ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the major findings of the second Dutch National Survey of General Practice (DNSGP-2). Empirical results show that general practitioners (GPs) in the early 2000s are still gatekeepers in the Dutch health system. The important epidemiological criterion of covering the whole population at risk is met, since almost all noninstitutionalised Dutch citizens are registered with a GP. Compared with 1987, the difference in the rate of self-reported complaints and conditions and those presented to a GP appears to have increased somewhat. The increased number of self-reported symptoms and conditions is apparently not based on a higher incidence of diseases. People may show a greater tendency to report physical and mental symptoms and problems, with the frequency of illnesses presented to and diagnosed by the GP remaining more or less constant. Patients attach considerable importance to certain elements of the actual care given by the GP in the surgery.
