letters from specialists from my hospital electronically. Therefore, the patient information is easy to integrate in his electronic medical file. This electronic mailing is an example of one of transmural projects my department is involved in. It enhances the communication between primary care and secondary care.
I think a good way of explaining to you the functioning of the Dutch health care system is, by taking in mind a patient and leading this patient through the health care. Suppose, we take in mind mrs. Petorson.
Screen 23 (family doctor: mrs. Peterson)
Mrs, Peterson is 80 years old. She is a widow, lives alone and has two children. One of them lives in the neighbourhood. Mrs. Peterson has been bothered by troubles and pain with walking for many years now. The last months the complaints get worse. When she decides she wants to seek medical care, the first one she goes to is her general practitioner. This doctor may have known her for years. He or she (about half of the GPs is female nowadays) probably also knew her husband and maybe her children. The general practitioner examines her and comes to the conclusion that she might well need surgery to replace the hip. Ha (let's say 'he') writes a referral card for a orthopedist. Mrs. Peterson now makes an appointment with an orthopedist al the outpatient department of a hospital.
screen 24 (inhoudsopgave, hospital care)
At this point we come to the next part of my presentations: hospital care. As a first introdution to the Dutch hospital system I would like to show you a picture of a patient in a Dutch hospital.
