OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of Vocal Tract Discomfort (VTD) in the Flemish population without self-perceived voice disorders using the VTD scale and to examine the relationship between vocal load and VTD symptoms. In addition, consistency between the VTD scale …

Background: E-mental health is a promising medium to keep mental health affordable and accessible. For consumers with severe mental illness the evidence of the effectiveness of e-health is limited. A number of difficulties and barriers have to be addressed concerning e-health for consumers with severe …

Background: In the Netherlands, most patients with severe mental illness (SMI) receive flexible assertive community treatment (FACT) provided by multidisciplinary community mental health teams. SMI patients with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are sometimes offered evidence-based trauma-focused …

Background: COPD self-management is a complex behavior influenced by many factors. Despite scientific evidence that better disease outcomes can be achieved by enhancing self-management, many COPD patients do not respond to self-management interventions. To move toward more effective self-management interventions, …

BACKGROUND: Cervical dystonia (CD) is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions causing abnormal postures and/or twisting movements of the head and neck. These motor symptoms can have a major impact on disability. Treatment with botulinum toxin injections aims to reduce motor symptoms, and therefore …

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 …

Abstract Background. Fever in children is common and mostly caused by self-limiting infections. However, parents of febrile children often consult in general practice, in particular during out-of-hours care. To improve management, it is important to understand experiences of GPs managing these consultations. Objective. …

Het aantonen of corrosie gedetecteerd kan worden in de omtrek richting van pijpleidingen. Er wordt gebruik gemaakt van zeer dispersieve akoestische plaatgolven genaamd Lamb waves. Als transducers worden er Elektro-Magnetische Akoestische Transducers gebruikt. Corrosion inside pipelines caused by salt …

Objective: Due to the multidimensional nature of resonance disorders, multivariate diagnostic assessment is advisable. The nasality severity index (NSI) is based on this point of view. Because of the influence of personal and environmental variables on the current NSI, this study aims to refine this …

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) on the vocal quality using the dysphonia severity index (DSI). It was hypothesized that the objective vocal quality and other vocal characteristics are disordered in comparison with an age- and gender-matched control …