dr. A. Lenferink (Anke)

As an Epidemiologist and Assistant Professor I am working at the section of Health Technology and Services Research, University of Twente, Enschede, where I am involved in education on quality in healthcare and in supervision of Bachelor and Master students (mainly Health Sciences) during their thesis. I also have an affiliation with the department of Pulmonary Diseases at Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede.

My research interest lies in the area of self-management interventions for patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, I am involved in the development of tailored self-management interventions for patients with COPD and comorbidities, and hope to continue and expand my collaboration with different (international) disciplines and institutions to contribute to further improvement of these interventions.

Other activities

Combined with my PhD project, I was also trained as an Epidemiologist B at the Radboud University Nijmegen. Therefore, I have weekly reviewed articles on methodological issues and followed courses and conferences about epidemiology and methodology. In addition, I have reviewed multiple papers for several peer-reviewed journals.

Member editorial review board Chronic Respiratory Disease
Member of The Netherlands Epidemiological Society (VVE)
Member of the Netherlands and European Respiratory Society (NRS & ERS)

Medicine & Life Sciences

# Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
# Comorbidity
# Disease Management
# Disease Progression
# Heart Failure
# Inhalation
# Self-Management
# Telemedicine

Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS), Health Technology & Services Research (HTSR)

My research interest lies in the area of self-management interventions for patients with chronic diseases. Self-management interventions and digital health technologies enhance care delivery substitution from secondary to primary care and facilitate home-based support. This is essential to manage the increased number of patients –mainly elderly- with chronic diseases. It is a challenge to tailor chronic disease self-management interventions to patients’ needs and preferences, and make them better accessible and applicable for individuals. Recently, in multidisciplinary research an e-health self-management portal for patients with COPD and comorbidities has been developed, based on paper versions of a self-management intervention (COPE-III study).

Currently, I am the clinical coordinator of a European H2020 project: REal-time data monitoring for Shared, Adaptive, Multi-domain and Personalised prediction and decision making for Long-term Pulmonary care Ecosystems (RE-SAMPLE). In this project the UT (HTSR, SCS, BSS) is collaborating with MST, RRD and hospitals in Italy and Estonia to predict exacerbations of COPD and comorbidities from real-world data monitoring and artificial intelligence, and to develop a virtual companionship program to facilitate pro-active disease management. This research would give the opportunity to contribute to further adaptation and implementation of patient-tailored chronic disease self-management interventions.

In 2017, I completed my PhD at the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Medisch Spectrum Twente, the Netherlands and the Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. My PhD project was concerning the effectiveness of a self-management intervention in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and comorbidities: the COPE-III study. This study was performed in two hospitals in the Netherlands and three hospitals in Adelaide, Australia. I obtained a Cotutelle agreement between the University of Twente, Enschede, and the Flinders University, Adelaide, for cooperation between the Dutch and Australian research groups on the self-management of patients with COPD. In 2014 and 2016, I visited Adelaide for two four-month research periods as part of my Cotutelle agreement.

van Dijk, S. H. B. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J., Bucsán, C. C. , Ploumen, E. H., van Beurden, W. , van der Palen, J. , Doggen, C. , & Lenferink, A. (2024). Lack of Evidence Regarding Markers Identifying Acute Heart Failure in Patients with COPD: An AI-Supported Systematic Review. International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 19, 531-541. https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S437899

Lenferink, A., Bucsán, C. C. , & Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J. (2023). The continuously evolved RE-SAMPLE cohort: predicting outcomes of COPD and comorbidities. Poster session presented at ERS international congress 2023, Milan, Italy.

Bucsán, C. C. , Lenferink, A. , van dijk, S. H. B., van beurden, W. J. C., van der valk, P. D. L. P. M. , Doggen, C. J. M. , van der palen, J. , & Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J. (2023). Predictors of acute exacerbations in COPD: a systematic review. European respiratory journal, PA3641. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.congress-2023.PA3641

van dijk, S. H. B. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J., Bucsán, C. C. , Ploumen, E. H., van Beurden, W. J. C. , van der Palen, J. , Doggen, C. J. M. , & Lenferink, A. (2023). Biomarkers differentiating acute heart failure from COPD exacerbations: not much evidence. European respiratory journal, PA515. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.congress-2023.PA515

van dijk, S. H. B. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J. , Effing, T., van der valk, P. D. L. P. M. , Ploumen, E. H. , van der Palen, J. , Doggen, C. J. M. , & Lenferink, A. (2023). Exploring patterns of COPD exacerbations and comorbid flare-ups. European respiratory journal, PA1348. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.congress-2023.PA1348

van Dijk, S. H. B. , Brusse-Keizer, M. , Effing, T., van der Valk, P. D. L. P. M. , Ploumen, E. , Palen, J. V. D. , Doggen, C. J. M. , & Lenferink, A. (2023). Exploring Patterns of COPD Exacerbations and Comorbid Flare-Ups. International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 18, 2633-2644. https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S428960

Schrijver, J. , Effing, T. , Brusse-Keizer, M. , van der Palen, J., van der Valk, P. , & Lenferink, A. (2023). Facilitators and Barriers of Adherence to Multi-Disease Exacerbation Action Plans in COPD Patients - A Qualitative Study. COPD, 20(1), 262-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/15412555.2023.2240408

Dijk, S. H. B. V. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J., Bucsán, C. C. , Palen, J. V. D. , Doggen, C. J. M. , & Lenferink, A. (2023). Artificial intelligence in systematic reviews: promising when appropriately used. BMJ open, 13(7), Article e072254. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072254

de Vries, M. , Effing, T. W. , van der Palen, J., Schrijver, J., van der Valk, P. D. L. P. M. , & Lenferink, A. (2023). Evaluation of Exacerbation and Symptom-Free Time in Patients with COPD. COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 20(1), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15412555.2022.2136066

van Dijk, S. H. B. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J., Bucsán, C. C. , Doggen, C. , van der Palen, J. , & Lenferink, A. (2022). Differentiating acute heart failure from exacerbations of COPD: An AI-supported literature review. European respiratory journal, 60(Suppl. 66). https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.congress-2022.1088

Schrijver, J. J. , Effing, T., van Helden, J. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J. , van der Palen, J., van der Valk, P. D. L. P. M. , & Lenferink, A. (2022). The influence of adherence to COPD exacerbation action plans on health outcomes. Poster session presented at European Respiratory Society congress 2022, Barcelona, Spain.

van Dijk, S. H. B. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J., Bucsán, C. C. , Doggen, C. , van der Palen, J. , & Lenferink, A. (2022). Distinguishing acute heart failure from COPD exacerbations in COPD patients with acute dyspnoea: Integrating a supportive AI screening tool in the systematic literature review process. Poster session presented at WEON 2022, Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Bucsán, C. C. , Lenferink, A. , van Dijk, S. H. B., van Beurden, W., van der Valk, P. D. L. P. M. , Doggen, C. , van der Palen, J. , & Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J. (2022). Identifying predictors of acute exacerbations in COPD: a systematic review. Poster session presented at Dutch Lung Congress 2022, Utrecht, Netherlands.

van Dijk, S. H. B. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J., Bucsán, C. C. , Doggen, C. , van der Palen, J. , & Lenferink, A. (2022). Differentiating between acute heart failure and a COPD exacerbation – Will AI help us in reviewing the literature?. Poster session presented at Dutch Lung Congress 2022, Utrecht, Netherlands.

Schrijver, J. J. , Effing, T., van Helden, J. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J. , van der Palen, J., van der Valk, P. D. L. P. M. , & Lenferink, A. (2022). The influence of patients’ adherence to COPD exacerbation action plans on health outcomes. Poster session presented at Dutch Lung Congress 2022, Utrecht, Netherlands.

Schrijver, J. , Lenferink, A. , Brusse-Keizer, M. , Zwerink, M., van der Valk, P. D. L. P. M. , van der Palen, J. , & Effing, T. W. (2022). Self-management interventions for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (CD-ROM), (1), Article CD002990. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002990.pub4

Schrijver, J. J. , Effing, T. , Brusse-Keizer, M. G. J. , van der Palen, J., van der Valk, P. D. L. P. M. , & Lenferink, A. (2021). Facilitators and barriers of adherence to exacerbation action plans in patients with COPD and comorbidities: a qualitative study. Poster session presented at Dutch Lung Congress, DLC 2021, Online, Netherlands.

Peters, G. M. , Kooij, L. , Lenferink, A. , Van Harten, W. H. , & Doggen, C. J. M. (2021). The effect of telehealth on hospital services use: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of medical internet research, 23(9), Article e25195. https://doi.org/10.2196/25195

Lenferink, A., & Lee, A. (2021). Education and self-management in pulmonary rehabilitation. In ERS Educational Publications: ERS Monograph Chapter, 93: Pulmonary Rehabilitation (ERS Monograph). https://doi.org/10.1183/2312508X.10017920

ter Stal, S., Sloots, J., Ramlal, A. , op den Akker, H. , Lenferink, A. , & Tabak, M. (2021). An embodied conversational agent in an ehealth self-management intervention for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure: Exploratory study in a real-life setting. JMIR human factors, 8(4), Article e24110. https://doi.org/10.2196/24110

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I am involved in education on epidemiology, methodology and quality in healthcare in different courses (Bachelor and Master Health Sciences, Technical Medicine, Biomedical Engineering):

Gezondheid, ziekte en preventie (onderdeel Epidemiologie)
Gezondheidszorgonderzoek (onderdeel project)
Optimalisatie van zorg (onderdeel Kwaliteit en veiligheid)
Klinisch Wetenschappelijk onderzoek (onderdeel Schrijven van een onderzoeksvoorstel)
Bacheloropdracht Gezondheidswetenschappen
Quality Management in Healthcare (Master course Health Sciences)
Clinical Research Methods (Master course Biomedical Engineering)
Clinical Internship Technical Medicine

In addition, I am involved in supervision of Bachelor and Master students (mainly Health Sciences) during their thesis.

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.