Saxion University of Applied Sciences

About: Saxion University of Applied Sciences is a education organization based out in Enschede, Netherlands. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Health care & Context (language use). The organization has 390 authors who have published 653 publications receiving 8859 citations. The organization is also known as: Saxion University of Applied Sciences.

The Value of Nature During Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Study of Client Experiences.

Abstract: Nature is considered to have restorative qualities that can potentially improve psychotherapy success. However, little is known about how clients experience nature during psychotherapy. The research aim of this phenomenological qualitative study was to study how clients experience nature during individual outpatient psychotherapy that took place while walking in nature. More specifically we were interested in clients' inner world experiences. All participants (N = 12) received treatment through licensed therapists for a DSM-5 classified disorder. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. To uncover true lived experiences during these interviews, participants were asked to close their eyes and envision themselves during a psychotherapy session in nature. The verbatim transcripts were coded by means of inductive thematic analysis and the results were member checked. Results showed that nature brings clients closer to their inner worlds. How nature brings this about is unfolded in a conceptual model of lived experience. We argue that psychotherapy can be enriched by considering nature as a supportive environment because bringing clients closer to their inner worlds is of essential value in facilitating successful treatment interventions.

A Feasibility Study of the Addition of STEPPS in Outpatients With Bipolar Disorder and Comorbid Borderline Personality Features: Promises and Pitfalls.

Abstract: Background: Pharmacotherapy is a cornerstone in bipolar disorder (BD) treatment whereas borderline personality disorder (BPD) is treated primarily with psychotherapy. Given the overlap in symptomatology, patients with BD may benefit from psychotherapy designed for BPD. Aims: This paper reports the findings of a non-controlled open feasibility study of STEPPS training in patients with BD and borderline personality features (BPF). Methods: Outpatients with BD were screened for BPD, and if positive interviewed with SCID-II. Patients with at least three BPF, always including impulsivity and anger burst, were included in the intervention study. Severity of BD and BPD and quality of life were assessed. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: Of 111 patients with BD 49.5% also screened positive on BPD according to PDQ-4+, and 52.3% of these had BPD according to SCID-II. Very few participants entered the intervention study, and only nine patients completed STEPPS. Descriptive statistics showed improvement on all outcome variables post treatment, but no longer at 6-month follow up. We reflect on the potential reasons for the failed inclusion. Conclusion: Features of BPD were highly prevalent in patients with BD. Still, recruiting patients for a psychological treatment originally designed for BPD proved to be difficult. Feedback of participants suggests that the association of STEPPS with "borderline" had an aversive effect, which may have caused limited inclusion for screening and subsequent drop-out for the treatment. Therefore, STEPPS should be adapted for BD to be an acceptable treatment option. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov/3856, identifier: NTR4016.

Implementation Activities in Design Teams: Opportunities to Demonstrate and Acquire Design Expertise

Abstract: Teacher involvement in the design of curriculum materials is expected to facilitate the process of implementing an educational reform, especially when teams of teachers collaborate in Teacher Design Teams (TDTs). However, little is known about the implementation activities that provide opportunities to develop teachers’ curriculum design expertise. The implementation activities of three TDTs that renewed their foreign language curriculum were investigated using a case study approach. The results showed that although TDTs carried out a wide variety of activities to foster classroom implementation, classroom use of the new curriculum materials varied. The need for additional support for TDTs in the implementation process in order to successfully facilitate changes in teachers’ classroom practices is discussed.

De patiënt van de toekomst is een professional

Abstract: Het stimuleren van zelfmanagement is een belangrijk aandachtspunt in het opleidingsprofiel Bachelor of Nursing 2020 (BN2020), dat het beroep van verpleegkundigen toekomstbestendig wil maken. Meer zelfmanagement kan de zorg goedkoper maken en de kwaliteit van leven op peil houden. Of bestaat het gevaar dat patienten overbelast worden?

Can We Change Health Care Costs in Patients With Complex Back Pain?: Results From a 5-year Before and After Study.

Abstract: STUDY DESIGN A before and after study cohort study. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine changes in health care costs after multidisciplinary spine care in patients with complex chronic back pain (CBP), to analyze the predictive value of patient and disease characteristics on health care costs, and to study the potential impact of biases concerning the use of real world data. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Due to high direct and indirect societal costs of back pain there is a need for interventions that can assist in reducing the economic burden on patients and society. METHODS All patients referred to a university-based spine center insured at a major health care insurer in the Netherlands were invited. Personal and disease-related data were collected at baseline. Health care costs were retrieved from the health care insurer from 2 years before to 2 years after intervention. Repeated measures analysis of variances were calculated to study changes in health care costs after intervention. Multivariable regression analyses and cluster robust fixed effect models were applied to predict characteristics on health care costs. To study regression to the mean, a fixed effect model was calculated comparing 2 years before and 2 years post-intervention. RESULTS In total 428,158 declarations during 4.6 years were filed by 997 participants (128,666 considered CBP-related). CBP-related costs significantly increased during the intervention period and reduced 2 years after the intervention. Total health care costs kept rising. The intervention was associated with a 21% to 34% (P < 0.01) reduction in costs depending on the model used. Reduction in costs was related to being male and lower body mass index. CONCLUSION This study suggests that reduction in CBP-related health care utilization in patients with complex CBP can be achieved after a multidisciplinary spine intervention. The results are robust to controlling for background characteristics and are unlikely to be fully driven by regression to the mean. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4.