Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Access
    • Multimedia
    • Podcast
    • Collections
    • Past Issues
    • Articles by Subject
    • Articles by Type
    • Supplements
    • Plain Language Summaries
    • Calls for Papers
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Job Seekers
    • Media
  • About
    • Annals of Family Medicine
    • Editorial Staff & Boards
    • Sponsoring Organizations
    • Copyrights & Permissions
    • Announcements
  • Engage
    • Engage
    • e-Letters (Comments)
    • Subscribe
    • Podcast
    • E-mail Alerts
    • Journal Club
    • RSS
    • Annals Forum (Archive)
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
  • Careers

User menu

  • My alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
Annals of Family Medicine
  • My alerts
Annals of Family Medicine

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Access
    • Multimedia
    • Podcast
    • Collections
    • Past Issues
    • Articles by Subject
    • Articles by Type
    • Supplements
    • Plain Language Summaries
    • Calls for Papers
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Job Seekers
    • Media
  • About
    • Annals of Family Medicine
    • Editorial Staff & Boards
    • Sponsoring Organizations
    • Copyrights & Permissions
    • Announcements
  • Engage
    • Engage
    • e-Letters (Comments)
    • Subscribe
    • Podcast
    • E-mail Alerts
    • Journal Club
    • RSS
    • Annals Forum (Archive)
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Follow annalsfm on Twitter
  • Visit annalsfm on Facebook
Research ArticleResearch Briefs

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

Henk Schers, Chris van Weel, Kees van Boven, Reinier Akkermans, Erik Bischoff and Tim olde Hartman
The Annals of Family Medicine January 2021, 19 (1) 44-47; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2625
Henk Schers
Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
MD, PhD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: henk.schers@radboudumc.nl
Chris van Weel
Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
MD, PhD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Kees van Boven
Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
MD, PhD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Reinier Akkermans
Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
MsC
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Erik Bischoff
Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
MD, PhD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Tim olde Hartman
Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
MD, PhD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Article Figures & Data

Figures

  • Additional Files
  • Figure 1.
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 1.

    Reasons for encounters related to COVID-19 in family practices; February-May 2019 and 2020.

    COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019.

    Note: Numbers/1,000 patients; in black February-May 2019; in gray February-May 2020.

  • Figure 2.
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 2.

    Contacts with family practices in February-May 2019 and 2020; visits and telephone/e-mail consultations (numbers per 1,000 patients).

Additional Files

  • Figures
  • 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.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Annals of Family Medicine: 19 (1)
The Annals of Family Medicine: 19 (1)
Vol. 19, Issue 1
January/February 2021
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
  • In Brief
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Annals of Family Medicine.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
The COVID-19 Pandemic in Nijmegen, the Netherlands: Changes in Presented Health Problems and Demand for Primary Care
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Annals of Family Medicine
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Annals of Family Medicine web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
2 + 5 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
The COVID-19 Pandemic in Nijmegen, the Netherlands: Changes in Presented Health Problems and Demand for Primary Care
Henk Schers, Chris van Weel, Kees van Boven, Reinier Akkermans, Erik Bischoff, Tim olde Hartman
The Annals of Family Medicine Jan 2021, 19 (1) 44-47; DOI: 10.1370/afm.2625

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Get Permissions
Share
The COVID-19 Pandemic in Nijmegen, the Netherlands: Changes in Presented Health Problems and Demand for Primary Care
Henk Schers, Chris van Weel, Kees van Boven, Reinier Akkermans, Erik Bischoff, Tim olde Hartman
The Annals of Family Medicine Jan 2021, 19 (1) 44-47; DOI: 10.1370/afm.2625
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • INTRODUCTION
    • METHODS
    • RESULTS
    • DISCUSSION
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Prevalence and management of symptom diagnoses in children in general practice
  • Access and use of general and mental health services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  • Prognostic factors for persistent fatigue after COVID-19: a prospective matched cohort study in primary care
  • Prognostic factors for persistent fatigue after COVID-19: a prospective matched cohort study in primary care
  • Changes in consultation mode during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Croatian family medicine: a cross-sectional study
  • Impact of COVID-19 infection rates on admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions: nationwide difference-in-difference design in Japan
  • Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Health Care Disease Incidence Rates: 2017 to 2020
  • French General Practitioners Frequently See Patients with Long-COVID
  • Purposeful Incorporation of Patient Narratives in the Medical Record in the Netherlands
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Changes in the Ambulatory Use of Antibiotics in France Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020-2022: A Nationwide Time-Series Analysis
  • Heplisav-B vs Standard Hepatitis B Vaccine Booster for Health Care Workers
  • The General Public Vastly Overestimates Primary Care Spending in the United States
Show more Research Briefs

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Domains of illness & health:
    • Acute illness
  • Person groups:
    • Community / population health
  • Other research types:
    • Health services
    • Professional practice
  • Other topics:
    • COVID-19

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • coronavirus
  • general practice
  • delivery of healthcare
  • primary care
  • the Netherlands

Content

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Early Access
  • Plain-Language Summaries
  • Multimedia
  • Podcast
  • Articles by Type
  • Articles by Subject
  • Supplements
  • Calls for Papers

Info for

  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • Job Seekers
  • Media

Engage

  • E-mail Alerts
  • e-Letters (Comments)
  • RSS
  • Journal Club
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Subscribe
  • Family Medicine Careers

About

  • About Us
  • Editorial Board & Staff
  • Sponsoring Organizations
  • Copyrights & Permissions
  • Contact Us
  • eLetter/Comments Policy

© 2025 Annals of Family Medicine