Study protocol: Cost effectiveness of two strategies to implement the NVOG guidelines on hypertension in pregnancy: An innovative strategy including a computerised decision support system compared to a common strategy of professional audit and feedback, a randomized controlled trial

Background: Hypertensive disease in pregnancy remains the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Netherlands. Seventeen percent of the clinical pregnancies are complicated by hypertension and 2% by preeclampsia. The Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (NVOG) has developed evidence-based guidelines on the management of hypertension in pregnancy and chronic hypertension. Previous studies showed a low adherence rate to other NVOG guidelines and a large variation in usual care in the different hospitals. An explanation is that the NVOG has no general strategy of practical implementation and evaluation of its guidelines. The development of an effective and cost effective implementation strategy to improve adherence to the guidelines on hypertension in pregnancy is needed.Methods/Design: The objective of this study is to assess the cost effectiveness of an innovative implementation strategy of the NVOG guidelines on hypertension including a computerised decision support system (BOS) compared to a common strategy of professional audit and feedback. A cluster randomised controlled trial with an economic evaluation alongside will be performed. Both pregnant women who develop severe hypertension or pre-eclampsia and professionals involved in the care for these women will participate. The main outcome measures are a combined rate of major maternal complications and process indicators extracted from the guidelines. A total of 472 patients will be included in both groups. For analysis, descriptive as well as regression techniques will be used. A cost effectiveness and cost utility analysis will be performed according to the intention-to-treat principle and from a societal perspective. Cost effectiveness ratios will be calculated using bootstrapping techniques

Computational estimation of tricarboxylic acid cycle fluxes using noisy NMR data from cardiac biopsies

Background: The aerobic energy metabolism of cardiac muscle cells is of major importance for the contractile function of the heart. Because energy metabolism is very heterogeneously distributed in heart tissue, especially during coronary disease, a method to quantify metabolic fluxes in small tissue samples is desirable. Taking tissue biopsies after infusion of substrates labeled with stable carbon isotopes makes this possible in animal experiments. However, the appreciable noise level in NMR spectra of extracted tissue samples makes computational estimation of metabolic fluxes challenging and a good method to define confidence regions was not yet available.Results: Here we present a computational analysis method for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites. The method was validated using measurements on extracts of single tissue biopsies taken from porcine heart in vivo. Isotopic enrichment of glutamate was measured by NMR spectroscopy in tissue samples taken at a single time point after the timed infusion of 13C labeled substrates for the TCA cycle. The NMR intensities for glutamate were analyzed with a computational model describing carbon transitions in the TCA cycle and carbon exchange with amino acids. The model dynamics depended on five flux parameters, which were optimized to fit the NMR measurements. To determine confidence regions for the estimated fluxes, we used the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm for Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling to generate extensive ensembles of feasible flux combinations that describe the data within meas

The need and availability of support systems for physicians involved in a serious adverse event

Objective: Serious adverse events occur in healthcare, and do not solely have consequences for patients (first victims), but also affect physicians involved (second victims). These second victims experience diminished emotional well-being and less professional performance. An increasing number of hospitals organize support for second victims, although scientific evidence on the kind of support that is expected and needed is poor. This study therefore investigates support needs after serious adverse events from both personal (physicians) and organizational (quality and safety staff members) perspectives. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews in a Dutch university medical center. Physicians (N = 19) who had been directly involved in a serious adverse event participated. In addition, quality and safety staff members (N = 3) reflected on the support needs as expressed by physicians. Verbatim transcripts were three fold coded, which led to several themes for our inductive thematic analysis. Results: Contrary to recent developments in healthcare organizations, participants did not plea for a hospital-wide support team. Acceptance of the emotional and professional impact of an adverse event by direct colleagues and supervisors is more important. Where such a cultural context is provided, physicians prefer support of a close and reliable colleague to cope with emotions and doubts, a supervisor who monitors recovery, and a healthcare organization that provides information about required procedures to learn from the events. However, this ideal was seldom found in the competitive working environment. This underlines the need for a shift from a competitive professional culture into a more supportive one. Conclusions: Ideally, direct colleagues support each other after an adverse event. This form of collegial support can only be successful if there is general acceptance of healthcare professionals’ vulnerability and their support needs within the direct working environment. To create the right circumstances to meet these support needs, both healthcare professionals and hospital organizations have to recognize and take their responsibilities

The need and availability of support systems for physicians involved in a serious adverse event

Objective: Serious adverse events occur in healthcare, and do not solely have consequences for patients (first victims), but also affect physicians involved (second victims). These second victims experience diminished emotional well-being and less professional performance. An increasing number of hospitals organize support for second victims, although scientific evidence on the kind of support that is expected and needed is poor. This study therefore investigates support needs after serious adverse events from both personal (physicians) and organizational (quality and safety staff members) perspectives. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews in a Dutch university medical center. Physicians (N = 19) who had been directly involved in a serious adverse event participated. In addition, quality and safety staff members (N = 3) reflected on the support needs as expressed by physicians. Verbatim transcripts were three fold coded, which led to several themes for our inductive thematic analysis. Results: Contrary to recent developments in healthcare organizations, participants did not plea for a hospital-wide support team. Acceptance of the emotional and professional impact of an adverse event by direct colleagues and supervisors is more important. Where such a cultural context is provided, physicians prefer support of a close and reliable colleague to cope with emotions and doubts, a supervisor who monitors recovery, and a healthcare organization that provides information about required procedures to learn from the events. However, this ideal was seldom found in the competitive working environment. This underlines the need for a shift from a competitive professional culture into a more supportive one. Conclusions: Ideally, direct colleagues support each other after an adverse event. This form of collegial support can only be successful if there is general acceptance of healthcare professionals’ vulnerability and their support needs within the direct working environment. To create the right circumstances to meet these support needs, both healthcare professionals and hospital organizations have to recognize and take their responsibilities

Towards an accurate rolling resistance: Estimating intra-cycle load distribution between front and rear wheels during wheelchair propulsion from inertial sensors

Accurate assessment of rolling resistance is important for wheelchair propulsion analyses. However, the commonly used drag and deceleration tests are reported to underestimate rolling resistance up to 6% due to the (neglected) influence of trunk motion. The first aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of using trunk and wheelchair kinematics to predict the intra-cyclical load distribution, more particularly front wheel loading, during hand-rim wheelchair propulsion. Secondly, the study compared the accuracy of rolling resistance determined from the predicted load distribution with the accuracy of drag test-based rolling resistance. Twenty-five able-bodied participants performed hand-rim wheelchair propulsion on a large motor-driven treadmill. During the treadmill sessions, front wheel load was assessed with load pins to determine the load distribution between the front and rear wheels. Accordingly, a machine learning model was trained to predict front wheel load from kinematic data. Based on two inertial sensors (attached to the trunk and wheelchair) and the machine learning model, front wheel load was predicted with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 3.8% (or 1.8 kg). Rolling resistance determined from the predicted load distribution (MAE: 0.9%, mean error (ME): 0.1%) was more accurate than drag test-based rolling resistance (MAE: 2.5%, ME: −1.3%).Biomechatronics & Human-Machine Contro

Derdelijns verloskundige zorg: doelstellingen van het 'Planningsbesluit bijzondere perinatologische zorg' uit 2001 nog niet gehaald

Doel. Vergelijken van de actuele ontwikkelingen in de derdelijns perinatale zorg met de doelstellingen in het ‘Planningsbesluit bijzondere perinatologische zorg’ uit 2001 van het ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport. Opzet. Beschrijvend, retrospectief. Methode. Gegevens over derdelijns verloskundige zorg, overplaatsing of weigering van vrouwen met een ernstig bedreigde zwangerschap en de personele formatie van obstetrische ‘high care’(OHC)-afdelingen in 2006 werden vergeleken met streefgetallen in het planningsbesluit en in een rapport van de Gezondheidsraad uit 2000. Parameters voor de zorgproductie waren het aantal opnamen, het aantal OHC-bedden en het aantal operationele bedden op neonatale intensivecare-units (NICU’s). Resultaten. In 2006 waren 128 van de beoogde 250 bedden voor OHC gerealiseerd. De bezettingsgraad was 94%, terwijl de norm 80% was. Ook werden 312 zwangeren overgeplaatst wegens tekort aan opnamecapaciteit. De personele omvang lag beduidend lager dan de streefgetallen, zowel voor artsen als verpleegkundigen. Wel zijn opleidingen tot obstetrische perinatoloog en OHC-verpleegkundige tot stand gekomen. Conclusie. Het beoogde aantal bedden voor derdelijns verloskundige zorg en de bijbehorende personele formatie zijn nog niet gerealiseerd. Het aantal overplaatsingen is daardoor nog steeds te groot. De financiering van OHC-afdelingen is niet afgestemd op de complexiteit van de derdelijns verloskundige zorg. Een strakkere regie en een adequate financieringssystematiek zijn nodig om de doelstellingen van het planningsbesluit in de komende 3 jaar alsnog te halen

[Tertiary obstetric care: the aims of the planning decree on perinatal care of 2001 have not yet been achieved],[Tertiary obstetric care: the aims of the planning decree on perinatal care of 2001 have not yet been achieved]

Contains fulltext : 69223.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)OBJECTIVE: To compare the actual situation in tertiary perinatal care in the Netherlands with the objectives laid down in the 2001 decree on perinatal care by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. DESIGN: Descriptive, retrospective. METHOD: Data on tertiary perinatal care, the transfer or refusal of women with very endangered pregnancies and the personnel of obstetric high care (OHC) units in 2006 were compared with the targets laid down in the planning decree on perinatal care and in a report by the Dutch Health Council from 2000. Parameters of tertiary perinatal care output were the number of admissions, and the number of beds in OHC units and neonatal intensive care units (NICU). RESULTS: In 2006, 128 of the 250 beds intended for OHC had been obtained. The degree of capacity utilisation was 94%, while the norm is 80%. 312 women were transferred due to lack of capacity of OHC units and NICU. The number of staff, specialised physicians as well as nurses, was considerably lower than the planned capacity. But training for obstetric perinatologists and OHC nurses was given. CONCLUSION: The targets for the number of beds for tertiary obstetric care and associated medical personnel have not been achieved as yet. As a consequence, the number of transfers is still too high. The funding of OHC units is not attuned to the complexity of tertiary perinatal care. Closer supervision of the execution of the planning decree and an adequate financing system are needed to achieve the objectives of the planning decree in the next 3 years

Continuous glucose monitoring during diabetic pregnancy (GlucoMOMS): A multicentre randomized controlled trial

Contains fulltext : 198097.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)AIM: Diabetes is associated with a high risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Optimal glycaemic control is fundamental and is traditionally monitored with self-measured glucose profiles and periodic HbA1c measurements. We investigated the effectiveness of additional use of retrospective continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in diabetic pregnancies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a nationwide multicentre, open label, randomized, controlled trial to study pregnant women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who were undergoing insulin therapy at gestational age < 16 weeks, or women who were undergoing insulin treatment for gestational diabetes at gestational age < 30 weeks. Women were randomly allocated (1:1) to intermittent use of retrospective CGM or to standard treatment. Glycaemic control was assessed by CGM for 5-7 days every 6 weeks in the CGM group, while self-monitoring of blood glucose and HbA1c measurements were applied in both groups. Primary outcome was macrosomia, defined as birth weight above the 90th percentile. Secondary outcomes were glycaemic control and maternal and neonatal complications. RESULTS: Between July 2011 and September 2015, we randomized 300 pregnant women with type 1 (n = 109), type 2 (n = 82) or with gestational (n = 109) diabetes to either CGM (n = 147) or standard treatment (n = 153). The incidence of macrosomia was 31.0% in the CGM group and 28.4% in the standard treatment group (relative risk [RR], 1.06; 95% CI, 0.83-1.37). HbA1c levels were similar between treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: In diabetic pregnancy, use of intermittent retrospective CGM did not reduce the risk of macrosomia. CGM provides detailed information concerning glycaemic fluctuations but, as a treatment strategy, does not translate into improved pregnancy outcome