Epilepsy in general practice: the Dutch situation.
Treatment and supervision of epileptic patients is part of specialist medicine. A possible change in the role of specialists and general practitioners in the care of these patients was explored by a questionnaire mailed to all Dutch neurologists and a random sample of general practitioners. Patients were also asked their opinion. The real situation was studied in a group of patients retrieved from the registers of general practitioners. Demographic, psychosocial, and epilepsy characteristics were sampled. Specialists tend not to want a change in their role; general practitioners desire a change. At present, patients do not want a change, but in future a change might be acceptable to them. More patients than expected were supervised by their general practitioner only. Their demographic and psychosocial characteristics did not differ from those in the population at large. Epilepsy characteristics corresponded with those in other studies.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D009462:Neurology; D010819:Physician's Role; D010821:Physicians, Family; D012380:Role; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires