J Van Olmen
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 259910 |
|---|---|
| NOME | J Van Olmen |
| PRENOMES | J |
| SOBRENOME | Van Olmen |
| ASSINATURA | VAN OLMEN J |
| AFILIAÇÕES | University of Antwerp |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9724-1887 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 70 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 14 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 70 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2011 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 2 |
Indicator menus
There is strong impetus for internationally standardized measurement for maternal and neonatal health (MNH) to facilitate global benchmarking and accountability. Recent funding cuts have sharpened debates about whose priorities should guide measurement and what role international-level actors should play. This qualitative study combined observations and 24 semi-structured interviews in 2023-2025 with experts across multilateral agencies, bilatera…
Understanding the role of family social support in the medication adherence to hypertension treatment in Cambodia
The role of social support from family members was very positive in enhancing medication adherence among patients with HTN in Cambodia. Potential strategic interventions should include focus on establishing an intervention involving family members to provide support for HTN treatment
Partial pictures
Measurement of contact coverage of maternal and newborn health services may overestimate the benefits of the care that is provided, because the quality of care is not captured. It is therefore important to better understand the opportunities and challenges of capturing elements of care quality in routine health information systems (RHIS). This study explored healthcare workers’ (HCWs), health sector managers’ and policymakers’ perspectives on the…
Standardized disease-related measures in diabetes research
Background: A lack of disease-related consensus measures for type 2 diabetes interventions is a barrier to comparing interventions across various contexts, as well as to implementation and scale-up. This study aimed to use an expert consensus approach to select disease-related measures for type 2 diabetes to facilitate cross-contextual research, as well as the implementation and scaling-up of initiatives. Methods: The study was conducted using a …
Scaling up integrated care for chronic diseases in belgium
INTRODUCTION: Few integrated care studies elaborate how interventions are brought to wider scale. The SCUBY project developed interventions for scale-up of an Integrated Care Package (ICP) for two common diseases - type 2 diabetes and hypertension-, comprising evidence-based roadmaps and policy dialogues. This paper's aim is to report on the process evaluation of the ICP scale-up in Belgium. Specific objectives are: to describe the development of…
Navigating diabetes care inequities
Our pioneering findings support the social capital pathway, as CCM implementation is associated with a reduction in the healthcare inequity gap in the T2D care process. This suggests that promoting CCM implementation may improve healthcare equity, particularly in regions with significant socioeconomic disparities or high concentrations of deprived individuals
Understanding challenges in healthcare access
The study reveals the complex and cumulative barriers to healthcare access for socio-economically vulnerable individuals, including competing priorities, system fragmentation, and cultural and language challenges. While informal social networks provide some support, they are insufficient to address systemic issues. Integrating these networks with formal community outreach initiatives could improve coordination and access to healthcare
Evaluating the effectiveness of lifestyle education for individuals at increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (Halt2Diabetes)
This study is registered with the ISRCTN registry, identifier: ISRCTN62149214 ( https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN62149214 ). The date of registration is March 13, 2025
Hypertension Cascade Across Three Healthcare Systems and in Relation to the Level of Implementation of the Integrated Care Package
Despite contextual differences between the countries and difficulties in comparability of the cascades, lessons can be learnt from each country's strengths and weaknesses to improve quality of integrated hypertension care
Adolescent girls and physical activity in public spaces
Physical activity in adolescence is a key determinant of long-term health, yet teenage girls remain consistently less active than boys. Urban public spaces play a central role in facilitating everyday opportunities for physical activity, from informal play to organised sport. However, these spaces are not equally accessible or welcoming to all. They are sites where gendered hierarchies and norms surface, but also where other intersecting structur…
Getting the numbers right
What makes routine maternal and neonatal health data to be 'good quality'? That depends on whom you ask - the people collecting and reporting these data across health system levels have different priorities and face varying constraints. Data are constructed by people, about people, and they both reflect and impact human interactions. This study analyses the power dynamics shaping how routine health data are collected and reported in labour wards …
Study Protocol Medimig
Background: European society is becoming increasingly diverse due to high levels of migration. Persons with a migration background, especially those from non-western countries, may experience significant challenges when they seek medical care. Some of the main issues arise in the context of medical decision-making (MDM), where cultural preferences for close family involvement may be difficult to reconcile with the western model of medicine, as en…
Experiences and observations from a care point for displaced Ukrainians
Background: A total of 7,307 Ukrainian refugees moved to Antwerp, Belgium, during the study period (01 April 2022 to 31 December 2022). The city's administration set up three care centers where these people were introduced to the Belgian primary care system, a medical file was created, and acute/preventive/chronic care was delivered. This community case study analyzes the organization and contents of care and reflects upon its meaning for the mai…
An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experience of people with multimorbidity in low- and middle-income countries
People living with multimorbidity (PLWMM) have multiple needs and require long-term personalised care, which necessitates an integrated people-centred approach to healthcare. However, people-centred care may risk being a buzzword in global health and cannot be achieved unless we consider and prioritise the lived experience of the people themselves. This study captures the lived experiences of PLWMM in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by e…
Core outcome sets for trials of interventions to prevent and to treat multimorbidity in adults in low and middle-income countries
INTRODUCTION: The burden of multimorbidity is recognised increasingly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), creating a strong emphasis on the need for effective evidence-based interventions. Core outcome sets (COS) appropriate for the study of multimorbidity in LMICs do not presently exist. These are required to standardise reporting and contribute to a consistent and cohesive evidence-base to inform policy and practice. We describe the de…
Data for whom? Experiences and perceptions of a perinatal eRegistry in two hospitals in Mtwara region, Tanzania
INTRODUCTION: Digital data systems have the potential to improve data quality and provide individual-level information to understand gaps in the quality of care. This study explored experiences and perceptions of a perinatal eRegistry in two hospitals in Mtwara region, Tanzania. Drawing from realist evaluation and systems thinking, we go beyond a descriptive account of stakeholders' experiences and provide insight into key structural drivers and …
Country-Specific Roadmaps for Scaling Up Integrated Care in Belgium, Slovenia, and Cambodia – Lessons Learned from the SCUBY Project
Introduction: The SCUBY project aimed to provide knowledge on the scaling-up of an Integrated Care Package (ICP) for type 2 diabetes and hypertension across three distinct health systems (Cambodia, Slovenia, and Belgium). Here, we analyse the different elements of the country-specific scale-up roadmaps to identify similarities and differences, and share lessons learned. Methods: Thematic analysis was used to derive crucial roadmap elements from k…
Process Evaluations for the Scale-Up of Complex Interventions – a Scoping Review
Introduction: Complex health interventions (CHIs) are common in (public) health and social care practice and policy. A process evaluation (PE) is an essential part of designing and testing CHIs and questions what is implemented, the mechanisms of change, and how context affects implementation. The scale-up of CHIs is challenging and heterogeneous, making the accompanying PE unique to the nature of the inquiry. Methods: We conducted a scoping revi…
Scale-Up of Integrated Care Interventions for Chronic Diseases in Diverse Settings
The global burden of chronic conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) and hypertension (HTN) is increasing exponentially, not only in high-income countries (HIC) but also, and more rapidly, in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Health systems worldwide struggle to manage this growing burden. Integrated interventions for prevention, detection, treatment, and control of T2DM and HTN have been previously demonstrated to be effective in contro…
Managing Pediatric Asthma Exacerbations
Three in four children who presented with a moderate to severe AE at the ED did not receive SCS within the first hour. A prolonged timing of SCS administration correlated with a prolonged length of stay and extended need for oxygen support
Evaluation study of the urban governance of the Covid-19 crisis in the city of Antwerp
Local governments are important to develop tailored strategies and organise a locally relevant crisis response in cities. They need expertise and agency, with enough flexibility to experiment. To harness promising practices and avoid repeating errors in future crises, it is crucial to develop a system that better evaluates and monitors local responses, before, during and after crises
Unravelling the Belgian cascade of hypertension care and its determinants
Our results show that undiagnosed hypertension is the most significant barrier to BP control in Belgium. Health interventions are thus needed to improve the accurate and timely diagnosis of hypertension. Once diagnosed, the Belgian health system retains patients fairly well along the continuum of hypertension care, yet targeted health interventions to improve hypertension management for high-risk groups remain necessary, especially with regard to…
Strengthening policy engagement when scaling up interventions targeting non-communicable diseases
Policy engagement is an essential component of implementation research for scaling up interventions targeting non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It refers to the many ways that research team members, implementers and policymakers, who represent government decision-making, connect and interact to explore common interests. Well-conducted engagement activities foster co-production, local contextualization and assist in the successful translation of r…
An in-depth Analysis of the Degree of Implementation of Integrated Care for Diabetes in Primary Health Care in Cambodia
The evidence suggests that while each care initiative has its potential contributions towards integrated care for T2D, the three care initiatives should be effectively implemented in an integrated manner in order to potentially produce the desired outcomes
Examining Macro-Level Barriers and Facilitators to Scaling Up Integrated Care from a Complexity Perspective
Examining differences and similarities between barriers in each health system stimulated reciprocal learning. Interactions between health system barriers in specific contexts require further attention to move complex health systems forward
What Makes Integration of Chronic Care so Difficult? A Macro-Level Analysis of Barriers and Facilitators in Belgium
This paper highlights the importance of homogenization of responsibilities of governments regarding integrated care and the interdependency of policy and health care system factors. A whole system change is needed instead of the current Belgian model of prolonged search for common ground between conflicting opinions. Political commitment and citizen participation will be crucial
Sub-Saharan Africa and the health MDGs
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were defined in 2001, making poverty the central focus of the global political agenda. In response to MDG targets for health, new funding instruments called Global Health Initiatives were set up to target specific diseases, with an emphasis on “quick win” interventions, in order to show improvements by 2015. In 2005 the UN Millennium Project defined quick wins as simple, proven interventions with “very high…
Dietary patterns and practices in rural eastern Uganda
BACKGROUND: The burden of type 2 diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double by 2040, partly attributable to rapidly changing diets. In this paper, we analysed how community members in rural Uganda understood the concept of a healthy or unhealthy diet, food preparation and serving practices to inform the process of facilitating knowledge and skill necessary for self-management and care for type 2 diabetes. This was a qualitative study i…
Getting the numbers right
What makes routine maternal and neonatal health data to be 'good quality'? That depends on whom you ask - the people collecting and reporting these data across health system levels have different priorities and face varying constraints. Data are constructed by people, about people, and they both reflect and impact human interactions. This study analyses the power dynamics shaping how routine health data are collected and reported in labour wards …
Evaluation of the Implementation of Integrated Primary Care for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension in Belgium, Cambodia, and Slovenia
Countries can enhance integrated care for chronic diseases by implementing central policies, standardized protocols, and local adaptation, addressing resource constraints, promoting systematic screening and health education, and providing training for healthcare workers, tailored to community needs, to improve patient outcomes and healthcare delivery
Journey Through Healthcare of People With Complications of Type 2 Diabetes
Non-medical costs are not reimbursed, presenting a high burden to people. Self-management is tedious and hampered by other worries that people may have, such as financial constraints and coping with important life events. To conclude this study highlighted the need to improve diabetes screening. We suggest to enhance the role of paramedical professionals, integrate a social care worker, reduce financial constraints, and increase health literacy t…
Development of a Qualitative Data Analysis Codebook for Arterial Hypertension and Type-2-Diabetes Integrated Care Evaluation
The codebook is a useful tool for implementation research on integrated care for HTN and T2D at global scale. It facilitates cross-country learning, contributing to improved implementation, scale-up and outcomes
The growing caseload of chronic life-long conditions calls for a move towards full self-management in low-income countries
BACKGROUND: The growing caseload caused by patients with chronic life-long conditions leads to increased needs for health care providers and rising costs of health services, resulting in a heavy burden on health systems, populations and individuals. The professionalised health care for chronic patients common in high income countries is very labour-intensive and expensive. Moreover, the outcomes are often poor. In low-income countries, the scarce…
Sub-Saharan Africa and the health MDGs
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were defined in 2001, making poverty the central focus of the global political agenda. In response to MDG targets for health, new funding instruments called Global Health Initiatives were set up to target specific diseases, with an emphasis on “quick win” interventions, in order to show improvements by 2015. In 2005 the UN Millennium Project defined quick wins as simple, proven interventions with “very high…
The Health System Dynamics Framework
Frameworks can clarify concepts and improve understanding of underlying mechanisms in the domain of health systems research and strengthening. Many existing frameworks have a limited capacity to analyze interactions and equilibriums within a health system overlooking values as an underlying steering mechanism. This paper introduces the health system dynamics framework and demonstrates its application as a tool for analysis and modelling. The adde…
Health systems frameworks in their political context
Health systems theories and frameworks frame health, health systems and policies in particular political and public health paradigms. While there is a clear trend to try to understand the complexity of and dynamic relationships between elements of health systems, there is also a demand to provide frameworks that distinguish between health system interventions, and that allow mapping with a view of analysing their returns. The choice for a particu…
L’approche Realist à l’épreuve du réel de l’évaluation des programmes
The Realist approach suggests a way to grasp the complexity of social interventions, through questioning what works, for whom, and under what circumstances. We present here some challenges and discussion on the use of this methodological innovation, based on an analysis of our own experience and an examination of the scientific literature. Although the Realist approach seems intellectually attractive, building its “Context-Mechanism-Outcome” conf…
Is realist evaluation keeping its promise? A review of published empirical studies in the field of health systems research
This overview aims to stimulate conceptual and practical discussions to help unlock the full potential of realist evaluation in health systems research. Based on a structured literature search, this review maps how the concepts of realist evaluation are applied in health systems research and which methodological problems are encountered. We found a great diversity in the depth of application of the philosophical concepts, use of terminology and s…
The effectiveness of text messages support for diabetes self-management
People with diabetes find it difficult to sustain adequate self-management behaviour. Self-Management Support strategies, including the use of mobile technology, have shown potential benefit. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a mobile phone support intervention on top of an existing strategy in three countries, DR Congo, Cambodia and the Philippines to improve health outcomes, access to care and enablement of people with diabetes, with 48…
What kind of life is this?’ Diabetes related notions of wellbeing among adults in eastern Uganda and implications for mitigating future chronic disease risk
To make type 2 diabetes prevention relevant to healthy people, health education messages should link current lifestyles to future wellbeing. Diabetes patients need counselling support, akin to that in HIV care, to address deep worry and loss of hope
Process evaluation in the field
This research demonstrates the important role of process evaluation in understanding implementation process of complex interventions. This can help to highlight a broad range of system requirements such as new policies and capacity building to support implementation. Process evaluation is crucial in understanding contextual factors that may impact intervention implementation which is important in considering whether or not the intervention can be…
Dietary patterns and practices in rural eastern Uganda
BACKGROUND: The burden of type 2 diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double by 2040, partly attributable to rapidly changing diets. In this paper, we analysed how community members in rural Uganda understood the concept of a healthy or unhealthy diet, food preparation and serving practices to inform the process of facilitating knowledge and skill necessary for self-management and care for type 2 diabetes. This was a qualitative study i…
Scale-up integrated care for diabetes and hypertension in Cambodia, Slovenia and Belgium (SCUBY)
Health systems worldwide struggle to manage the growing burden of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Many patients receive suboptimal care, especially those most vulnerable. An evidence-based Integrated Care Package (ICP) with primary care-based diagnosis, treatment, education and self-management support and collaboration, leads to better health outcomes, but there is little knowledge of how to scale-up. The Scale-up integrated care for diabetes a…
I try the one that they say is good.” - factors influencing choice of health care provider and pathways to diabetes care for Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Syrian refugees with diabetes in Lebanon face considerable challenges in navigating the health care system due to their vulnerable status and limited knowledge of the host country systems. To ensure access to care for diabetes, efforts need to be made to support patients' orientation in the Lebanese health system
What Makes Integration of Chronic Care so Difficult? A Macro-Level Analysis of Barriers and Facilitators in Belgium
This paper highlights the importance of homogenization of responsibilities of governments regarding integrated care and the interdependency of policy and health care system factors. A whole system change is needed instead of the current Belgian model of prolonged search for common ground between conflicting opinions. Political commitment and citizen participation will be crucial
Models of lifelong care for children and adolescents with chronic conditions in low-income and middle-income countries
Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) or chronic conditions account for one-third of disability-adjusted life-years among children and adolescents under the age of 20. Health systems must adapt to respond to the growing burden of NCDs among children and adolescents who are more likely to be marginalised from healthcare access and are at higher risk for poor outcomes. We undertook a review of recent literature on existing models of chronic li…
Prevention and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Uganda and South Africa
Health systems in many low- and middle-income countries are struggling to manage type 2 diabetes (T2D). Management of glycaemia via well-organized care can reduce T2D incidence, and associated morbidity and mortality. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of facility plus community care interventions (integrated care), compared to facility only care interventions (facility care) towards improvement of T2D outcomes in Uga…
Motivational determinants of physical activity in disadvantaged populations with (pre)diabetes
Findings suggest that: 1) it is feasible to compare a motivational process model across diverse settings; 2) there is lower perceived social support and self-efficacy in the urban, migrant samples; 3) identified regulation is a more promising determinant of PA than self-efficacy or social support in these populations; 4) associations between motivational determinants and PA depend on the perceived type and/or intensity of PA; 5) perceived related…
Community-Based ART Service Delivery for Key Populations in Sub-Saharan Africa
HIV positive key population (KP) often face health system and social barriers to HIV care. KP include sex workers, men who have sex with men, persons who inject drugs, transgender people, and people in prisons and other closed settings. Community-based ART service delivery (CBART) has the potential to increase access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and enhance retention in care. This scoping review summarized the evidence on the effect of CBART…
Evaluating the Cascade of Hypertension Care in Belgium
The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 2.913 (2021 JCR, received in June 2022)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021
A data framework to assess quality of integrated diabetes care in Belgium
The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 2.913 (2021 JCR, received in June 2022)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021
Local practice facilitation
The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 2.913 (2021 JCR, received in June 2022)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021
Macro-level barriers to scaling up integrated care in three countries
The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 2.913 (2021 JCR, received in June 2022)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021
Caredoc Community Intervention Teams - An Integrated, Multidisciplinary Approach to Delivery of Care in a Community Setting
The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 2.913 (2021 JCR, received in June 2022)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021
What Makes Integration of Chronic Care so Difficult? A Macro-Level Analysis of Barriers and Facilitators in Belgium
The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 2.913 (2021 JCR, received in June 2022)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021
Local initiative supports case isolation and contact tracing during a Sars-CoV-2 surge in summer 2020
In Antwerp, Belgium's second largest city, a COVID-19 surge in July 2020 predominantly affected neighborhoods with high ethnic diversity. Local volunteers reacted and set up an initiative to support contact tracing and self-isolation. We describe the origin, implementation, and transfer of this local initiative, based on semi-structured interviews of five key informants and document review. The initiative started in July 2020, when family physici…
Scaling-up integrated type-2 diabetes and hypertension care in Cambodia
Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as type-2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension (HTN) pose a massive burden on health systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In Cambodia, to tackle this issue, the government and partners have introduced several limited interventions to ensure service availability. However, scaling-up these health system interventions is needed to ensure universal supply and access to NCDs care for Cam…
Medicine (51 obras) · Health care (38 obras) · Political science (34 obras) · Nursing (31 obras) · Computer Science (29 obras) · Business (22 obras) · Integrated care (19 obras) · Sociology (18 obras) · Chronic Disease Management Strategies (16 obras) · Primary Care and Health Outcomes (16 obras)