Radiofrequency treatment in The Netherlands.
← Research streamA retrospective national questionnaire was sent to all 147 Dutch hospitals (1991–1997) with a 98% response rate. During the study period, 92% of respondents performed 9,700 invasive cancer pain procedures, and 85% were active in chronic non-cancer pain contro…
Study snapshot
Abstract
A national enquiry was developed by the Pain Control Department of the Dutch Society of Anesthesiology (NVA) in co-operation with the National Organisation for Quality Assurance in Hospitals (CBO). A questionnaire for retrospective collection of invasive pain control data was sent to all (147) Dutch hospitals as part of the "Quality Assurance of Anesthesiological Pain Control Study" which took place from 1991 to 1997. The questionnaire related to the organisation of pain departments, availability of personnel, material and space facilities, use of treatment protocols, type and number of procedures carried out in cancer and non-cancer pain management during a 1 year period (1990-1991). The response rate to the enquiry was 98 per cent; this high response rate was important to evaluate the status of anesthesiological pain control in The Netherlands. During the study period 92 per cent of the respondents carried out 9,700 invasive cancer pain procedures; 85 per cent of the respondents were active in the field of chronic non-cancer pain control and were responsible for approximately 63,000 procedures.
AI evidence extraction
Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.
Main findings
A retrospective national questionnaire was sent to all 147 Dutch hospitals (1991–1997) with a 98% response rate. During the study period, 92% of respondents performed 9,700 invasive cancer pain procedures, and 85% were active in chronic non-cancer pain control with approximately 63,000 procedures.
Outcomes measured
- Organization of pain departments
- Availability of personnel/material/space facilities
- Use of treatment protocols
- Type and number of invasive pain control procedures (cancer and non-cancer)
Limitations
- Retrospective questionnaire-based data collection
- Focuses on service organization and procedure counts rather than health effects of RF exposure
- No RF exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, SAR, duration) reported in abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
"study_type": "other",
"exposure": {
"band": "RF",
"source": "medical procedure (radiofrequency treatment)",
"frequency_mhz": null,
"sar_wkg": null,
"duration": null
},
"population": "Dutch hospitals / anesthesiological pain control departments (national enquiry)",
"sample_size": 147,
"outcomes": [
"Organization of pain departments",
"Availability of personnel/material/space facilities",
"Use of treatment protocols",
"Type and number of invasive pain control procedures (cancer and non-cancer)"
],
"main_findings": "A retrospective national questionnaire was sent to all 147 Dutch hospitals (1991–1997) with a 98% response rate. During the study period, 92% of respondents performed 9,700 invasive cancer pain procedures, and 85% were active in chronic non-cancer pain control with approximately 63,000 procedures.",
"effect_direction": "unclear",
"limitations": [
"Retrospective questionnaire-based data collection",
"Focuses on service organization and procedure counts rather than health effects of RF exposure",
"No RF exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, SAR, duration) reported in abstract"
],
"evidence_strength": "insufficient",
"confidence": 0.66,
"peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
"keywords": [
"radiofrequency treatment",
"pain control",
"anesthesiology",
"national survey",
"quality assurance",
"The Netherlands",
"invasive procedures",
"cancer pain",
"chronic non-cancer pain"
],
"suggested_hubs": [
{
"slug": "occupational-exposure",
"weight": 0.22,
"reason": "Involves hospital-based invasive procedures using radiofrequency treatment; potential relevance to clinical/occupational context, though exposure details are not provided."
}
]
}AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.
Identifiers and source
DOI: 10.1046/j.1533-2500.2002.20225.x
PubMed: 17147728