Research by ABN AMRO shows that the quality and accessibility of general practitioner care is under pressure. There is a plea for more intensive cooperation between the various branches of care, such as general practitioners, the GGD, mental health care, hospitals and district nursing. But cooperation can and must go much further: also involve the sports and exercise domain to reduce the pressure. This is reported by ANP Expert Support.
A considerable part of (general practitioner) care is related to the treatment of chronic lifestyle-related disorders. 10 million Dutch people now have one or more chronic conditions. Sport and exercise effectively help prevent many of these conditions, reduce the burden of disease, slow down disease progression and prevent serious falls. Think of type 2 diabetes (1 million patients), cardiovascular disorders (1.7 million), depressive complaints (more than half a million known to GPs), cancers such as breast, colon and prostate cancer and 100,000 emergency room visits. after a fall.
There is a lot of profit to be made. About 52 percent of adults up to the age of 65 and 58 percent of the over-65s do not meet the exercise guidelines; the amount of exercise that significantly reduces risks.
Also read: 15 minutes more exercise may help prevent fatty liver disease
It is therefore surprising that there is not yet a large-scale focus on good conversation about exercise in the consultation room. It does not have to cost the GP or practice nurse much time and requires little extra knowledge. Short conversations, with the right referrals, can already help patients on their way.
Prevention
For years, municipalities have had the option of deploying neighborhood sports coaches on the connection between care and sports, especially for those who are unable to exercise more on their own. The good news is that there are now various agreements and regulations, such as the Integral Care Agreement (IZA) and the Healthy and Active Life Agreement (GALA), which focus more on prevention. Moreover, the agreements stimulate cooperation between care and sports in the municipal domain. The Broad Specific Payment (SPUK) offers all municipalities a lot of extra funding to organize preventive activities.
By: National Care Guide