Background: A highly promoted opportunity for optimizing healthcare services is to expand the role of nonphysician care providers by care reallocation. Reallocating care from physicians to non-physicians can play an important role in solving systemic healthcare problems such as care delays, hospital overcrowding, long waiting lists, high work pressure and expanding healthcare costs. Dermatological healthcare services, such as the acne care provision, are well suited for exploring the opportunities for care reallocation as many different types of care professionals are involved in the care process. In the Netherlands, acne care is mainly delivered by general practitioners and dermatologists. The Dutch healthcare system also recognizes non-physician care providers, among which dermal therapists and beauticians are the most common professions. However, the role and added value of non-physicians is still unclear. The present study aimed to explore the possibilities for reallocating care to nonphysicians and identify drivers for and barriers to reallocation. Methods: A mixed-method design was used collecting quantitative and qualitative data from representatives of the main 4 Dutch professions providing acne care: dermatologists, GP’s, Dermal therapists and beauticians. Results: A total of 560 questionnaires were completed and 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted. A broad spectrum of non-physician tasks and responsibilities were delineated. Interviewed physicians considered acne as a low-complexity skin condition which made them willing to explore the possibilities for reallocating. A majority of all interviewees saw a key role for non-physicians in counselling and supporting patients during treatment, which they considered an important role for increasing patients’ adherence to proposed treatment regimes, contributing to successful clinical outcome. Also, the amount of time non-physicians spend on patients was experienced as driver for reallocation. Legislation and regulations, uncertainties about the extent of scientific evidence and proper protocols use within the non-physician clinical practice were experienced as barriers influencing the possibilities for reallocation. Conclusions: Delineated roles and drivers demonstrate there is room and potential for reallocation between physicians and non-physicians within acne healthcare, when barriers are adequately addressed.
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BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a national lockdown in the Netherlands, which also affected transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) patients. The objective of the study was to describe physical activity, dietary intake and quality of life (QoL) in patients on the waiting list for TAVI pre-lockdown and during lockdown.METHODS: Consecutive patients awaiting TAVI at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands were included. Measurements were self-reported effect of lockdown, physical activity, dietary intake and QoL.RESULTS: In total, 58 patients (median age 80, interquartile range (IQR) 76-84, 45% female) were observed pre-lockdown and 16 patients (median age 78, IQR 76-82, 25% female) during lockdown. Ten of the 16 patients during lockdown reported a decline in physical activity. However, we observed a median number of 5861 steps a day (IQR 4579-7074) pre-lockdown and 8404 steps a day (IQR 7653-10,829) during lockdown. Median daily protein intake was 69 g (IQR 59-82) pre-lockdown and 90 g (IQR 68-107) during lockdown. Self-rated health on a visual analogue scale was 63 points (IQR 51-74) pre-lockdown and 73 points (IQR 65-86) during lockdown.CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the patients during lockdown reported less physical activity, while we observed a higher number of steps a day, a similar dietary intake and a higher QoL. Therefore, patients on the TAVI waiting list appeared to be able to cope with the lockdown measures.
'The best place to hide a dead body is page 2 of Google search results.' For some time now the image above has been circulating online. The joke accurately introduces the core question of this essay. What is the effect of the list as the most used structure of presenting online information on the way people organize and find this information? What does it mean when people constantly use the list when dealing with information?
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