Preface

AimThis was a one-year follow-up of families referred to support services after the parents visited the emergency department due to intimate partner violence, substance abuse or a suicide attempt. Its aim was to evaluate the well-being of any children. MethodsData on families identified a year earlier by the Amsterdam protocol were gathered from child protective services and parent and child self-reports in two Dutch regions from 2012-2015. ResultsWe included 399 children (52%) boys with a median age of eight years (range 1-18) in the study using child protective services data. Of the 101 families who participated in the first measurement, 67 responded one year after the parent's emergency department visit. The results showed that 20% of the children had no or minor problems, voluntary support services were involved in 60% of cases and child protective services were involved in 20%. Compared to their first assessment a year earlier, the children's psychosocial problems had not increased, but this could have been an underestimation due to selective responses. ConclusionThe Amsterdam protocol was valuable in referring families to voluntary support services, but given the ongoing problems in some families, professionals need to carefully monitor whether support services are sufficiently effectiv

Geen Haarlemmer olie, wel mooi model

Onderzoekers van Inholland geven vanuit hun concrete ervaring een visie op wat goed HBO-onderzoek inhoudt en welke kansen en zorgen zij daarbij zien. “Je moet niet willen om onderwijs en onderzoek uit elkaar te halen, juist in de verbinding ligt de kracht van het HBO.

Een eenvoudig wandelprogramma voor mensen met diabetes

Bij goed gemotiveerde patiënten kan een simpele en goedkope interventie zoals wandelen klinisch relevante verbetering teweegbrengen. Het wandelprogramma in het kader van de Nijkerk Challange had een gunstig effect op BMI, tailleomvang, bloedruk en welbevinden. Wel was deze gemotiveerde groep bij aanvang reeds in staat om ten minste 6 km per week te wandelen

A simple to implement and low-cost supervised walking programme in highly motivated individuals with or at risk for type 2 diabetes : An observational study with a pre-post design

This observational study with a pre-post design, conducted in two Dutch primary healthcare centres, aimed to evaluate the effect of a supervised walking programme in highly motivated individuals with or at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Those able and willing to walk at least 6 km, were invited for a 28-week walking programme (February to August 2017), in which participants walked in groups, once weekly under supervision of volunteer healthcare professionals. Changes in bodyweight, BMI, waist circumference, HbA1c, blood pressure, well-being, health status and patient activation were analysed using paired t-tests and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Fifty-six people were included (30 T2DM; 26 at risk), of whom 60.7% were female. Mean age was 60.6 years, median BMI 30.8 kg/m2 and mean systolic blood pressure 146.9 mm Hg. Participants with T2DM had median HbA1c of 50.0 mmol/mol. Post-challenge, BMI had decreased to 29.7 kg/m2, and waist circumference decreased 3.4 cm (95% CI 2.1–4.8), both p 53 mmol/mol at baseline (n = 8), had median decrease in HbA1c of 6.5 mmol/mol (p = 0.03). Well-being, but not health status and patient activation, improved significantly. In conclusion, in highly motivated individuals with or at risk for T2DM, this simple to implement and low-cost, but intensive, volunteer-based supervised walking programme is favourable, and therefore, can be seen as an option for clinical programs to implement to support highly motivated patients

A simple to implement and low-cost supervised walking programme in highly motivated individuals with or at risk for type 2 diabetes : An observational study with a pre-post design

This observational study with a pre-post design, conducted in two Dutch primary healthcare centres, aimed to evaluate the effect of a supervised walking programme in highly motivated individuals with or at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Those able and willing to walk at least 6 km, were invited for a 28-week walking programme (February to August 2017), in which participants walked in groups, once weekly under supervision of volunteer healthcare professionals. Changes in bodyweight, BMI, waist circumference, HbA1c, blood pressure, well-being, health status and patient activation were analysed using paired t-tests and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Fifty-six people were included (30 T2DM; 26 at risk), of whom 60.7% were female. Mean age was 60.6 years, median BMI 30.8 kg/m2 and mean systolic blood pressure 146.9 mm Hg. Participants with T2DM had median HbA1c of 50.0 mmol/mol. Post-challenge, BMI had decreased to 29.7 kg/m2, and waist circumference decreased 3.4 cm (95% CI 2.1–4.8), both p 53 mmol/mol at baseline (n = 8), had median decrease in HbA1c of 6.5 mmol/mol (p = 0.03). Well-being, but not health status and patient activation, improved significantly. In conclusion, in highly motivated individuals with or at risk for T2DM, this simple to implement and low-cost, but intensive, volunteer-based supervised walking programme is favourable, and therefore, can be seen as an option for clinical programs to implement to support highly motivated patients

New hospital-based policy for children whose parents present at the ER due to domestic violence, substance abuse and/or a suicide attempt

Child maltreatment is a major social problem with many adverse consequences, and a substantial number of maltreated children are not identified by health care professionals. In 2010, in order to improve the identification of maltreated children in hospitals, a new hospital-based policy was developed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This policy was adapted from another policy that was developed in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 2007. In the new Amsterdam policy, all adults presenting at the emergency department due to domestic violence, substance abuse, and/or a suicide attempt are asked whether they have any children in their care. If this is the case, parents are urged to visit the outpatient pediatric department together with all of their children. During this visit, problems are evaluated and voluntary referrals can be arranged to different care organizations. If parents refuse to cooperate, their children are reported to the Dutch Child Abuse Counseling and Reporting Centre. The two aims of this study are to describe (1) characteristics of the identified families and (2) the referrals made to different voluntary and involuntary care organizations during the first 2 years after implementation of the policy. Data were collected from medical records. One hundred and six children from 60 households were included, of which 68 children because their mother was a victim of domestic violence. Referrals to care organizations were arranged for 99 children, of which 67 on a voluntary basis. The Amsterdam policy seems successful in arranging voluntary support for the majority of identified childre

Prevalence of child sexual abuse in pediatric patients with chronic abdominal pain

A history of sexual abuse is to be found in approximately 40% of all adult patients with gastrointestinal complaints. Data on the prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) in children with chronic abdominal pain (CAP) are lacking. The objective of this systematic review is to determine the prevalence of CSA in pediatric patients with CAP. We conducted a systematic literature search in the electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychInfo, and ERIC. Reference lists of relevant articles were scanned for additional citations. We selected case-control, cohort and cross-sectional studies investigating the prevalence of CSA in children with CAP, ages 0 to 18 years. Data were extracted from relevant studies, which were assessed for methodological quality by 2 independent reviewers. Prevalence of CSA was the main outcome measure. The literature search yielded a total of 269 articles. Only 2 studies met our inclusion criteria, reporting CSA in 2.1% and 8.0% of children (age range 4-21 years) with CAP. Both studies were conducted in small groups (n = 48 and n = 50) without control group(s) and did not use standardized or validated instruments for diagnosing CSA. According to existing data, the prevalence of a history of CSA in pediatric patients with CAP is lower than in adult patients; however, no well-designed studies have been conducted in children. Future research is required to determine a reliable prevalence of CSA in children with CA

A double-blind randomized controlled trial to assess the effect of bright light therapy on depression in patients with Parkinson's disease

Background A disturbed circadian rhythm seems to be a causal factor in the occurrence of depressive disorders in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The circadian rhythm can be restored with light. Therefore, Bright Light Therapy (BLT) might be a new treatment option for depression in PD patients. Methods/design In this double-blind controlled trial, 84 subjects with idiopathic PD are randomized to either BLT or a control light condition. The BLT condition emits white light with an intensity of 10,000 Lux, while the control device emits dim white light of 200 Lux, which is presumed to be too low to influence the circadian rhythm. Subjects receive 30 min of home treatment twice daily for three months. Timing of treatment is based on the individual chronotype. After finishing treatment, subjects enter a follow-up period of six months. The primary outcome of the study is the severity of depressive symptoms, as measured with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Secondary outcomes are alternative depression measures, objective and subjective sleep measures, and salivary melatonin and cortisol concentrations. For exploratory purposes, we also assess the effects on motor symptoms, global cognitive function, comorbid psychiatric disorders, quality of life and caregiver burden. Data will be analyzed using a linear mixed models analysis. Discussion Performing a placebo-controlled trial on the effects of BLT in PD patients is challenging, as the appearance of the light may provide clues on the treatment condition. Moreover, fixed treatment times lead to an improved sleep-wake rhythm, which also influences the circadian system. With our study design, we do not compare BLT to placebo treatment, i.e. an ineffective control treatment. Rather, we compare structuring of the sleep-wake cycle in both conditions with additional BLT in the experimental condition, and additional dim light in the control condition. Participants are not informed about the exact details of the two light devices and the expected therapeutic effect, and expectancies are rated prior to the start of treatment. Ideally, the design of a future study on BLT should include two extra treatment arms where BLT and control light are administered at random times

Assessments carried out by a child abuse and neglect team in an Amsterdam teaching hospital led to interventions in most of the reported cases

Aim: This study described cases of child abuse and neglect (CAN) that were reported to the multiagency CAN team at the Emma Children's Hospital in Amsterdam and the resulting interventions. Methods: We carried out a retrospective review of all cases that were reported to the CAN team from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012. Results: There were 27 prenatal cases, 92 referrals based on parental characteristics and 523 children. Overall, 1.2% of the children visiting the emergency department of our hospital, attending the outpatients department or being admitted were reported to the team. More than half of the referrals (55.1%) were confirmed as CAN. The most common diagnoses were as follows: witnessing intimate partner violence, physical neglect and emotional abuse. If CAN was confirmed an intervention was offered in 98.3% of cases. If a CAN diagnosis was undetermined or rejected, the figures were still 83.5% and 64.2%, respectively. Conclusion: Our results showed that CAN affected more than one in every 100 children visiting our hospital, and the expertise of our hospital-based CAN Team led to an intervention in the majority of the reported cases. The broad scope of problems that were encountered underlined the importance of a multidisciplinary CAN tea