ARQ Centre of Expertise Impact

In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that primary healthcare systems play a critical role in clinical care, such as patient screening, triage, physical and psychological support and also in promoting good community advice and awareness in coordination with secondary healthcare and preventive care. Because of the role of social and environmental factors in COVID-19 transmission and burden of disease, it is essential to ensure that there is adequate coordination of population-based health services and public health interventions.

Background: During times of crisis, mayors may play an important role as public leaders and providers of social support to affected residents. However, empirical studies have not yet been conducted among the involved mayors about the support they provide and the factors associated with it.

Objective: The aim is to examine the support the mayors provided to the affected residents during crises and to test the possible determinants of this support.

Background: Little is known about the public health impact of chronic exposure to physical and social stressors in the human environment. Objective of this study was to investigate the immediate and long-term health effects of living in an environment with gas-mining induced earthquakes and related stressors in the Netherlands.

IMPORTANCE Conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) are used broadly as a less-lethal force option for police officers. However, there is no clear picture of the possible health risks in humans on the basis of rigorously assessed scientific evidence from the international peer-reviewed literature.

OBJECTIVE To synthesize and systematically evaluate the strength of published evidence for an association between exposure to different models of CEWs and adverse acute as well as chronic conditions.
 

In the current COVID-19 crisis, global and national public health authorities and organisations are searching their toolbox of methods and approaches to communicate to and connect with populations. As with HIV/AIDS or Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa, it became quickly apparent that the participation of those most affected by the disease, and communities in general, play a central role in understanding how to best shape and implement response efforts .

Background: Most people who experience a potentially traumatic event (PTE) recover on their own. A small group of individuals develops psychological complaints, but this is often not detected in time or guidance to care is suboptimal. To identify these individuals and encourage them to seek help, a web-based self-help test called Mobile Insight in Risk, Resilience, and Online Referral (MIRROR) was developed.

Background: Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tend to benefit less from evidence-based treatments than other PTSD populations. A novel virtual reality and motion-assisted exposure therapy, called 3MDR, provides treatment in an immersive, personalized and activating context.

Abstract. This chapter explores the association between terrorism, mental health and the capacity to provide evidence-based mass casualty intervention from a global perspective. The main message is there are vast differences in these three areas across countries and that, especially the last of the three, variation in service capacity and supportive conditions, influences the chances of implementing evidence-based guidelines.

Background: A large body of studies showed that prevalence of respiratory health problems is higher when people live closer to livestock farms, compared to people who live further away. Acute somatic and mental health symptoms such as headache, sleep problems and anxiety can also be directly or indirectly associated with environmental exposures, especially in the light of recent zoonoses with a severe impact on human health.

Introduction: Societies invest substantial amounts of resources on disaster preparedness of hospitals. However, the concept is not clearly defined or operationalized in the international literature.

Aim: This study seeks to contribute to the alignment of knowledge of disaster preparedness in hospitals based on a systematic review and analysis of definitions and operationalizations.