Disciplinary complaints concerning transgressive behaviour by healthcare professionals: an analysis of 5 years jurisprudence in the Netherlands

ObjectivesTo study the frequency of observed cases of disciplinary law complaints concerning transgressive behaviour in Dutch healthcare by analysing disciplinary cases handled in Dutch disciplinary law.DesignRetrospective review of complaints in the Dutch disciplinary law tribunals from the period 1 January 2015 to 1 January 2020.SettingDutch healthcare.MethodDescriptive retrospective study. All judgements at regional disciplinary tribunals in the first instance from the period 1 January 2015 to 1 January 2020 concerning transgressive behaviour were investigated. The following was studied: year of judgement, number and nature of complaints, type of complainants, profession of defendant.ResultsOver the study period, 139 complaints about transgressive behaviour were handled, 90 of which involved sexual behaviour. 66/139 complaints were submitted by patients themselves (47.5%). Most complaints were directed against physicians (44.6%; n=62), followed by nurses (30.2%; n=42), psychologists (11.5%; n=16) and physiotherapists (7.9%; n=11). 80.6% of the complaints were directed against a male healthcare professional (OR 4.25; 95% CI 1.7590 to 10.2685; p=0.0013). 104/139 of the complaints originated from an outpatient work setting and about half of the complaints originated from mental healthcare. Of the 90 disciplinary cases in which the complaint was related to sexually transgressive behaviour, 83.3% (n=75) were ruled to be substantiated (5 of which partially) with a measure imposed in all cases: 6 formal warnings (8%), 11 reprimands (14.7%), 10 denials (partial suspension) (13.3%), 26 temporary suspensions (34.7%) and 22 cancellations of the licence to practice (29.3%).ConclusionThis study describes jurisprudence of disciplinary cases about transgressive behaviour of healthcare professionals in the Netherlands. The results of this study can be used to monitor trends in observed cases of transgressive behaviour.

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Making Wearable Technology Available for Mental Healthcare through an Online Platform with Stress Detection Algorithms: The Carewear Project

Journal of Sensors ◽

10.1155/2020/8846077 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Glen Debard ◽

Nele De Witte ◽

Romy Sels ◽

Marc Mertens ◽

Tom Van Daele ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Healthcare Professional ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Real Life ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Wearable Technology ◽

Negative Feeling ◽

Accelerometer Data ◽

Online Platform

Over the past years, mobile health (mHealth) applications and specifically wearables have become able and available to collect data of increasing quality of relevance for mental health. Despite the large potential of wearable technology, mental healthcare professionals are currently lacking tools and knowledge to properly implement and make use of this technology in practice. The Carewear project is aimed at developing and evaluating an online platform, allowing healthcare professionals to use data from wearables in their clinical practice. Carewear implements data collection through self-tracking, which is aimed at helping people in their behavioral change process, as a component of a broader intervention or therapy guided by a mental healthcare professional. The Empatica E4 wearables are used to collect accelerometer data, electrodermal activity (EDA), and blood volume pulse (BVP) in real life. This data is uploaded to the Carewear platform where algorithms calculate moments of acute stress, average resting heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV), step count, active periods, and total active minutes. The detected moments of acute stress can be annotated to indicate whether they are associated with a negative feeling of stress. Also, the mood of the day can be elaborated on. The online platform presents this information in a structured way to both the client and their mental healthcare professional. The goal of the current study was a first assessment of the accuracy of the algorithms in real life through comparisons with comprehensive annotated data in a small sample of five healthy participants without known stress-related complaints. Additionally, we assessed the usability of the application through user reports concerning their experiences with the wearable and online platform. While the current study shows that a substantial amount of false positives are detected in a healthy sample and that usability could be improved, the concept of a user-friendly platform to combine physiological data with self-report to inform on stress and mental health is viewed positively in our pilots.

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Substantial Impact of COVID-19 on Self-Reported Mental Health of Healthcare Professionals in the Netherlands

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.796591 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Lars de Vroege ◽

Anneloes van den Broek

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Private Life ◽

Substantial Impact ◽

Healthcare Experience ◽

The Moment

Initially, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a continued pressure on professionals working in hospitals due to the increase of affected patients. At the moment, the pandemic continues but thanks to all kinds of measures (e.g., social distancing) workload seems to decrease at the hospitals. On the contrary, patients with long-lasting symptoms due to COVID-19 infection or the pandemic begin to merge at the mental healthcare institutions in the Netherlands but this also holds true for other countries. Furthermore, healthcare professionals are affected by safety measures such as working from home, which led to an increased feeling of stress and may have led to a misbalance in work and private life. As a result, the question whether healthcare employees in mental healthcare experience impaired mental health remains unclear and chances are fair that mental health problems such as exhaustion and burnout may be prevalent. This study describes an online survey in which mental health amongst mental healthcare professionals is investigated. About 1,300 professionals from a large number of mental healthcare institutions replied the survey. Around 50% of the respondents experienced increased levels of stress. Feelings of anxiety, anger, and sadness were also increasingly experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, 4.2% replied that they were considering resigning their jobs which is alarming considering the shortage of healthcare professionals in mental healthcare institutions. The results support the importance of treatment or support of professionals in mental healthcare that experience psychological ailments.

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The prevalence of seasonal affective disorder in the netherlands: a prospective and retrospective study of seasonal mood variation in the general population

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0006-3223(98)00220-0 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 45 (8) ◽

pp. 1013-1022 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Peter Paul A Mersch ◽

Hermine M Middendorp ◽

Antoinette L Bouhuys ◽

Domien G.M Beersma ◽

Rutger H van den Hoofdakker

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

General Population ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Affective Disorder ◽

Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽

Mood Variation

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HIV and STI positivity rates among transgender people attending two large STI clinics in the Netherlands

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

10.1136/sextrans-2020-054875 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. sextrans-2020-054875

Author(s):

Susanne Drückler ◽

Ceranza Daans ◽

Elske Hoornenborg ◽

Henry De Vries ◽

Martin den Heijer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Gender Identity ◽

Sex Work ◽

Sexual Behaviour ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Hiv Prevalence ◽

Hiv Positive ◽

Gender Identities ◽

Transgender People ◽

Sexually Transmitted

BackgroundGlobal data show that transgender people (TGP) are disproportionally affected by HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs); however, data are scarce for Western European countries. We assessed gender identities, sexual behaviour, HIV prevalence and STI positivity rates, and compared these outcomes between TGP who reported sex work and those who did not.MethodsWe retrospectively retrieved data from all TGP who were tested at the STI clinics of Amsterdam and The Hague, the Netherlands in 2017–2018. To identify one’s gender identity, a ‘two-step’ methodology was used assessing, first, the assigned gender at birth (assigned male at birth (AMAB)) or assigned female at birth), and second, clients were asked to select one gender identity that currently applies: (1) transgender man/transgender woman, (2) man and woman, (3) neither man nor woman, (4) other and (5) not known yet. HIV prevalence, bacterial STI (chlamydia, gonorrhoea and/or infectious syphilis) positivity rates and sexual behaviour were studied using descriptive statistics.ResultsTGP reported all five categories of gender identities. In total 273 transgender people assigned male at birth (TGP-AMAB) (83.0%) and 56 transgender people assigned female at birth (TGP-AFAB) (17.0%) attended the STI clinics. Of TGP-AMAB, 14,6% (39/267, 95% CI 10.6% to 19.4%) were HIV-positive, including two new diagnoses and bacterial STI positivity was 15.0% (40/267, 95% CI 10.9% to 19.8%). Among TGP-AFAB, bacterial STI positivity was 5.6% (3/54, 95% CI 1.2% to 15.4%) and none were HIV-positive. Sex work in the past 6 months was reported by 53.3% (137/257, 95% CI 47.0% to 59.5%) of TGP-AMAB and 6.1% (3/49, 95% CI 1.3% to 16.9%) of TGP-AFAB. HIV prevalence did not differ between sex workers and non-sex workers.ConclusionOf all TGP, the majority were TGP-AMAB of whom more than half engaged in sex work. HIV prevalence and STI positivity rates were substantial among TGP-AMAB and much lower among TGP-AFAB. Studies should be performed to provide insight into whether the larger population of TGP-AMAB and TGP-AFAB are at risk of HIV and STI.

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Registration of Blood Exposure Accidents in the Netherlands by a Nationally Operating Call Center

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1086/667728 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 33 (10) ◽

pp. 1017-1023

Author(s):

Peter M. Schneeberger ◽

Annemarie E. Meiberg ◽

Janet Warmelts ◽

Sander C. A. P. Leenders ◽

Paul T. L. van Wijk

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Call Center ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Hepatitis B Vaccination ◽

Occupational Health Services ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Call Center Employees

Objective.Healthcare providers and other employees, especially those who do not work in a hospital, may not easily find help after the occurrence of a blood exposure accident. In 2006, a national call center was established in the Netherlands to fill this gap.Methods.All occupational blood exposure accidents reported to the 24-hours-per-day, 7-days-per-week call center from 2007, 2008, and 2009 were analyzed retrospectively for incidence rates, risk assessment, handling, and preventive measures taken.Results.A total of 2,927 accidents were reported. The highest incidence rates were reported for private clinics and hospitals (68.5 and 54.3 accidents per 1,000 person-years, respectively). Dental practices started reporting incidents frequently after the arrangement of a collective financial agreement with the call center. Employees of ambulance services, midwife practices, and private clinics reported mostly high-risk accidents, whereas penitentiaries frequently reported low-risk accidents. Employees in mental healthcare facilities, private clinics, and midwife practices reported accidents relatively late. The extent of hepatitis B vaccination in mental healthcare facilities, penitentiaries, occupational health services, and cleaning services was low (<70%).Conclusions.The national call center successfully organized the national registration and handling of blood exposure accidents. The risk of blood exposure accidents could be estimated on the basis of this information for several occupational branches. Targeted preventive measures for healthcare providers and other employees at risk can next be developed.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2012;33(10):1017-1023

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What are the risk factors for avoidable transitions in the last year of life? A qualitative exploration of professionals’ perspectives for improving care in Germany

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-021-06138-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alina Kasdorf ◽

◽

Gloria Dust ◽

Vera Vennedey ◽

Christian Rietz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Professional ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Individual Interviews ◽

Information Power ◽

Care Services ◽

Healthcare Settings ◽

Nursing Services ◽

Value Based Care ◽

Qualitative Exploration

Abstract Background Little is known about the nature of patients’ transitions between healthcare settings in the last year of life (LYOL) in Germany. Patients often experience transitions between different healthcare settings, such as hospitals and long-term facilities including nursing homes and hospices. The perspective of healthcare professionals can therefore provide information on transitions in the LYOL that are avoidable from a medical perspective. This study aims to explore factors influencing avoidable transitions across healthcare settings in the LYOL and to disclose how these could be prevented. Methods Two focus groups (n = 11) and five individual interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals working in hospitals, hospices and nursing services from Cologne, Germany. They were asked to share their observations about avoidable transitions in the LYOL. The data collection continued until the point of information power was reached and were audio recorded and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results Four factors for potentially avoidable transitions between care settings in the LYOL were identified: healthcare system, organization, healthcare professional, patient and relatives. According to the participants, the most relevant aspects that can aid in reducing unnecessary transitions include timely identification and communication of the LYOL; consideration of palliative care options; availability and accessibility of care services; and having a healthcare professional taking main responsibility for care planning. Conclusions Preventing avoidable transitions by considering the multicomponent factors related to them not only immediately before death but also in the LYOL could help to provide more value-based care for patients and improving their quality of life.

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Can Chatbots Help Support a Person’s Mental Health? Perceptions and Views from Mental Healthcare Professionals and Experts

ACM Transactions on Computing for Healthcare ◽

10.1145/3453175 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Colm Sweeney ◽

Courtney Potts ◽

Edel Ennis ◽

Raymond Bond ◽

Maurice D. Mulvenna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

User Interfaces ◽

Personal Experience ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Health Perceptions ◽

Human Emotion ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Perceived Importance

The objective of this study was to understand the attitudes of professionals who work in mental health regarding the use of conversational user interfaces, or chatbots, to support people’s mental health and wellbeing. This study involves an online survey to measure the awareness and attitudes of mental healthcare professionals and experts. The findings from this survey show that more than half of the participants in the survey agreed that there are benefits associated with mental healthcare chatbots (65%, p < 0.01). The perceived importance of chatbots was also relatively high (74%, p < 0.01), with more than three-quarters (79%, p < 0.01) of respondents agreeing that mental healthcare chatbots could help their clients better manage their own health, yet chatbots are overwhelmingly perceived as not adequately understanding or displaying human emotion (86%, p < 0.01). Even though the level of personal experience with chatbots among professionals and experts in mental health has been quite low, this study shows that where they have been used, the experience has been mostly satisfactory. This study has found that as years of experience increased, there was a corresponding increase in the belief that healthcare chatbots could help clients better manage their own mental health.

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Limited changes in sexual behaviour of heterosexual men and women with multiple partners in the Netherlands

AIDS Care ◽

10.1080/09540129108253044 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 21-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

C. Hooykaas ◽

D. M. M. van der Linden ◽

J. G. J. van Doornum ◽

W. F. van der Velde ◽

J. van der Pligt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Sexual Behaviour ◽

Heterosexual Men ◽

Men And Women ◽

Multiple Partners

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Myopia progression from wearing first glasses to adult age: the DREAM Study

British Journal of Ophthalmology ◽

10.1136/bjophthalmol-2020-316234 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bjophthalmol-2020-316234

Author(s):

Jan Roelof Polling ◽

Caroline Klaver ◽

Jan Willem Tideman

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Refractive Error ◽

High Myopia ◽

Prognostic Indicator ◽

Treatment Intensity ◽

Spherical Equivalent ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Myopia Progression ◽

Adult Age

PurposeData on myopia progression during its entire course are scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate myopia progression in Europeans as a function of age and degree of myopia from first prescription to final refractive error.MethodsThe Drentse Refractive Error and Myopia Study assessed data from a branch of opticians in the Netherlands from 1985 onwards in a retrospective study. First pair of glasses prescribed was defined as a spherical equivalent of refraction (SER) ≤−0.5 D to ≥−3.0 D. Subjects with prescriptions at an interval of at least 1 year were included in the analysis.ResultsA total of 2555 persons (57.3% female) met the inclusion criteria. Those with first prescription before the age of 10 years showed the strongest progression (−0.50 D; IQR: −0.75 to −0.19) and a significantly (p<0.001) more negative median final SER (−4.48 D; IQR: −5.37 to −3.42). All children who developed SER ≤−3 D at 10 years were highly myopic (SER ≤−6D) as adults, children who had SER between −1.5 D and −3 D at 10 years had 46.0% risk of high myopia, and children with SER between −0.5 D and −1.5 D had 32.6% risk of high myopia. Myopia progression diminished with age; all refractive categories stabilised after age 15 years except for SER ≤−5 D who progressed up to −0.25 D annually until age 21 years.ConclusionOur trajectories of the natural course of myopia progression may serve as a guide for myopia management in European children. SER at 10 years is an important prognostic indicator and will help determine treatment intensity.

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Conceptualizing Narrative Health and Medicine to Develop Cultural Competence to Improve Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal ◽

10.14738/assrj.81.9577 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 32-36

Author(s):

Kent Willis ◽

Colleen Marzilli

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Professional ◽

Cultural Competence ◽

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Patient Care ◽

Patient Outcomes ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Important Concept ◽

Healthcare Environment ◽

Health Narrative ◽

Improve Patient

Narrative health is a technique that healthcare professionals can use to connect with patients. The events of 2020, including the global severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), have identified that patient care is largely dependent upon relationships within the healthcare environment. Relationships in the healthcare environment are established through a trusting exchange between the patient and provider, and one technique to develop this relationship and trust is through narrative health. Narrative health provides the exchange of information between patient and provider in a discussion-like manner, or narrative health. This strategy promotes cultural competence amongst the healthcare professional team and improves communication between the patient and provider. Narrative health is an important concept for healthcare professionals to understand, and narrative health should be a part of any healthcare professional’s toolbox, especially in vulnerable times like the COVID pandemic. The inclusion of narrative health in practice has the potential to improve patient outcomes and empower healthcare professionals and patients.

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