Publicaties

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate possible associations between learners' results in written and performance-based assessments of communication skills (CS), either in concurrent or predictive study designs. METHODS: Search included four databases for peer-r...

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is propagated by widespread inappropriate use of antibiotics. In response, point-of-care interventions (POCIs) have been developed in primary care to preserve antibiotic effectiveness. Many of these POCIs...

Background Even though often socially accepted, alcohol is one of the leading risk factors for poor health and death in the world. Therefore, the world health organization (WHO) promotes the integration of alcohol-related early identification and ...

Background: The tremendous physical and mental burden that comes with caregiving puts the intimate partners of patients diagnosed with advanced cancer at risk for mental disorders. However, most partners seem to be protected by resilience. Such a ...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Gaining insight in how people living with chronic conditions experience primary healthcare within their informal network. BACKGROUND: The primary healthcare system is challenged by the increasing number of people living with c...

Wastewater surveillance plays an important role in the management of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic all over the world. Using different wastewater collection points in Leuven, we wanted to investigate the use of wastewater survei...

BACKGROUND: In 2015, a plan for integrated care was launched by the Belgium government that resulted in the implementation of 12 integrated care pilot project across Belgium. The pilot project Zorgzaam Leuven consists of a multidisciplinary local ...

BACKGROUND: Most studies on long-term follow-up of patients with COVID-19 focused on hospitalised patients. No prospective study with structured follow-up has been performed in non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19. OBJECTIVES: To assess long-CO...

BACKGROUND: Diabetes patients with comorbidities need regular and comprehensive care for their disease management. Hence, it is essential to assess the primary care preparedness for managing diabetes patients and the perspectives of the diabetes p...

Although public health and medical care advancements have enabled an increased lifespan among many populations around the world, there is an ongoing need to enhance the health span of adults and older adults. Due to the increasingly substantial pr...

COVID-19 severely affected nursing home residents from March 2020 onwards in Belgium. This study aimed to model the impact of vaccination and facility characteristics on cluster occurrence, duration and severity in this setting. Possible clusters ...

BACKGROUND: Anticholinergic burden has been associated with adverse outcomes such as falls. To date, no gold standard measure has been identified to assess anticholinergic burden, and no conclusion has been drawn on which of the different measure ...

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infection (UTI) affects half of women at least once in their lifetime. Current diagnosis involves urinary dipstick and urine culture, yet both methods have modest diagnostic accuracy, and cannot support decision-making in...

BACKGROUND: Early detection and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) can prevent further deterioration and complications. Previous studies suggested that the diagnosis is often made when advanced renal failure occurs. The aims of this study w...

BACKGROUND: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in general practice remains uncertain. Several studies showed an increase in terms of mental health problems during the pandemic. In Belgium, especially during the first waves of the...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak had an important impact on general practice, for example the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the switch to telephone consultations. We installed a monitoring instrument and reported the burden the ...

interview in De Standaard

BACKGROUND: Postpartum care is an expanding concept in China, and it is gaining vast attention in Chinese society. However, due to some Chinese traditions and rituals during the postpartum period, the utilization of modern postpartum care should b...

AIMS: Heart failure (HF) is an important health problem for which multidisciplinary care is recommended, yet few studies involve primary care practitioners in the multidisciplinary management of HF. We set up a multifaceted prospective observation...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s10433-021-00668-w.].

Objective To determine the rate and appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing for acutely ill children in ambulatory care in high-income countries. Design On 10 February 2021, we systematically searched articles published since 2000 in MEDLINE, Em...

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationships between weight, leisure time physical activity (PA), and the onset and persistence of neck pain in adults with nonspecific neck pain (NSNP). DESIGN: Etiology and prognosis systematic review. LITERATURE SEARCH:...

BACKGROUND: Sleep disorders, including insomnia, are widespread problems, which have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidelines for the treatment of insomnia prioritize non-pharmacological interventions. Nevertheless, primary care professi...

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a complementary approach to monitor alcohol consumption in the general population. This method measures concentrations of xenobiotic biomarkers (e.g., ethyl sulphate) in influent wastewater (IWW) and converts...