Despite the increased use of activity trackers, little is known about how they can be used in healthcare settings. This study aimed to support healthcare professionals and patients with embedding an activity tracker in the daily clinical practice of a specialized mental healthcare center and gaining knowledge about the implementation process. An action research design was used to let healthcare professionals and patients learn about how and when they can use an activity tracker. Data collection was performed in the specialized center with audio recordings of conversations during therapy, reflection sessions with the therapists, and semi-structured interviews with the patients. Analyses were performed by directed content analyses. Twenty-eight conversations during therapy, four reflection sessions, and eleven interviews were recorded. Both healthcare professionals and patients were positive about the use of activity trackers and experienced it as an added value. Therapists formulated exclusion criteria for patients, a flowchart on when to use the activity tracker, defined goals, and guidance on how to discuss (the data of) the activity tracker. The action research approach was helpful to allow therapists to learn and reflect with each other and embed the activity trackers into their clinical practice at a specialized mental healthcare center.
Acne vulgaris is considered one of the most common medical skin conditions globally, affecting approximately 85% of individuals worldwide. While acne is most prevalent among adolescents between 15 to 24 years old, it is not uncommon in adults either. Acne addresses a number of different challenges, causing a multidimensional disease burden. These challenges include clinical sequelae, such as post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and the chance of developing lifelong disfiguring scars, psychological aspects such as deficits in health related quality of life, chronicity of acne, economic factors, and treatment-related issues, such as antimicrobial resistance. The multidimensionality of the disease burden stipulates the importance of an effective and timely treatment in a well organised care system. Within the Netherlands, acne care provision is managed by several types of professional care givers, each approaching acne care from different angles: (I) general practitioners (GPs) who serve as ‘gatekeepers’ of healthcare within primary care; (II) dermatologists providing specialist medical care within secondary care; (III) dermal therapists, a non-physician medical professional with a bachelor’s degree, exclusively operating within the Australian and Dutch primary and secondary health care; and (IV) beauticians, mainly working within the cosmetology or wellness domain. However, despite the large variety in acne care services, many patients experience a delay between the onset of acne and receiving an effective treatment, or a prolonged use of care, which raises the question whether acne related care resources are being used in the most effective and (cost)efficient way. It is therefore necessary to gain insights into the organization and quality of Dutch acne health care beyond conventional guidelines and protocols. Exploring areas of care that may need improvement allow Dutch acne healthcare services to develop and improve the quality of acne care services in harmony with patient needs.
BACKGROUND: Value-based healthcare (VBHC) is increasingly implemented in healthcare worldwide. Transparent measurement of the outcomes most important and relevant to patients is essential in VBHC, which is supported by a core set of most important quality indicators and outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a VBHC-burns core set for adult burn patients.METHODS: A three-round modified national Delphi study, including 44 outcomes and 24 quality indicators, was conducted to reach consensus among Dutch patients, burn care professionals and researchers. Items were rated on a nine-point Likert scale and selected if ≥ 70% in each group considered an item 'important'. Subsequently, instruments quantifying selected outcomes were identified based on a literature review and were chosen in a consensus meeting using recommendations from the Dutch consensus-based standard set and the Dutch Centre of Expertise on Health Disparities. Time assessment points were chosen to reflect the burn care and patient recovery process. Finally, the initial core set was evaluated in practice, leading to the adapted VBHC-burns core set.RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients, 63 burn care professionals and 23 researchers participated. Ten outcomes and four quality indicators were selected in the Delphi study, including the outcomes pain, wound healing, physical activity, self-care, independence, return to work, depression, itching, scar flexibility and return to school. Quality indicators included shared decision-making (SDM), the number of patients receiving aftercare, determination of burn depth, and assessment of active range of motion. After evaluation of its use in clinical practice, the core set included all items except SDM, which are assessed by 9 patient-reported outcome instruments or measured in clinical care. Assessment time points included are at discharge, 2 weeks, 3 months, 12 months after discharge and annually afterwards.CONCLUSION: A VBHC-burns core set was developed, consisting of outcomes and quality indicators that are important to burn patients and burn care professionals. The VBHC-burns core set is now systemically monitored and analysed in Dutch burn care to improve care and patient relevant outcomes. As improving burn care and patient relevant outcomes is important worldwide, the developed VBHC-burns core set could be inspiring for other countries.
Value-based healthcare (VBHC) kent een aandoening-specifieke aanpak, gericht op een zorgpad na diagnose en start van behandeling. De aanpak is nog sterk ziekenhuiszorg- georiënteerd en zou zich meer op de volledige zorgcyclus moeten richten. In dit project gaan we onderzoeken hoe preventie geïntegreerd kan worden in de VBHC-benadering. Hiervoor gaan we voor hartrevalidatie in kaart brengen hoe uitkomstinformatie, inclusief patiënt-gerapporteerde uitkomsten, ingezet kan worden bij het samen beslissen over gepersonaliseerde zorg en preventie. Het consortium bestaat uit MKB-partner PRO-F (e-health hartrevalidatie), praktijkpartners Medisch Spectrum Twente (Santeon-Ziekenhuis, thoraxcentrum) en Santeon (samenwerkingsverband zeven topklinische ziekenhuizen), Saxion lectoraten Verpleegkunde en Waarde van Reclasseren (maatschappelijke impact) en Hanzehogeschool lector Waardegedreven Zorg. Door middel van literatuuronderzoek en kwalitatief onderzoek wordt verkend waar de kansen liggen voor het integreren van secundaire preventie in de VBHC-benadering in de hartrevalidatie. Aan de hand van drie focusgroepen met patiënten, verpleegkundigen/artsen en experts worden de voor de patiënt relevante zorguitkomsten verhelderd. Op basis hiervan wordt de vertaalslag gemaakt naar gepersonaliseerde zorguitkomsten en hoe e-health oplossingen dit proces kunnen ondersteunen. Hiermee bieden we (1) inzicht in de mogelijkheden voor preventie binnen de VBHC-werkwijze, (2) kennis over hoe gepersonaliseerde zorg en samen beslissen gefaciliteerd kunnen worden, (3) inzicht in de rol die e-health oplossingen kunnen spelen, (4) kennis over de rol van de verpleegkundige in dit vraagstuk, en (5) een kwalitatief beeld van de impact hiervan.
