Background: Although the incidence of HIV/AIDS has decreased globally, it is on the rise in Eastern Europe. The primary mode of HIV transmission in the region is injecting drug use (IDU) due to the smuggling routes of Afghan heroin into Europe, which makes drugs widely available. The widespread sharing …

This thesis provides a report on research aimed at enhancing treatment of patients with bipolar disorder. We describe various aspects of treatment of bipolar disorder. The central study reported in this thesis is an effect study of a multicomponent intervention, Collaborative Care. Chapter 1 describes …

Non-pharmacological interventions such as mirror therapy are gaining increased recognition in the treatment of phantom limb pain; however, the evidence in people with phantom limb pain is still weak. In addition, compliance to self-delivered exercises is generally low. The aim of this randomised controlled …

OBJECTIVE: To develop evidence-based recommendations for effective and safe diagnostic assessment and intervention strategies for the physiotherapy treatment of patients in intensive care units. METHODS: We used the EBRO method, as recommended by the 'Dutch Evidence Based Guideline Development Platform' …

Background This study aims for health gain and cost reduction in the care for people with long-term non-psychotic psychiatric disorders. Present care for this population has a limited evidence base, is often open ended, little effective, and expensive. Recent epidemiological data shows that 43.5% of …

Background and Purpose: Despite the positive effects of physical activity on numerous aspects of health, many older adults remain sedentary even after participating in physical activity interventions. Standardized exercise programs do not necessarily bring about the behavioral change that is necessary. …

Objectives: In patients with burns an early accurate diagnosis of burn depth is essential to determine optimal treatment. The combination of Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) and clinical assessment leads to an accurate estimate of burn depth. However, the actual effects of the introduction of LDI on therapeutic …

In Europe, about 20% of children are overweight. Focus on parental responsibility is an effective method in weight control interventions in children. In this systematic review we describe the intensity of parental involvement and behaviour change aimed at parents in long-term European childhood weight …

Background To improve the quality of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) the CR guideline from the Dutch Royal Society for Physiotherapists (KNGF) has been updated. This guideline can be considered an addition to the 2011 Dutch Multidisciplinary CR …

BACKGROUND: Early accurate assessment of burn depth is important to determine the optimal treatment of burns. The method most used to determine burn depth is clinical assessment, which is the least expensive, but not the most accurate.Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) is a technique with which a more accurate …