Chapter 1: General introduction. A specific group of people with disabilities includes individuals with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). However, individuals with PIMD form a heterogeneous group regarding the origins of their underlying conditions leading to profound disabilities …

Purpose: The increasing number of cancer survivors has heightened demands on hospital-based follow-up care resources. To address this, involving general practitioners (GPs) in oncological follow-up is proposed. This study explores secondary care providers’ views on integrating GPs into follow-up care …

Background Understanding cultural perceptions of illness is crucial for effective healthcare delivery. This study examines the ethnomedical concept of ikirimi, a culturally recognized illness in Rwanda characterized by perceived uvula abnormalities, and its traditional management through uvulectomy. …

Background and aim Addiction problems also affect the lives of family members. This study aims to examine: (1) young adult family members’ experiences with informal and professional support in coping with the impact of relatives’ addiction problems and (2) how these experiences evolve over time. Method A …

Understanding sludge rheology and optimizing equipment performance is crucial for energy efficiency in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study examined sludge rheology after thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP) at 60, 80, and 120 ◦C for 2 h, followed by anaerobic digestion (AD) at 37 ◦C for …

Background Healthcare providers’ attitudes and beliefs can influence how patients with persistent musculoskeletal pain are treated. A biopsychosocial approach is more effective than a purely biomedical approach. Ensuring healthcare professionals have appropriate pain science education (PSE) is essential …

Although much research has focused on factors that contribute to effective online education in higher education (HE), insights remain scattered. In this study, we provide a more holistic perspective on how to facilitate effective online HE by concurrently examining factors that were hitherto treated …

It is by no means uncommon that academic scholars, journalists and even poets use the epi-thet ‘age of’ to signal how a certain feature is particularly characteristic of the times in which we live. In this chapter, we argue that it makes sense to address our current epoch as an ‘age of emotions’. Broadly …

Objectives: Hospital admission in older adults is associated with unwanted outcomes such as readmission, institutionalization, and functional decline. To reduce these outcomes, the Netherlands introduced an alternative to hospital-based care: the Acute Geriatric Community Hospital (AGCH). The AGCH is …

Peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) are both prevalent throughout society and challenging to treat, especially when the injury is large (> 5mm). When treated unsuccessfully, PNIs often result in significantly diminished quality of life, providing strong motivation for finding reliable treatment procedures. …