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Frequente bezoekers: hoe vaak, wie en waarom?

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Huisarts en wetenschap Aims and scope

Samenvatting

Smits FTM. Frequente bezoekers: hoe vaak, wie en waarom? Huisarts Wet 2015;58(7):358-61.

Patiënten die hun huisarts vaak bezoeken, hebben gemiddeld vaker een (chronische) ziekte, kosten meer spreekuurtijd, bezoeken vaker de specialist en genereren meer kosten in de zorg dan mensen die zo nu en dan eens op consult komen. Ongeveer 30% van deze ‘frequente bezoekers’ blijft ook het jaar daarna vaak komen. Zulk langdurig frequent bezoek kan een signaal zijn van onderliggende, vaak psychosociale problemen. Dit artikel geeft een definitie van ‘frequente bezoeker’ en een overzicht van de achtergronden en aandoeningen die deze groep kenmerken. Na een inventarisatie van de kosten die deze groep patiënten maakt in de hele zorg, onderzoeken we waarom de huisarts de meest geschikte persoon is om hun problematiek op te sporen, te diagnosticeren en te behandelen.

Abstract

Smits FTM. Frequent attenders: who, how often, and why. Huisarts Wet 2015;58(7):358-61.

Patients who visit their general practitioner frequently have a higher than average prevalence of chronic diseases, take up relatively more consultation time, visit a specialist more often, and generate more healthcare costs than non-frequent attenders. About 30% of these frequent attenders continue to visit their GP the following year. Persistent frequent attendance may signal underlying, often psychosocial, problems. The authors define ‘frequent attender’ and review the background and disorders characteristic of this group of patients and provide an analysis of the healthcare costs associated with frequent attendance. They also investigate the role of the GP as most appropriate professional to identify, diagnose, and treat these individuals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. afdeling Huisartsgeneeskunde, AMC, Meibergdreef 15 J2-126, 1105, Amsterdam, AZ, The Netherlands

    Frans Smits

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  1. Frans Smits
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Correspondence to Frans Smits.

Additional information

AMC, afdeling Huisartsgeneeskunde, Meibergdreef 15 J2-126, 1105 AZ Amsterdam: dr. F.T.M. Smits, huisarts-onderzoeker • Correspondentie: f.t.smits@amc.uva.nl • Mogelijke belangenverstrengeling: niets aangegeven.

Dit is een beschouwing op basis van een proefschrift: Smits FTM. Why do they keep coming back? Persistent frequent attenders in primary care Amsterdam: Universiteit van Amsterdam, 2014.

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Smits, F. Frequente bezoekers: hoe vaak, wie en waarom?. Huisarts Wet 58, 358–361 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12445-015-0193-3

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