Abstract Historically, epidemics and plagues are repeatedly reported to have happened since the ancient civilizations (Egypt, Greece, Rome and imperial China). Most known examples of a devastating global pandemics in recent history are the ‘Black Death’ (14th century) and the global influenza (1918-1919), …

This volume brings together articles from different parts of the globe that describe, question, test and criticize innovations and recent developments in online dating. Using quantitative as well as qualitative techniques the studies included in the book examine the impact of gender, personality traits, …

The human-technology symbiosis has brought us prosperity and adversity, and through the massive scaling that has arisen, we now face global problems (environment, climate, technological totalitarianism / technological iatrogenesis, lack of meaning) that we can’t solve with our nearly 300,000 year old …

The World Health Organization (WHO) strives to assist and inspire cities to become more “age-friendly”, and the fundamentals are included in the Global Age-Friendly Cities Guide. An age-friendly city enables residents to grow older actively within their families, neighbourhoods and civil society, and …

The current healthcare delivery system is under pressure. With an aging population and changing lifestyles, the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases have grown steadily worldwide. It is presumed that people with multiple chronic diseases account for a very large proportion of healthcare utilization …

OBJECTIVE: To identify trajectories of cognitive-affective depressive symptoms among acutely hospitalized older patients and whether trajectories are related to prognostic baseline factors and three-month outcomes such as functional decline, falls, unplanned readmissions, and mortality. METHODS: Prospective …

Background: A patient decision aid (PtDA) can support shared decision making (SDM) in preference-sensitive care, with more than one clinically applicable treatment option. The development of a PtDA is a complex process, involving several steps, such as designing, developing and testing the draft with …

The Nociception Coma Scale is a nociception behaviour observation tool, developed specifically for patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) due to (acquired) brain injury. Over the years, the clinimetric properties of the NCS and its revised version (NCS-R) have been assessed, but no formal summary …

Studies monitoring vitamin D status in athletes are seldom conducted for a period of 12 months or longer, thereby lacking insight into seasonal fluctuations. The objective of the cur-rent study was to identify seasonal changes in total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concen-tration throughout the year. …

At the present time, nearly all Dutch nursing schools are searching for suitable ways to implement technology-based healthcare in their curriculum. Some Universities chose elective education, others a mandatory solution. Several studies were executed to determine competencies needed by nurses in order …