The COVID-19 Pandemic in Nijmegen, the Netherlands: Changes in Presented Health Problems and Demand for Primary Care

The Article in Brief

The COVID-19 Pandemic in Nijmegen, the Netherlands: Changes in Presented Health Problems and Demand for Primary Care

Henk Schers , and colleagues

Background Family physicians play a central role in providing the first point of access for health care in the Dutch health system. Researchers studied the changes in presented health problems and the demand for primary care during the initial COVID-19 crisis in Nijmegen, a city in the Netherlands. They analyzed data from 25 family physicians and more than 26,000 patients in and around the city. Specifically, researchers examined the most prominent symptoms of COVID-19 including COVID-19 itself as a reason for the family practitioner visit, comparing February through May of 2019 with 2020.

What This Study Found In March of 2020 more people presented with respiratory tract symptoms than in March of 2019. COVID-19 became the most common respiratory tract�related reason for contacting a family physician. However, from April to May 2020, presented symptoms dropped to levels lower than in 2019. Due to the pandemic, the demand for primary care changed rapidly. Acute and chronic health problems, and prevention visits, decreased, while mental health visits did not change.

Implications

• Study findings stress the importance of securing care for all health problems in a primary care�s preparations for a major epidemic and to avoid the collateral damage of a health system�s single-minded focus on an epidemic.