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Acute primary care in the Netherlands

Gwendolyn Zelvelder

In the Netherlands, a large part of acute care is provided by general practitioners. Since almost every inhabitant of the Netherlands is registered with a GP in their neighbourhood, the access to acute primary care is very good and the GP has acces to the medical records of the patient. The GP visits elderly patients and patients with problems with mobility at their own homes.In the Netherlands it is considered very important that patients receive the kind of care they need by the health care professional that is most suitable. The GP will treat patients if possible, and they will consult or refer directly to a specialist if needed. Out-of-hours acute primary care is also provided by GP’s, but usually not from their own offices. Most GP’s are affiliated with an urgent care clinic, where their patients can receive the same acute primary care out-of-hours.In response to a growing demand for acute care, the government and the health care sector are planning a number of reforms in acute primary care.