular approach for exploring complex interventions’ successes and failures. The theory-driven approach seeks to explain “what works, how, why, in which contexts, for whom, and to what extent” using context–mechanism–outcome (CMO) configurations. When the approach was first developed, CMO configurations were the method for expressing causal explanations. Increasingly, realist studies have been conducted using different variations of the heuristic such as strategy–context–mechanism–outcome (SCMO) configurations or intervention–context–actor–mechanism–outcome (ICAMO) configurations. Researchers have highlighted a lack of methodological guidance regarding which additional explanatory factors can be included in configurations (e.g., strategies, interventions, actors). This article aims to clarify and further develop the concept of configurations by discussing how explanatory factors could be robustly added to the original CMO configuration as put forward by Pawson and Tilley. Comparing the use of different types of configurations: We draw on two of our own studies, one which formulated CMO configurations and one which formulated SCMO configurations, and on an evidence scan of realist studies. We explored the effects these different configurations had on studies’ findings and highlight why researchers chose CMOs or SCMOs. Finally, we provide recommendations regarding the use of configurations. These are as follows: Using additional explanatory factors is possible but consider the research scope to select the configuration appropriate for the study; Be transparent about the choice in configuration and include examples of configurations; Further studies about the use of additional explanatory factors are needed to better understand the effects on each step in the realist evaluation cycle; and New ways of disseminating realist findings are needed to balance transparency regarding the use of configurations. Conclusions: Adding explanatory factors is possible and can be insightful depending on the study’s scope and aims; however, any configuration type must adhere to the rule of generative causation

Cutaneous nociception and neurogenic inflammation evoked by PACAP38 and VIP

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide-38 (PACAP38) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) belong to the same secretin–glucagon superfamily and are present in nerve fibers in dura and skin. Using a model of acute cutaneous pain we explored differences in pain perception and vasomotor responses between PACAP38 and VIP in 16 healthy volunteers in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. All participants received intradermal injections of 200 pmol PACAP38, 200 pmol VIP and placebo into the volar forearm. Measurements included pain intensity on a visual analog scale (VAS), blood flow by laser Doppler flowmetry, visual flare and wheal. Pain intensities after PACAP38 and VIP were mild and limited to a short time of about 100 s after injection. The area under the VAS-time curve was larger following PACAP38 (P = 0.004) and VIP (P = 0.01) compared to placebo. We found no statistical difference in pain perception between PACAP38 and VIP. Skin blood flow increase, flare and wheal were larger after both PACAP38 (P = 0.011) and VIP (P = 0.001) compared to placebo. VIP induced a considerably larger increase in skin blood flow, flare and wheal than PACAP38 (P = 0.002). In conclusion, we found that peripheral nociceptive cutaneous responses elicited by PACAP38 and VIP are similar in healthy volunteers. This suggests that acute pain and vasomotor responses following intradermal injections of PACAP38 and VIP are primarily mediated by VPAC receptors

Implementation of integrated care for diabetes mellitus type 2 by two Dutch care groups: a case study

Background Even though previous research has demonstrated improved outcomes of integrated care initiatives, it is not clear why and when integrated care works. This study aims to contribute to filling this knowledge gap by examining the implementation of integrated care for type 2 diabetes by two Dutch care groups. Methods An embedded single case study was conducted including 26 interviews with management staff, care purchasers and health professionals. The Context + Mechanism = Outcome Model was used to study the relationship between context factors, mechanisms and outcomes. Dutch integrated care involves care groups, bundled payments, patient involvement, health professional cooperation and task substitution, evidence-based care protocols and a shared clinical information system. Community involvement is not (yet) part of Dutch integrated care. Results Barriers to the implementation of integrated care included insufficient integration between the patient databases, decreased earnings for some health professionals, patients’ insufficient medical and policy-making expertise, resistance by general practitioner assistants due to perceived competition, too much care provided by practice nurses instead of general practitioners and the funding system incentivising the provision of care exactly as described in the care protocols. Facilitators included performance monitoring via the care chain information system, increased earnings for some health professionals, increased focus on self-management, innovators in primary and secondary care, diabetes nurses acting as integrators and financial incentives for guideline adherence. Economic and political context and health IT-related barriers were discussed as the most problematic areas of integrated care implementation. The implementation of integrated care led to improved communication and cooperation but also to insufficient and unnecessary care provision and deteriorated preconditions for person-centred care. Conclusions Dutch integrated diabetes care is still a work in progress, in the academic and the practice setting. This makes it difficult to establish whether overall quality of care has improved. Future efforts should focus on areas that this study found to be problematic or to not have received enough attention yet. Increased efforts are needed to improve the interoperability of the patient databases and to keep the negative consequences of the bundled payment system in check. Moreover, patient and community involvement should be incorporated

Environmental Constraints on the Mechanics of Crawling and Burrowing Using Hydrostatic Skeletons

Mechanics, kinematics, and energetics of crawling and burrowing by limbless organisms using hydrostatic skeletons depend on the medium and mode in which the organism is moving. Whether the animal is moving over or through a solid has long been considered important enough to distinguish crawling and burrowing as different terms, and in fact the mechanics are very different. Crawlers use mechanisms to increase friction to generate thrust while reducing resistive friction. Burrowers in elastic muds extend their burrows by fracture, whereas sands are fluidized by burrowers much larger than grain sizes and smaller burrowers displace individual grains. Gravitational forces depend on how closely the density of the organism matches that of its fluid surroundings, therefore frictional forces depend on whether the organism is moving through air or water and fluidization on whether sands are saturated or unsaturated

Landelijke monitor populatiemanagement : Deel 2: ontwerprapport

In Nederland zijn verschillende initiatieven gestart om zorg en ondersteuning op regionaal niveau anders vorm te geven. Het doel is drieledig: de gezondheid van de bevolking te verbeteren, de kwaliteit van de zorg te verbeteren en de kosten van de zorg te beheersen. Negen van deze initiatieven zijn door het ministerie van VWS, op voordracht van de zorgverzekeraars, aangewezen als 'proeftuinen'. Het RIVM gaat deze proeftuinen volgen in de Landelijke Monitor Populatiemanagement (LMP), om te zien welke resultaten worden behaald en waar dat door komt. Met die inzichten kunnen de initiatieven van elkaar leren en kunnen lessen worden getrokken voor het beleid. In dit ontwerprapport staat beschreven hoe de LMP zal worden uitgevoerd. Aan de proeftuinen nemen veelal eerstelijnszorgorganisaties, ziekenhuizen en zorgverzekeraars deel. De proeftuinen voeren verschillende interventies uit, waarbij ze zich concentreren op de populatie in de betreffende regio en het daar aanwezige zorgaanbod. Deze regionale populatiegerichte aanpak wordt ook wel populatiemanagement genoemd. De LMP bevat een proces- en een uitkomstmonitor. De procesmonitor is gericht op de manier waarop de proeftuinen zijn vormgegeven, op de ervaringen van de verschillende betrokkenen en op welke factoren belemmerend of stimulerend werken voor het realiseren van de gewenste veranderingen. Hiervoor worden hoofdzakelijk interviews afgenomen. In de uitkomstmonitor wordt gemeten welke resultaten de proeftuinen behalen op de drie doelen gezondheid, kwaliteit van zorg en zorgkosten. Voor de uitkomstmonitor worden bestaande landelijke databronnen geanalyseerd. Daarnaast wordt een enquête uitgezet onder de populatie in de proeftuinregio's om informatie te verzamelen die niet uit deze bronnen te halen is. Begin 2015 volgt de eerste rapportage over de startfase van de proeftuinen en begin 2018 verschijnt de eindrapportage. Tussentijds zullen actualisaties worden uitgebracht.In the Netherlands, several initiatives have emerged that aim to rearrange health services and promote intersectoral collaboration at regional level. The three main goals are: to improve population health, to improve quality of care and to control health care costs. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport designated nine of these initiatives as 'pioneer sites'. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) will monitor these sites within the Dutch Monitor Population Management (DMPM). The aim is to get insight into the implementation process and the achievements of the sites in terms of the three main goals. This should provide general lessons for the nine initiatives and for health policy. This report describes the design of the DMPM. Each pioneer site includes primary care organizations, hospitals and a health insurer. The sites have defined a set of programs and interventions to achieve their goals, concentrating on the population and the suppliers of care in the region. As such, they resemble the ideas of population (health) management. The DMPM contains two main parts: a process and an outcome evaluation. The process evaluation will focus on the organizational structure of the pioneer sites, on the experiences of participants and on the factors that hinder or stimulate achieving their goals. This part will be based on qualitative research. The outcome evaluation will focus on measuring the achievements in terms of population health, quality of care and health care costs. Existing national data sources will be used, complemented with a survey among the population in each pioneer site region. The first report will be published at the beginning of 2015, describing the pioneer sites in their early stages. Early 2018, the second main report will show the results at follow-up. In the meantime, the DMPM will provide updates on a regular basis.Ministerie van VW