[The new law concerning complaints in practice]. / Het nieuwe klachtrecht in de praktijk.

Most patients who file a formal complaint against a dentist do so by way of the law concerning complaints. In 2017 the law concerning complaints was changed radically, with the intention of making the law easier for the patient to make use of and providing the patient with a financial settlement. This article considers the extent to which the possibility of being compensated has had the effect of encouraging patients to file claims in the case of the Royal Dutch Dental Association (KNMT), the complaints service with which most dentists are associated. The article also considers whether the new law has made the process of filing a complaint more readily accessible. Finally, if the law of complaints has become more appealing for patients to make use of, one could imagine that fewer cases would find their way to the disciplinary board. For that reason, the number of disciplinary complaints in 2017 is compared to the number for 2016.

Exposure assessment through realistic laboratory simulation of a soccer stadium fire.

On Sunday April 13, 2008 a fire broke out on a grandstand in the Euroborg soccer stadium in Groningen The Netherlands. The polyamide chairs on the grandstand were set on fire and supporters were exposed to the emitted smoke which induced mild health effects. The Dutch government was concerned about potential health risks that such fires could have to exposed fans. Especially the exposure to toxic fumes was considered a risk because prior research has proven that large amounts of chemical compounds are emitted during the burning of chemical substances such as polyamide. Among these emitted compounds are HCN, CO, NO(x), NH(3) and volatile organic compounds. To study if supporters were exposed to hazardous chemical compounds we designed a laboratory controlled replica of a part of the grandstand of the Euroborg stadium to perform fire-experiments. This simulation of the fire under controlled circumstances proved that a wide variety of chemicals were emitted. Especially the emission of CO and NO(x) were high, but also the emission of formaldehyde might be toxicologically relevant. The emission of HCN and NH(3) were less than expected. Exposure assessment suggests that the exposure to NO(x) is the main health risk for the supporters that were present at the Euroborg fire.

Evaluating changes in sexual functioning in depressed patients: sensitivity to change of the CSFQ.

Accurately evaluating alterations in sexual functioning requires a validated instrument that measures clinically relevant change over time. One-hundred one depressed patients from 15 Spanish out-patient clinics completed the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CFSQ; Clayton, McGarvey, & Clavet, 1997) at baseline and after 6 months of treatment with fluoxetine, nefazodone, paroxetine, or venlafaxine. Sexual desire/interest showed a nearly substantial floor effect (30% of patients indicated the maximum score) for women in the nefazodone group at baseline and in the paroxetine group at final visit. The percentage of dimensions recording change was greater for women (80%) than for men (20%) in the nefazodone group (improving changes) and greater for men (40%) than for women (20%) in the paroxetine group (worsening changes). Highest effect sizes were found on sexual desire/frequency with improvement in women in the nefazodone group (SES = 0.49), and on orgasm/ejaculation with worsening in men in the paroxetine group (SES = -1.45). In conclusion, the CSFQ is sensitive to bidirectional changes and is appropriate for measuring sexual dysfunction.