Home mechanical ventilation: the Dutch approach

In the Netherlands we have an unique organisation of only 4 centres being responsi-ble for all patients who need Home Mechanical ventilation(HMV). Nationwide criteria for referral and initiation of HMV are stated in our national guideline and recently a unique national learning management system (LMS) for all caregivers and professionals was developed. A nationwide multi-centric research program is running and every centre is participating. In this paper we pro -vide information about the evolution of HMV in the Netherlands during the last 30 years, includ-ing details about the number of patients, different diagnose groups, residence and the type of ventilators. (c) 2021 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This paper provides information about the evolution of Home Mechanical Ventilation (HMV) in the Netherlands over the past 30 years, including details about the number of patients, different diagnostic groups, residence, and types of ventilators. In the Netherlands, there are four centers responsible for all patients in need of HMV, with nationwide criteria for referral and initiation. A unique national learning management system has also been developed for caregivers and professionals.