PSS are associated with major personal and economic costs: loss in health-related quality of life and productivity is at least as severe in PSS as in chronic diseases characterised by similar symptoms. Despite the fact that PSS are common, costly and disabling, they are relatively ignored in research. Clinical guidelines exist but implementation of them in daily practice has proven to be difficult. In addition, the only evidence-based treatment is psychotherapy, but this is not well accepted nor available to all patients.
The group of Prof. Rosmalen at the departments of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine of the University Medical Center Groningen (within the Institute SHARE) together with the company Nedap healthcare co-developed an eHealth toolbox, called Grip, to improve care for PSS. This toolbox is built on a combination of knowledge of a large group of experienced clinicians, and scientific studies. This scientific and clinical knowledge is translated into automatic algorithms to support health care professionals outside mental health care, such as general practitioners, in the diagnostic process and treatment of patients with PSS. The Grip toolbox also contains e-learning and a website with patient information (website is in Dutch) It was developed with an initial grant of the Innovation Fund Health Insurances in collaboration with a large group of patients (242) and health care professionals (114), and the technology company Nedap healthcare.The toolbox was initially tested in a pilot study, after which it was further improved.
The Grip toolbox was launched together with the new clinical guidelines on PSS. The e-learning has received accreditation from multiple professional organisations (doctors of all specialties, physiotherapists, exercise therapists, professional therapists, nursing specialists, POH-GGZ, primary psychologists: https://grip.health/pages/Accreditatie), thus facilitating multidisciplinary collaboration in the care for patients with PSS. It has also been integrated into the national professional training for psychiatry residents, and local training for residents in other specialties, such as internal medicine, neurology, gynecology. They are currently incorporating the e-learning in the national training program for general practitioners.
The Grip e-learning has by now been followed by 100 mental health care professionals, 475 general practitioners, 114 somatic medical specialists, and 68 psychosomatic therapists. Patient information of the Grip toolbox has been added to the website of the Dutch national network for PSS. The website of general practitioners thuisarts.nl refers to the Grip toolbox. The tools for diagnosis and treatment are being offered on the market (grip.health), and are being used by the first customers outside scientific studies. Together with the Technical University of Munich, Prof. Rosmalen has co-developed an e-learning which has received funding from EIT Health and will therefore be spread and used at international level.
The grip tool promotes a patient-centric approach; with this tool, in the future it will be possible to predict the best outcome from a treatment and increase the chances of recovery for patients.
There is an ongoing scientific evaluation of cost-effectiveness, financed by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (JMIR Res Protoc, 8 (10) (2019), p. e13738); funds for the scientific evaluation of implementation were provided by European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Trials. 2020 Oct 28;21(1):893.doi: 10.1186/s13063-020-04686-4.). The group of Prof. Rosmalen also received a BMP grant from the Pain Alliance Europe, a pan-European umbrella organisation of 44 national and regional associations concerned with chronic pain in 19 European countries. With this grant, they studied the use and implementation of Grip in the care for patients with rheumatic pain.
