Telephone triage by the general practitioner: not a smart move
Schers, H.J.; Assendelft, W.J.J.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 162: D2551
2018
ISSN/ISBN: 1876-8784 PMID: 29451113 Document Number: 696502
In the Telephone First approach that has been introduced in the UK, within a few hours of patients contacting their GP practice a general practitioner will call back all patients who want to make an appointment within a few hours. We think that it is not wise to introduce this system in the Netherlands. Research has not shown sufficient advantages and the system hampers rethinking the traditional way of handling patient requests and the growing workload in general practice. Instead, focus should be paid to more diverse and innovative ways of dealing with patient demands.